Hello everyone!! I finally decided to try and have my A/C fixed (which hasn't been operational since I bough the car). The local shop told me that it still uses the old R12 gas and that it needs to be converted to R134 first ($600) before they can even troubleshoot the problem. Why is this change so expensive? What usually fails on early w124's A/C wise? Can't they fix the problem by injecting the dye into the system and locating the leak and fix it and fill it with R12?

I am so confused.

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1984 MB 300D Turbo Diesel W123 Sedan 132K
1987 MB 300D Turbo W124 Sedan 295K
1983 Porsche 944 104K
1989 Audi 80 Quattro 180K
2002 Audi A6 3.0 Quattro Avant 49K (Wife's car with warranty )

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You DO NOT need to convert to r134 to fix your A/C. They CAN put a dye and look for a leak with a refill of R12, if needed.
Do a search! It has been discussed before. I hope it is NOT your evaporator . BIG money to repair

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J.H.
'86 300E

First, I'd look for an other shop. You don't need to spend $600. for a diagnostic. A dye injected in the system will most likely show where the leak is.
As said in the previous post, cross your finger it's not the evaporator.
JackD

Another vote to stick with the r12.
$600 is too much, and conversion is not related to troubleshooting, so this is suspicious behavior on their part.

$600 dollars as a starting point to save $120 on refrigerant? Hmmm... Even with recharges every 3 years, it would take a long time to pay that back...

Hey, you could even get lucky and find that you simply have a low charge, which is normal over time.

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1986 300E 5-Speed 240k mi.