But if I identify that person, it might devolve into a political discussion
These next comments are addressed to nobody in particular . . .
We seem to be evenly divided on the mechanic who said the ac compressor is failing, and will cause the engine to stall . . .
It seems half of us think he’s looking out for the customer, by pointing out problems which the customer may be unaware of, but will soon become evident
While the other half seem to either doubt his diagnosis, and maybe even worse . . .
An air compressor is a compressor with moving parts and pistons inside. So yeah every time it is used it is wearing some to the point where it won’t compress anymore or just locks up. When it locks up of course you know it because the belt will either break or squeal like crazy. So if it is getting worn to the point where it is requiring more force to turn it, then sure it can cause the engine to stall. Would it happen all of a sudden? Who knows but it will happen sometime. They last a long time but not forever. What could he have done? I dunno, leaked the freon out and disabled the low freon shut off? Really only one way to tell and that is to take it to another shop for a diagnosis.
Installing new compressors are more involved than just bolting the part on though and requires emptying the system, replacing some parts, checking for leaks and so on. And if it is really shot it can require cleaning the system which is not cheap at all. I’m not a mechanic but have had my share of compressor issues over the last million and a half miles so new is recommended and not used or rebuilt. Just not worth it after all the expense of replacing it. Or there is always the option of 4 way air conditioning like we used to use, 4 windows rolled down.
Yes, AC compressors wear out and then suddenly give up the ghost.
Yes, on a 20 year old car everything starts failing.
Yes, it’s a big “chunk of change” so get a second opinion.
Yes, find a new mechanic.
Any good relationship, business or otherwise, is based on trust and it cuts both ways so if you don’t have it, end it.
From the other side, I never expect a client to take me on faith but at the same time if there’s no trust from the client’s side, they’re not worth the aggravation so I’d “counsel them out”. They’re not worth the additional time, aggravation and risk so let them bankrupt someone else.
If somebody is the kind of person whose base instinct is to assume every single mechanic is a lowdown dirty lying thief until/unless proven otherwise . . . well, the problem is really with their own thought processes, not with the industry in general
A few months ago I went to my bank which is 10 miles away and took care of a problem I was having with the online site.
I came out 15 minutes later, started my car, and noticed while backing out the power steering was gone and the dash lights were on.
Raising the hood, I found the A/C compressor clutch shelled and the serpentine belt snapped. Apparently this happened as I shut the car off to enter the bank. No noises, nothing prior.
That or some mechanic sneaked up on my car and screwed me while I wasn’t looking by sabotaging the compressor clutch. Guess I should have locked the car doors and not left them an opening but I figured the weirdoh hood latch mechanism would stop anyone on Earth…
Most people would not be suspicious if their car had a major fault like that at the bank. Stuff happens. Now, if on your next visit it happened again, you might think twice about the randomness of it…I’m not particularly suspicious/superstitious but in that case, I might not go back to that branch for a while…
As mentioned, whoever does the repair may be able to shed some light on the situation.
Now I’d like to know how you got home? On the way to work one 10 below morning, my belt came off due to the water pump pulley wobble. Pulled off the freeway at the first exit and put the belt back on. Came off again in half a block. So it was about a mile to the nearest shop and gotta tell ya it about broke my arms trying to steer the thing plus no coolant circulation. 'Spose the easy way would be to just tow it the ten miles home.
It was either wait an hour or two on AAA or drive it home. I chose the latter. Some of it was on a downgrade. I ran it up to high speed (80 or so), shut the engine off, and coasted until near a dead stop. No traffic to speak of so speed is not an issue and was home in less than 15 minutes.
Steering was not a problem as there are only 2 turns on the way and one is the turn into my driveway. Other than that, the road is arrow straight like most of them around here. Granted, those turns were difficult but doable. Temp gauge went up a bit but nowhere near the red as there was enough airflow during the engine off times to keep the temps down. Kept the A/C system on so the radiator fan was running too.
As stated a few times in the following videos…a few bad apples spoil the rest.
I personally believe that MOST mechanics are very honest. Problem is there are way too many out there who are not. All you have to do is watch some of the local news around the world and how they trap shady mechanics. I’ve run across more then a few in my day - directly or indirectly.
Really I think I’ve only run across two bad guys. Three I guess if I include the kid at the dealership that said I had bad oil leaks. Maybe a couple that I didn’t think knew what they were doing but that’s not the same.
It depends on the shop, even within chains. I got a safety inspection at a local Pep Boys about 30 years ago. They came up with a lot of things that were clearly lies. I had checked all the lights and the brakes were new. They said I need several bulbs and new brakes. I made the service advisor go over the brakes with me and show me what was wrong. Nothing, of course.
My next car broke down on the other side of town. It was towed to a different Pep Boys. They did an excellent job evaluating and fixing the problem without any extra suggestions. Different manager, different outcome.
Your problem sounds like an electrical problem, since it occurs so very suddenly. I would take the belt off the compressor, so that if you then switch it on, it won’t turn. (If you have a serpentine belt, don’t do this unless you understand what else it drives.) If switching on the AC causes immediate stall, you know it is NOT the compressor itself.
A shady mechanic could easily put in a wire to cause this. I can’t imagine any scenario where such a system would display itself as fine on the way into the shop and as drastic as stalling when leaving the shop. The mechanic is either shady, or accidentally damaged something and did not tell you
How could a wire simulate a seized compressor and cause the engine to stall?
Perhaps the mechanic let the engine idling for an hour with the A/C on high and during this event the compressor seized. The compressor should be able to operate indefinitely at idle but this is a 19 year old vehicle.
When the AC is turned on, the circuit for the electromagnetic clutch is activated. A jumper wire could be used to activate a sensor that causes engine shut down. Since I am not a shady mechanic, I would need to give more thought to where a jumper might go to so quickly and thoroughly shut down the engine…probably some point on the ignition system.
Second issue: I don’t think the original post had any description of a screaming, slipping belt, or the ability to have the engine continue running if given full throttle. So, it does not sound like a frozen compressor. It sounds more like someone just turning the key to off. Rather than immediately blame the mechanic, I suggested a test to verify the compressor theory.
My 2003 Focus isn’t cooling like it should if it’s hot and my car wants to stall when it kicks in now. I don’t use it but in PA. it doesn’t that hot enough to warrant fixing it. When I talked to my mechanic about it he told me what it would cost to fix it as it needs coolant. I figured it’s not worth it. My bottom line is - find a mechanic you can have faith in. Either that or find a book and learn more about your car. I use to buy the manual for my car from the dealer in the past so I’d know what they were doing when working on my car. It cost some money but I figured it’s saved me much more because I can ask a question that makes them think I know almost as much as they do! That way I don’t get ripped off because I’m a female. When I got mad at my previous mechanic (he charged me much,much more because I had my own parts and was really rude about it) we asked around at the fire hall and a shop’s name came up a few times and no complaints about them at all so we switched. I trust this shop with my life as I have a 17 year old with 150,000 miles on it that I drive at highway speeds! BTW- when they inspect my car they will tell me my tires will need replaced or my brakes are getting worn. I’ve never had them tell me something dire is going to happen.
