i asked the service manager at a local shop today about the cost of diagnosing an a/c system that doesn't work. she said that in order to tell whether or not the compressor works, a little r12 would have to be put in (mine is empty...i know that much) she said that it runs about $60/lb. she basically told me that i could easily spend upwards of $1500 just to find out why it's not working. how hard is it to diagnose an a/c system? i would really like to have cold air this summer, but i definitely can't afford to spend anywhere near that much, especially just to find out what the problem is.

thanks in advance

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1985 300D Turbo "Eunis"

I am taking my 93 300 D to the MB service dept to get my AC fixed Monday, he said it would be $79 to see what is wrong with it, I will keep you posted...

I think mine is out of freon, and has a leak

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2000 Ford 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4
2006 Mazda Tribute
1983 Black 300 D (donated to charity)
1993 Teal 300 D (160K) Sold
"I love the smell of burnt diesel fuel in the morning, it smells like ....VICTORY"

Semper Fidelis
USMC 1973-1976

jacrouch,

I would find another shop. They don't have a clue about what they are doing. It is not necessary to charge the system to see if the compressor is bad, they can simply turn it by hand and then jump the low pressure switch and listen for the clutch to click.

Additionally they are ripping you off BIGTIME on R12. I just bought 30 pounds for $425. That's about $15 per pound. I would say that 300% markup might be a shade excessive.

You can easily reach down and turn the front plate of the compressor by hand with engine off and see if it will turn and if so does it turn smoothly only feeling the compression pulses as you turn, sort of like cranking a lawn mower by hand.

Don't let these people BS you like that. TN 124's $79 diag fee is more in line with the rest of the industry.

Good luck,