The air conditioner on my 2005 Nissan Pathfinder does not work because there was a leak in the rear A/C assembly and in a coolant tube/hose. In order to replace the rear A/C assembly and replace the coolant tube/hose (a $190 part and a $71 part), the labor was projected to be at least $2,200. The dealer explained to me that this was due to the fact that the entire car needed to be lifted off of the chassis in order to replace these parts. Does this sound correct and/or does is there any way around this replacement?
I would suggest taking your car to a licensed A/C tech. You will often find them at a radiator shop.
Dealers have a general mind set about how to do any repair. Often it means expensive repairs when a far less expensive procedure will be 98% as good.
Dealers do not have a monopoly on good reliable car repairs. In fact they are no better (or worse) than independents. Like independents there are good ones and bad ones.
I would suggest avoiding chain outfits.
Find an indepenent shop that specializes in A/C repair and get another opinion.
I’m not familiar with this setup, but I find it hard to believe that one would have to disassemble the entire car to repair an A/C leak.
Ask the dealer to let you look at the flat rate book on this; even the warranty labor book.
If flat rate shows 3, 4, 6 hours or whatever, then you can bet the one who told you this is way off the mark.
If a service advisor told you this, then don’t believe a word of it. SAs are clueless for the most part.
You’re being ripped off. Go to a good HVAC shop. A good way to find out if it’s a good shop is to ask them if they know what a micron gauge is and why it’s used. (A micron gauge is a tool for measuring very deep vacuums. It is used to make sure the vacuum attained is enough to remove moisture from the system.) A good shop will always know what a micron gauge is.
BTW, if the system leaked down to 0, make sure they remove the compressor to change the oil. The polyol ester oils used with R134a absorb moisture, which can cause compressor burnout. In any case, the filter drier should be replaced.