Less than a month after I had its refrigerant replenished, the Sentra’s aircon is not cooling again. So this morning, I went to Frigid Zone, my favorite car aircon shop. They used to be near, they’re not of the small side-of-the-road variety, they have an air-conditioned waiting area, and they accept credit cards.
After a taking down the components and inspecting them, they confirmed that there’s a leak and it’s in the evaporator. So that had to be replaced. And because of the leak the system was contaminated with air and moisture as there was no positive pressure to keep them out. This means the dryer (it’s really a disposable filter) and the expansion valve (not sure about this having to be replaced) also had to be replaced and the system flushed (i.e. vacuumed out to remove any air and moisture). I ended with the following bill:
- Cleaning, flushing, and refrigerant recharge P1300
- New evaporator P5000
- New expansion valve P1500
- New dryer P1200
- New fittings P600
- New o-rings and valve cap FREE
More expensive than smaller shops. But the parts were new and in good condition and the technicians did their work quickly and neatly. It took around 2 hours but I sure hope the fix lasts more than 2 years. So far it feels good and cold.