Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 02:37 pm, by: Sven Werner(Anonymousmoose)
Hey all,
I'm looking at another soarer tonight maybe. The chick who is selling it says the aircon needs re-gas. How much would I be up for here? Just so I can factor it in when bargaining [if I decide to buy it].
Don Bagnall Moderator New Zealand Mercedes Benz SLK230 Kompressor
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 05:04 pm, by: Sven Werner(Anonymousmoose)
Don Bagnall wrote on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 04:35 pm:
$80 for a straight regas. $150 - $250 for a full system check, flush & regas.
If I look at a Soarer for sale and the seller says it needs a regas, is there anything I can check to see if that is true or if the problem is more major?
She says she has had the car for about 7 years and only drives it every now and then... she says she has it sitting undercover most of the time and thats why it needs a regas.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 06:38 pm, by: Wess McManus(Bar)
Be careful Sven , New compressors if stuffed (like mine)are expensive like $900.. If you really want car i'd be inclined to run it by a aircon specialist.
Peter Nitschke Junk Filterer South Australia UZZ30 UZZ31
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 08:03 pm, by: Peter Nitschke(Pen)
It might just be an O-ring.
Look into the front grill, if the radiator looks a bit oily o the passengers side, then it's the O-ring. Should be a simple and inexpensive fix (unless you get ripped off).
Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 04:34 pm, by: Wess McManus(Bar)
Get an aircon guy to inspect.. Check to see if metal shards throughout system. i'm not an aircon expert. But after my experience ,I would advise you to buy one with serviceable aircon..Expensive to repair and as great as these cars are they're baking hot in the summer time without it.
Mike Triggs Goo Roo Western Australia 3.0GT G-Pack
Friday, September 12, 2008 - 12:32 pm, by: Mike Triggs(Mikeandimah)
Wess McManus wrote on Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 04:34 pm:
But after my experience ,I would advise you to buy one with serviceable aircon..Expensive to repair and as great as these cars are they're baking hot in the summer time without it.
Any car is hot in summer here. At least many Soarers (read: Pearl White ones) have a non-absorbing exterior and a low-absorbing interior.
I've had a seized compressor in another car and that manifested itself quite simply: the belt would turn but the compressor wouldn't, which meant the engine bay got kinda smokey
Cars which aren't used much can tend to lose their gas, as systems are rarely 100% gas-tight. Strangely enough (and I know this from a camping fridge which came out of storage gasless) they will keep their gas if run continuously (which is what I do with the Waeco now that it has been regassed- it's never turned off and keeps beer nice and cold and out of the main fridge
In the case of the Waeco the leak was beyond economic repair, but this is rarely the case with a car aircon system, and as noted prviously is most likely a crook O-ring (they like to be lubricated, and the oil circulates with the gas, which of course doesn't happen in an infrequently used system).
It's important also to have the correct O-rings: the lubricant matches the gas, and then one needs compatible O-rings for the oil. From memory (changing from R12 to R-134a) the O-rings are colour-coded. If the car in question here has been in the current owner's hands for some time it may have R-12 setup and would have to be converted to a non-CFC gas, and this can involve the TX valve.
If I needed a new compressor my first stop would be a competent autolec/fridgy, as they can source a multitude of aftermarket units at lower cost than Toyota/Lexus spare parts. I can vouch for this through fitting aircon to cars not so equipped, and repairing aircon on another 2 or 3 cars.