crazy price to fix my AC

local jeep shop wants $1000 to replace my leaking evaporator. seems crazy, i know they have to pull the entire dash and the air bag and all, but $1000? i like my cherokee and know finding another 2001 limited laid out this way would be pretty tough. should i just bite the bullet and go for it? or keep putting R134 in it every week?

Its either fork out the grand, do it yourself, for a heck of lot cheaper, or be hot, I would do it myself, but time is money, so its hard to say, no ones in your shoes but you. good luck

metalgearxj said:

finding another 2001 limited laid out this way would be pretty tough.

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Not to mention that it too, would require a new evaporator, unless the previous owner had already replaced it.

yeah, thanks for the advice and i'm just takin' it in. i work a bunch of long hours and don't really have time to do it myself, which was my first thought. it's a nice vehicle and worth it, but keep thinking how i could be buying a lift and some other goodies.

Try an AC place and stay away from the Dealer.
$600.00 ought to be about right.
You may want to check and see if there is a recall on the evap, most stealer's will not volunteer that information.

First ? would be - Is it leaking from the evaporator? I've having problems with my 2000. But I've narrowed it down to leaky schrader valves. Put some dye in it. Drive it around, park it, pop the hood and shine the UV light down where the drain is. If its leaking, the dye will mix with the water and should glow where it drains onto the frame rail. I bought a little UV detection kit at Autozone for ~ $13. Came with a UV penlight and goggles. They just protect your eyes from the UV wavelength and help enhance the glow.

it is not uncommon for the evap to keak, especially on an older jeep. $1000 isnt a bad price. i wold use the dealer since they are more expierienced and arent likely to break things while removing the dash. by the way, ther isnt any recalls on a/c comonents. recalls are for safety or emissions related items.

I know the evaps tend to leak. I think it's poor DC quality. It could also come from low r134, letting the evap freeze up, ice causes the tubes to split.

I was just offering a different point of view to the problem. It sucks taking these dashboards apart. Aside frome the time spent, you almost always end up with squeaks.

Another plus to the UV dye method, is that you might just have an o-ring leak. A pack of o-rings and cage springs for the XJ is less than $10. Plus all the joints are on the right side of the engine compartment. Very easy to do.

after 5 years of using the a/c you will see oil stains arond any leak areas. if none are detected then it is safe to say the evap is leaking. i have seen it plenty of times. if the jeep is taken to a reptable shop, dash rattles shouldnt be an issue. if it rattles or squeeks after that it is their responsibility.

I have an '01 also with the same problem. The dye test confirmed the evaporator. Prices were the same also. I went to independant auto repair shops, and they quoted me $1000 also. Seems they all know about the job (checked 3 places) and all charge the same. I bought a new evaporator myself (four seasons) and plan on putting it in this fall after it cools down a bit. Sounds stupid, I know, but I hate working on my cars when I am dripping with sweat. Just have to sacrifice one summer without A/C. Check the search options, there ARE writeups about it. Get a factory service manual if you dont already have one, it spells out the procedure pretty well. I think the writeups tell you about some short cuts, too. Good luck!

The price will vary depending on the labor rate. Labor rates are different in different parts of the country. $1000 is certainly not out of the ballpark. In the long run, this will be cheaper than throwing R-134 in there every week.

The other option (this is the one I personally favor) is to just roll the windows down and don't bother with the A/C