RLwhaler

Hello member,Been a lurker since Nov.2013.Successful mechanic due to this site! for that,I thank you.Unfortunately,My hands are tied with this AC.

Bought my daughter her first car last Nov.(1999RX300) from the dealer.Mint condition with only 64k miles.Prior to delivery,They had to replace a brand new compressor,O-rings,did the dye test due to AC getting hot.

Three weeks ago,AC went out,brought it back to dealership,they shot it with freon and dye.Yesterday AC went out.This morning,dealership called....suggested that these 3 components needs to be replace.

1)Evaporator cord

2)Extension Cord

3)AC condenser

$ 2,750 total !

Any suggestions/guidance would be great appreciated.

Best Regards,
Richard

salimshah

The question is do you trust their diagnosis?

If you do then it is all about parts and labor. Shop around to get a more competitive quote.

If you have the skill, tools and know how, the work can be done at home. Lexus requires a certain amount of oil at various places.

When you pick low milage vehicles you should expect problems with AC system, exhaust (cats etc) and various rubber parts. Oh check the date on the tires too. You may have good tread but the age can deteriorate the rubber.

Salim

RLwhaler

Hello Salim, No,I do not trust their diagnosis at all.

AC was out the day I saw the car.They offered to "fix" it before I paid.Tires are brand spankin' new Michelins all around.

salimshah

Then your next option is to go to an auto AC repair shop. They can check with the special light to find the dye, or charge again with their own dye.

Salim

RLwhaler

Hi Salim, I was thinking the very same thing you just suggested.Basically,your suggesting a "second opinion' ? Any recommendation for a repair shop in Cypress,Texas? (right outside of Houston) Thanks!

Bobster999

I assume you mean "expansion valve". I highly doubt it needs both evap and cond. I have fixed many auto ACs when i was a tech. first thing i suggest is get a good flashlight and carefully look all over the condenser for any sign of leakage. it will be easy to see even without any special light. the dye should show easily. and follow the lines and comp. etc... evrything outside connected with AC and look for an oil leak on the components. if you dont find any then there is no leak outside. i fixed mine last year when i found the leak where the lines go into the firewall. the leak was easy to see. i replaced the 'O" rings and that was all needed. if there is no outside leak, then your evap is leaking inside. this is simple when u know what to look for.

RLwhaler

Bobster999, Thanks for chiming in.You are absolutely right! On my second diagnostic with a highly recomm. A/C guy(only specialize in A/C,Not a mechanic) My second quote was only 679 bucks! WITH 2 years warranty for parts and labor.O-rings were replaced last year when the dealership replaced the compressor.I would've tackle it myself...But,she needs the car.Thanks!

sylvia

hi, from my experience RX 300 2001 - check air mix servo motor, mine was broken and could not switch from cold to hot in the summer and winter. I did manually by opening the cover but now I am ordering the part, just need to find out the best price

dbarber45

I have a somewhat similar problem that maybe someone with experience can help with. I purchased a 2001 RX300 back in March of this year with fairly low miles (82K). When I test drove the car, the a/c seemed to work great. Very cold air. After 2-3 months, I started experiencing somewhat less than cold air from the vents. Took to my local mechanic who I trust and had him check the system. Said car was low on freon, so he recharged it. Blew cold air again for a month before back to barely cool air flow. So I asked for a compression check, dye check, sniffer check, etc. Was told that the only leak that could be detected (by the way I had lost about 12 oz of refrigerant over a 30 day period) seemed to be from the evaporator. Now from his service rate book, the cost in time and labor is about 6.5 hours to replace the evaporator. Has anyone else done this and does this sound about right. My mechanic said that it involved basically removing the entire dash assembly to get to the evaporator. Suggestions?

dbarber45

Anybody? Still trying to find and read as much as I can on the fail/leak rate of the evaporator in the RX300. Has anyone else on the forum had a refrigerant leak from this part? And would anyone have an opinion (good or bad) on the use of a stop leak product for this if indeed the leak is in the evaporator. I'm really in the dark here. Any advice would be appreciated.

salimshah

IN your post number 9, you were asking for ppl with experience in this area to respond, but now you are asking for any opinion.

I think the book hours are reasonable.

My understanding is that Lexus does not recommend sealant additives in their cooling circuit. In any case your leak seems big enough for proper repair. If it was very small then you could have lived with charge every 3rd yr or so.

Leaks in evaporator does happen. I dont think that is it a prevalent issue with RX.

Other than labor, you have to include the cost of evaporator (I doubt that the leak can be repaired), dryer, oil and refrigerant.

I would also recommend to put a bead of silicone sealant (flexible type) on the lower half of the clam-shell to prevent condensate leak (this is prevalent in old Lexus).

last of all, officially summer has just started. If you want to have the repairs done, there is no point in waiting. Also choose your shop carefully. It might be better to go to the dealer and pay premium price, with some assurance that if any thing is not done right, you can go back to them. Rattle in the dash area can be very annoying in super quiet vehicles.

Salim

hypervish

Do not use a stop leak in the A/C system, not only will it cause more damage to your A/C system. BUT, it will damage whoever ends up evacuating your system. It will cost them $$$ to fix it, close to $1000. If you do use the sealer, please let your A/C mechanic know so that he can take the precautions needed to avoid ruining his equipment.

dbarber45

Thanks for the suggestions. I will avoid the stop leak route and go for the proper fix. I did view a You Tube video I found that pictured some poor slob like me that had what appeared to be the whole inside of his car dismantled to get to the evaporator. Will call the local Toyota dealer to get a price quote from them. The closest Lexus dealer to me is 50 miles away. But I do have a Toyota dealership in town. Just went ahead yesterday and had my local shop mechanic add another 12 oz of refrigerant to system. Plan to check one more time for how long it takes for the new charge to leak from system.

Bobster999

If dye has been added a month ago, you should be able to easily see a leak if it is in the engine compartment. Just closely follow each line all the way from the upper drivers side where they exit the firewall. Even without dye i can see where the system oil would be coming out. I would look closely where the lines enter/exit the firewall for leakage signs. If there is no leak outside then the only thing left is the evaporator inside. Dont be a sucker and at least have a close look under the hood.

dbarber45

Thanks for the suggestion, Bobster. I was definitely going to have a different shop do a leak check to see if there was consensus that it was the evaporator. But at least for now, I have cold air for the time being after adding a can of refrigerant. Just don't know how long it will be before I'm back to no cold air. Waiting and watching for now.
In the meantime I will try to do a visual myself. I don't believe that any dye has been used in the system before so it would be a check for visible fluid leaks.