A/C Shop in OC

My AC quit working a couple of months ago. It would blow a little cold on the driver's side, but warm on the passenger. So I took my truck to a shop in Cypress and they said that there's a leak somewhere, but wanted $300 to recharge with a dye to find the leak. They are guessing it's the evaporator core under the dash, which they said they won't replace since it's too much work. Reading up on here, that seems likely. There are a few posts about this happening to others.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good AC shop? I'm in Huntington Beach.

I'm thinking about taking it to a dealership, but I have a lot of aftermarket stuff installed in my engine bay that they are likely to refuse.

 

One min

 

I found my Leakey hose. Went and purchased the hose from stealer ship and had them replace it. There in Costa Mesa

 

Check your condenser for damage - it’s easier to fix!

 

I'll check it. I have supercharger and its inter cooler mounts in front of the condenser. If it's just the condenser then, yes, I can replace it myself.

 

Someone accidentally drilled a hole into my condenser when installing electric fans.

I bought a replacement condenser and recharge kit with coolant and oil at O’Reillys and a HF vacuum pump to do my own replacement as well. Toyota’s install price was more than 3x what I paid for everything. It’s still working just fine after 3 years since I did it.

HF sells coolant detectors for pretty cheap too.

 

Yeah, I've been thinking about buying a gauge set and vacuum pump and trying it myself. NAPA sells refrigerant cans with a UV dye to locate leaks. Might be worth a shot.

 

The electronic detectors work well too. Just hold it close to the joints and such. Use it in a wind-protected area for better sensing.

 

Oh maybe not… I like the two-stage pump- that one isn’t.

 

The Air shop Santa Ana

 

Oops

 

No, that’s not what “someone” said when it happened!

 

The tools to do the job can usually be rented for free at vatozone and the like. Just don’t be a dipstick and have the Freon be properly evacuated first.

I would find the leak first. $300 for that diagnosis in SoCal isn’t bad. If it’s really the evaporator, the dash has to come out to replace it. It isn’t hard, just time consuming. I’ve done it once. Taking lots of pics along the way and not rushing to break shit on disassembly was key.