Dealer Says $1400 ONLY fix for A/C w202
 

Just curious if the following is true or at least close to the truth.....

1996 C280 A/C will not blow cold at all.

Dealer says there is a box that contains all of the A/C unit and that replacing the entire box is the only way to fix....says once you break the box open there is NO resealing....so you have to replace the entire unit.

Any insight or suggestions on checking other things that may e affecting the cold air??

Thanks as always,

A2Benz

Not sure about the w202's but I really wouldn't bother with the dealer for 11 year old cars. Find a decent indy and you're set.

Sorry...."decent indy" ???? Help me with the term please :confused::D

Independent mechanic, i.e., not a dealer.

How can there be "one box" with everything in it? Do they mean the evaporator?

I wondered if it was the heater box, also. If so, $1400 must be for the parts only?

What's the total price the dealer quoted?

Whoa...slow down.
First, there are a lot things that can cause an A/C to stop blowing cold and many of them are very inexpensive to fix.
Second, there is no such box as you described.
Third, start with the basics. You can use the climate control system to determine the refrigerant pressure, evaporator temp, and a host of other things so that you have some idea of what is going on(see fourth).
Fourth, search this forum and you will find dozens of other people who have gone through issues with W202 A/C problems and succesfully fixed them.
Fifth, try to be a whole lot more specific when you post here about what the dealer is tellling you. "Box" means nothing. All of these parts have names. Have the dealer give you a written estimate and post here what they said.

Try to find in indy in your neighborhood that you can trust and use as your go-to guy with this car. You need a second opinion on this if you really are looking at $1000+ for the repair.
Good Luck, Dan

Actually, they do sell the heater box complete with the evap, heater core and all the pods.

Well, being more specifif when the actual mechanic standing in front of me says that the entire A/C "BOX" has to be replaced.

I asked to explain what he meant by "box". He stated that there is a black "BOX" sealed with all A/C components inside and if you break the seal to try and fix anything on the inside....you ruined as you cannot reseal...

The Mercedes dealer manager and tech said the "BOX" needs to be replaced. The A/C Box with all components...

That was my detailed report and estimate. They told me that they DO NOT write up estimates with detail any longer as people used the estimates to order their own parts or took it to a INDY to have the work done.

I cannot even get a parts price and number over the phone these days..

There are many INDY's in Ann Arbor, BUT they are just as expensive as the dealer and many of them WILL NOT touch your car IF YOU HAVE WORKED ON IT YOURSELF...

When replacing my water pump I stopped by a INDY and asked for a quote...after the quote hit $700, I asked for a detail....he did this right in front of me...

"Well, the water pump costs me $130 so your cost is (tapping on the calculator) $290, the thermostat kit is $5.31 for me so it's $49 for you, the serpentine belt cost me $2.67 and will run you $75....now the labor is 3 hours at 90 hour and that does not include any other things that may extend our time"

I asked this question...If I do any of the work, will it save me any money?

His response was "if you ever worked on this car, I wont touch it"!

HUH? What? Did I miss something, it's my car and I work on it all the time I just have never done a water pump.....

Nope I wont touch it....have a good day !:behead:

So, again I am sorry for the BOX, but it seems that everyone knew or knows what I am referring to except one that says there is no such box...

I have W202 CD's and W124 CD's in which neither refer to A/C components being sealed in one large box...

AND YES, the $1400 was for the "BOX" only and no labor....whew

That there is a sealed black box with ALL the A/C components is gibberish. The compressor can't be in that box - it's driven by a belt off the engine. The climate control unit can't be in that black box - it's in the passenger cabin. You still don't have an intelligible diagnosis, but I wouldn't spend too much time trying to figure out what these people are saying - you wouldn't want them working on the car anyway. You need to start over with a proper diagnosis from a legitimate shop, or do it yourself. If indeed there is no such thing where you live you, and you are unwilling to get involved, you should probably consider getting rid of the car.

I'd never heard of "the box" either, but I've never owned a w202. It's certainly possible that there's a box that holds the evaporator, the heater core, and the pods, but those items are related to the heat in the car and the flow of the air in the dash (the pods). It completely neglects the compressor, the drier, the orifice tube (or expansion valve, whatever the car has), and the condensor. If you have failed compressor or a leak anywhere in the system, replacing "the box" will have no affect.

Bottom line, skip that dealer and find a good independent - it sure sounds like the dealer is trying to make some good money. If you're AC isn't blowing, you need to find out why it isn't blowing, then fix what the problem is.

If the dealer writes up a good estimate, you can find out ahead of time if he's full of it, or if you really need the work.

If you do any work yourself, you just might figure out that the indy completely tortured your car.

Maybe they mean the "control unit", N22 in the W140 cars. That 'box' does do the climate control operations.

Many people feel the box is not fixable but many times it's a cold solder joint on the pc (printed circuit) board that can be fixed.

My reasoning for this conclusion is that an A/C evap repair is much more expensive than $1400 as all here will attest. So that's the only 'box' that has "something" to do with the car's climate control and specifically the A/C.

Maybe you should ask to have the "box" pointed out and explained as to what it is??? As the others have said, if they won't, then go someplace else.

So the dealer wouldn't even divuldge what the labor charge would be? Is it going to be a surprise for your birthday? As bad as the dealer sounds, he still sounds better than that indy you mention... I would follow forp's advice and also check out the forum section about local shops for a better place to get a second opinion.

Mike

Sorry if I mislead anyone as the so called box alone is $1400 and then another $2000 for the complete job.....total around $3400.....

We ALL know that t he car is NOT even worth that....ie, why I laughed at them both....maybe in their way they were scaring me off instead of ripping me off....who knows...

It's a nice car so I'd liek to keep it....I have the total interior stripped out right now carpet and all to clean, really clean...

Seats come out easy, center console a breeze, then one piece of carpet comes out the door....amazing !

Amazing what you find when you take all of your seats out....money, french fries, kids toys, crayons....you name it and I think I found it. I found things that did not belong to me as they had to have come from the previous owner....:)

Anyway, tearing this thing apart has been fun so i may type up some W202 DIY as there are not too many listed here....

Do you want to hear the cool thing, and I know that I should not do this as it will hit me next week, but I have not touched my brakes or rotors in over 75k miles !! Better start reading up...:D

To say that the heater box has a magic seal and once the magic seal is broken all is lost? Bull.

You could replace your evaporator yourself. Parts including replacing some bad pods, exp valve and drier would be less than $500.

Do a search. Lots of us have done this job.

Assuming a leaking evaporator is your problem and it looks like the stealer thinks it is, since he wants to replace the box and that's the only part in there that would cause your AC not to cool at all.

won't cool
 

OK.. what won't cool..is the blower running? Has the freon level been checked? It's generally only a couple ounce's of freon for a system to stop running. Try going to parts store or even the evil Wal , buy a can of 134a with leak sealer or two, install (while running a/c) and see what happens. If it starts to cool, continue servicing.If you have a major leak it may be a line leaking,or compressor, evaporater. If it's minor the leak sealer might help. Did the system ever work?

Think twice about putting a sealer in an AC system. If you decide to do it, think twice more.

:grim:

I am not sure why sealer is not good ? It is just a heavier grade oil. If the leak is in the evaporator, and if you cannot do the mechanical/electrical work yourself, and if you want it to be fixed perfectly, then you will have to pay upwards of 3K for the repairs no matter where you go.

I would take the car to an auto air specialist (not a general purpose mechanic) and get a diagnosis and an estimate from them. You have to spend this small amount to make a wiser decision if the costs are going to be around 3K. As many have said, you may not have a leak, dealers just want to give you the worst case estimate, and the attitude of that dealer is very suspicious, as if they just did not want to work on your car or wanted to cheat you.

If the leak is behind the dashboard but is a small leak, auto air place may recommend stop-leak or something which is a heavier grade oil. The a/c system is sealed by oil and o-rings, and heavier grade oil just seals it a little better. And the system may be sealed good enough for refrigerant to last a few months. R134a is not very expensive and if you have to do this 2 to 3 times during summer, you would have a genuine alternative to spending 3K.

Well....here is the BAD news....I used the diagnostic tools from another thread to try and read the codes from my climate control...BUT....BUT...:mad: the fuse blows everytime i start the car....

Radio Fuse blows, Radio Antenna Fuse Blows, Climate Control Fuse blows and Keyless Remote fuse blows........JUST by turning on the car...

Dam, darn, poop !:confused:

If it's not one thing, it's another...BUT ELECTRICAL...You know how sucky that's gonna be....gotta find an INDY now as I wont be able to diagnose where to even start....

AAARRRRRGGGGGG !!

Don't give up so easily. Start another thread on the fuse. You'll figure it out if you stick with it.

Turn everything off, replace fuse(s), turn on one by one until something blows a fuse. Try to find out why it blows the fuse. Could be a loose connection, something not connected or a dead short somewhere you were working before. Stick with it it may be a lot simpler than yoiu think!:book:

You're ~ 30 minutes away (I think) from one of the best MB facilities in the USA.

http://www.motorwerksgroup.com/servicecenter.htm

My C280 1997 is doing the same thing. Sometime AC worked for a whole day, next day it's not working at all. R134 is full in system, not leaking. Some mechanics advised me to replace the whole control unit, the one in the dashboard that you press turn on and off, up and down AC temp.

Lost R134?
 

AAB, I have a 96 C220. I had to charge the ac to get colder air. Could yours have the same problem?

Ann Arbor Benz,

Bring us up to date on your situation and have you found a good independant shop, near or in Ann Arbor? After reading this section, I would have wanted to put my car on the RR tracks and wait for a fast freight, at around midnight. I hope you have gotten your problems resolved and are happy with your car. What happened with the A/C repairs?

I may just go and lease a new car locally, and be done with it. :scream:

My A/C didn't work when I got the car: Didn't blow cold. I got a manual, educated myself. Checked out all the components, found a fuse blown in the relay that energizes the low speed fan. Replaced the fuse and checked for low speed operation of the fan: It worked and the fuse didn't blow. But the A/C compressor still didn't come on: Found a relay that controls the switching-on. It costs $135. I'm cheap. Took the relay apart. Two little relays inside. Opened one up. Actuated it with finger. It made good contact. Installed everything. A/C worked like new. That was two month ago. It's still working. You can do it too.