Would you guys repair a broken air-conditioning?
 

So I have been into driving fuel efficient, ever since I got my first car: it kinda started as way, to earn back my repairs I done on the car. But on some point I decided to get the most fuel efficient car, on sale in the Netherlands.

A Suzuki Celerio: the official average of the manufacturer was 28KM/L and I have been hitting it occasionally, but my average is still 26KM/L. One way of saving fuel is keeping the airco of, but during summer with the airco running the fuel consumption would still hit 28KM/L when doing only highway.

So now it's broken, and the first thing I said: I ain't going have it fixed, but that was before the price comparison. I found a place to have it fixed, but the part is still not their... in the meantime the airco can't be used until August.

The climate in the Netherlands, is humid: we have some hot summer days, but the last couple of weeks it wasn't actually that hot. Considering the airco consumes extra fuel: would you guys fix it? Fixing it isn't free, so you going have to hypermile even more :o

Growing up none of my parents cars had a/c so not having a/c doesn't bother me. I use '455' a/c (4 windows down and going 55 mph :)) I wouldn't bother fixing it, but if you think you might sell it anytime soon I'd probably fix it because working a/c is probably a requirement for a buyer there.

So, I have done the work to repair AC myself twice now and also completely removed an AC system myself once. It depends on the car, the cost, and what you want it for. The ones I repaired were for my wife and for my daughter. The one I removed was in my car. I live in a mild and not very humid climate.

So ask yourself (1) what is AC for in your life and (2) is the cost worth that life benefit?

Do you have the space and ability to work on your own vehicle? Repairs are often a little simpler than people expect. In one case I just needed a resonably good recharging kit (about $40 USD). In the other case I needed to replace the blower motor (maybe $150 USD).

Obviously I'm going get it fixed, because of having a baby of 7 months old. For myself I would just drive without an airco, I'm totally fine with it. Only on hot summer days, I would miss it.

Oh you aren't allowed to fill up an airco with gas by yourself in the Netherlands: also the repair is something, which you shouldn't do by yourself. As any airco gas still within the system, can burn your hands.

Well, I would and did. My hands are fine. They were also fine repairing electrical problems. They handle gasoline frequently. No burns or shocks yet. I always follow safety protocols. :)

I recharged my home A/C with propane. Works great. If I had a old car running r22 I would do it there as well. In the US technically you have to be certified to work on AC as well. That's impossible for them to enforce in a non commercial setting.

I totally get why someone wouldn't want to work on AC, but I'm not paying a tech to come out here and give me only the option of a $4000-$5000 total replacement when I bought the gauges and did it for $150.

Not only I would repair the air conditioner, I would also consider repurposing its residual water to use it on a water injection system in order to improve fuel savings even when the A/C is on.

Mad Max Ecomodders.

Charging A/C with propane may sound quite Mad Max, but a water injection would be more a MacGyver-ish mod :D

After looking at your weather the only reason i would repair your air conditioner is to keep the window from fogging up in the rain. Google says you guys only have a high of 71F. Jealous :P
Although going to the lake in 71F would be miserable.

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Fix it.

Then hyper mile your a/c.

Just like you would pulse and glide , except you’re using the a/c on-off switch as needed instead the clutch or neutral.

The older I get, the more I appreciate a/c...

;)


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In most of the United States, the average summer temperature is 7-8C higher than in Amsterdam, at least according to sources I could find. In parts of the American southwest, afternoon temperatures can reach as high as 50C.

I grew up in one of the hottest and most humid regions, where the dew point could exceed 24C, and I got by without A/C. If I lived in the Netherlands, I probably would not repair it, personally. But, I understand people are adapted to their environments, and what's mild and comfortable to me, may not be to you.

Air conditioning usually can work on heating too, so it's not useless even in cold weather.

Had it been as easy as replacing a window-unit home air conditioner...

Yeah, I reread OP.

Propane = much safer (about 1500 times) for the environment, easily available, inexpensive, just as good as a refrigerant, bigger molecules are less likely to leak.

So it's flammable when mixed properly with oxygen. I suppose that 18 gallons under the back seat of gasoline with lines and vents and electric pumps going all over is good to go.

We had one of those little camping propane bottles, which would be more than enough to refill a car A/C, leak INSIDE our Suburban one camping trip and its was uneventful as opening the doors and airing it out. If the A/C leaked it would be under the hood and easily vented away.

Not sure if I would be OK with propane leaking under the hood.

I believe you're confusing the concept of large quantity leaks with the typical failure mode of A/C seal leakage. One doesn't get much of a combustion event on these. You have more potential energy leaking from a typical liquid fueled vehicle than you'd ever have with R22 (propane) since the typical refrigerant content of an auto is about 16 ounces maximum. That's parked. Moving with engine bay airflow would be even less. Finally, historically, in a puncture causing accident, I have no knowledge of an incident where propane caused a vehicle fire. Tesla batteries OTOH......

Maybe?

True. Scanguage shows the Prius uses the AC for heat depending on which vents you have on. Even when the defrost and AC buttons are not pushed. Defrost is why i mentioned he might wanna fix it. Foggy windows suck ass to drive with.

Even at home, sometimes a foggy window becomes a PITA.

Funny that this came up. I was about to ask a technical question about my AC.

I think if I grenaded the compressor, I’d pull it all out and enjoy the weight savings. That’s expensive and requires some fairly professional attention which I’m not willing to pay for (nor able...I blame my watch habit.) Otherwise...if it’s basically working and just needs a fairly minor repair, yeah, I’d try to save it.

I quit trucking and have a couple of jobs right now. One is basically out in the elements out in humid subtropical Texas. Highs this week should be around 95*f (35*c), generally with high humidity, so this is the first time in my life where I genuinely want the small luxury of air conditioning in my car.

I actually had a major leak (that I caused trying to find a small leak) on my home A/C filled with propane that I braze weld shut while it was leaking. Yes it made a mini torch out of the leak area and I wouldn't want to try that again but it wasn't as catastrophic as you would think. Actually had it been filled with freon still, that event would have made much more deadly phosgene gas in my basement.

Either way or another, I'd rather drain the gas before working on the plumbing of an air conditoner. On a sidenote, was it out of question to patch the leaking area with Araldite or something similar?