Quote:
Originally Posted by LarryBible
Using your lowest total, which would be $45 if I didn't miss anything, I could fix the car for less STAYING WITH R12! 3 cans of R12 with some shopping and patience on Ebay can be had for $45 on a good day. Recharging with R12 negates the need for the other items on your list.
In addition, your recipe has a statistical average life before further attention be paid to the system of 2 years. This is backed up by lots of data recorded on hundreds of 12 to 134 conversions by a very reputable shop in Florida.
You did not define to the OP what your "bingo" consists of, if doing the conversion correctly. The "bingo" means dismantling all components of the system and flushing them thoroughly (oh, you forgot to mention the cost of the flushing agent) blowing everything out thoroughly, reassembling everything without messing up any connections, THOROUGH evacuation and charging.
I have converted quite a number of systems myself and have almost always had good INITIAL success. R134a is really bad about combining with any moisture left in the system to make an acid that will corrode holes in components from the inside out. On the 124 Mercedes, one of these potentially corroded components is the evaporator. The 124 evaporator replacement is a fifteen hour job for someone who has done it before. Sounds pretty risky to me.
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I respect that you are a professional A/C engineer and I am only an amateur, but there are holes in your post.
1) You assume an EPA license to buy R-12. That may be a non-recurrence costs but it is a cost nonethess and is not included in your $45.
2) The rusting through of the evaporator may or may not be caused by the conversion, unless it was replaced when the conversion WAS done. The damage may be already there for an old car.
3) The same argumment is applicable to the cause of black death of the compressor after conversion.
4) Unless compressor/evaperator were replaced when the conversion was done, all this corrosion or black death were moot. They cannot be scientifically proven unless you have a 'control'.
5) Bingo means cold air. The sky is the limit to flush/change out hardware/redesigning to R134a./bigger condenser etc.
6) This is not a how low can you go issue but what can be achieved as an amateur. I can cut more costs if necessary, like no o-ring or receiver/drier change. Or just get a conversion kit from an Auto Shop.