Car Air Conditioner Not Cold Enough

I have a question for you would sure appreciate a good answer before I drop $1000 on a repair I have a Hyundai Elantra it has 63,000 miles, and lately the air conditioner has been blowing warm air – but it only does this when the temperature outside goes above about 75 degrees otherwise it works fine.

The Hyundai dealer auto mechanic first told me that it was some switch that needed to be fixed – that would have been covered by my warranty but when I went back again, they told me that there was some sort of problem with my a/c’s thermostat and to replace that would be $1,200 they are giving me a ‘deal’ for $1,000 is this a good deal?

Does this sound like a proper diagnosis? price?

Any advice?

thanks

be blessed

Ben

Hey Ben,

I would recommend you get another option from another shop. This could be something as simple as just needing a small amount of Freon in the system. I am assuming the thermostat they are talking about is the thermostatic switch inside the passenger dashboard area of the vehicle on the evaporator core.

This switch COULD be causing the problem, since it does turn the compressor on and off as it senses the inside temperature of the vehicle. These parts don’t fail very often though.

If that is the same part they are talking about….seems a little high to me, but I personally have not replaced one on your vehicle so it might be a bigger job than what I imagine it to be. I would bet most of the repair bill is comprised of labor charges to remove the dashboard.

In any case, I would get another option ( do not mention what the dealer found to the new mechanic, let them start from scratch and come up with their own diagnosis) from a reputable shop in your area who is air conditioning and Hyundai experienced.

I would bet your system is low on Freon, and there is a small leak somewhere that needs to be found…and repaired. You should NOT have to add Freon to a car air conditioner, if you do it is leaking somewhere.

You will need to have a mechanic use a Freon leak detector to locate the leak since Freon is a clear, no odor GAS. The leak detector can “sniff” this gas and set off an alarm when it locates the source of the leak.

Before you spend $1,000 I would pay another repair shop, or even another dealership to get you a second opinion.

I would also make sure the electric A/C condenser fan motor is working. It is located up at the radiator and should come on when the A/C compressor is on. Lack of cooling performance is the symptom of a bad condenser fan motor.

Please share this with your friends,

Austin Davis