aftermarket AC Compressor are they good or crap?

Well I just bought a compressor from Autozone, and was planning on putting it on today. I could around to a couple of shops for recover, evac, and recharge fees, and one of the shop guys went on and on about these after market compressor only working for a short period on time and being real crap.

So I was wondering if you guys had any experience with these and what your thoughts were?

Thanks

it depends on the type of original failure. if the compressor came part internally, you will have problems with shrapnel being trapped in the lines and cores. a good flush will clear the lines and maybe the cores. the h-valve should be replaced as well as the reciever drier/suction accumulator. there are also screens that can be installed in the suction port of the compressor to catch debris.

if it was just leaking, or a pulley problem, you probably wont have an issue.

if you were just wondering about brand quality, I haven't had any worse luck w/zone parts than any other supplier that i work with. hth.

p.s. I hope we're talking about a/c or im gonna feel real stupid...lmao

I've worked part time at 3 different auto parts store over the last 7 years (advance, a-zone and a local guy) and my buddy here at my real job works at Oreily's The truth is those aftermarket compressors (Visteon or Factory Air mostly ) are kind of hit or miss. They come with a warranty and on the Jeep are easy to swap. So my oppinion? meet ALL the warranty conditions and by the cheap one. If you don't have proof that you changed the dryer and vacumed the system you are screwed if it breaks.

Good luck

When it came to a big ticket item like the AC compressor, I went with a brand new Mopar unit, from one of the discount Jeep part places (Allchryslerparts.com or something like that).

Somehow I've been having bad luck on rebuilt stuff. The AC compressor was one of those items I didn't want to mess with twice.... buy brand new.

guy probably wanted to upsell you a new unit so eliminate a comeback. he's probably been burned a few times with a junk reman and didn't want to put his name on a part that has a higher possibility of malfunctioning.

just promise me one thing: don't call the parts houses and then buy the cheapest one you can find. make sure it's from a good manufacturer (visteon/four seasons) and that you're buying it from a good store that will back their product.