Trying to avoid the Black Death of Air Conditioners

How long on the average does a 1994 Ford F150 AC Compressor last (looking for number of years)? Having some AC Hoses replaced on my F150 that are definitely leaking. Thinking about negotiating with the shop about replacing the old but functional Compressor. If these Compressors have a lifetime of 10 years I am thinking it may be good to go ahead and replace the Compressor before it fails. Trying to avoid the Black Death where the Compressor fails and contaminates the whole AC System with small plastic particles. Is it wise to replace the Compressor that is working before it fails, in this case?

I have a 95 F350 and the AC compressor is still operational. It leaks from more than one source and my mechanic recommended complete system replacement rather than just compressor, or parts of the system due to age. Never did schedule the work, as I got too busy to worry much about it.

My temporary response was to put in oil, R134a with leak stop, and it has worked fine since. Three years later, it seems to work fine. However, I don’t test my luck by using it in the hottest part of summer.

How would you “negotiate” over what amounts to nothing more than replacing a part? For most shops most jobs have X amount hours allocated for them. That’s the price you’ll pay.

If you plan on keeping the truck for a while and A/C is a must then it might not be a bad idea to replace the compressor. If it’s at the point where hoses are leaking then it’s entirely possible the compressor shaft seal is leaking also; or soon will be.

Compressor life varies. Many compressor failures are caused by situations in which the system has been empty, moisture has gotten inside, and a proper evacuation to remove that moisture was not done.'
Recharging systems over the years without taking into account oil loss that occurs whenver refrigerant is lost will also do them in.

No reason for the shop to negotiate a repair. The job requires X number of flat rate hours at X hourly flat rate charge.

The cost to replace the hoses is $110. The cost to replace the Compressor is $160.
Since the hoses are attached to the compressor it would be very easy to replace the compressor when replacing the hoses. My logic is there should be a cost reduction then combining these two labor charges. Thinking about asking the shop to install a new compressor that cost $220 for a labor fee between $50 to $80 instead of $160. I think this is a fair price. Combining flat rate loabor charges would be a good deal for me and for the shop. We both would profit fairly.

Thank you if I can’t get a good deal on the compressor than I’ll just keep on truckin. I wrote FoDaddy the following.
The cost to replace the hoses is $110. The cost to replace the Compressor is $160.
Since the hoses are attached to the compressor it would be very easy to replace the compressor when replacing the hoses. My logic is there should be a cost reduction then combining these two labor charges. Thinking about asking the shop to install a new compressor that cost $220 for a labor fee between $50 to $80 instead of $160. I think this is a fair price. Combining flat rate loabor charges would be a good deal for me and for the shop. We both would profit fairly.

If it is not baroque don’t fix it.

I could probably think of a dozen other things that might break soon and take other stuff out with them. Where do you stop?