I think I just got screwed at the dealership...

[rooroo]

Took X5 ('03, 3.0L)in today to diagnose AC issue. Told advisor of these symptoms: Vent blows ambient air temp only/Aux fan has not turned since issue began/Even at Highway speeds the air will not cool.
He mentioned that it sounded like low freon level, suggested that they drain and recharge the freon. Then he said that even if there is a leak, that it may be so small that I may never have the issue since it took this long to get low enough to stop cooling the air. Then he told me that it would cost $190 to perform the service.
One hour and a half later I see my car being pulled back to the service area and parked at the exit. I was excited thinking the AC was fixed. Usually if there is an issue they will let me know to see if I want to take care of the problem then and there before pulling out of the garage.
The advisor eventually calls me and asks to follow him to the car to test the temp of the air. We get there, he hits the MAX button and no cooling. Then he says that the freon level was low and that the Aux fan is broken and needs to be replaced.
That caught me off guard.
I had read about that issue here on the forum and knew that the cost would be just above 1K. $1350 and change to be exact.
I paid $190 for the recharge and left.
I called my indy and he gave me a much better price at about $850

Then I got home and searched the forum to see what I could learn about the Aux fan. I found out, thanks to a post by Weasel, that the Aux fan will activate to help cool the engine if necessary. I was under the impression that it was exclusively for the AC.

Then I got to thinking... I mentioned that the Aux fan had not worked since the AC stopped working months ago. Wouldn't it raise a red flag to the advisor or the tech and make that their first priority in diagnosing the issue?
They used dye visible under UV light in the freon to detect leaks and they could not find any. Was the freon really low? Why wouldn't they choose to replace the aux fan before replacing the freon?

I feel ripped off!
Am I wrong here?

[Weasel]

Sounds like you may have got a newer or less experienced tech, just by the luck of the draw most likely... Did they say how much was in it or what the running pressures were before and after the charge?

If you feel you were shorted in the diagnosis you should call the service manager and explain that you brought it there to find out what's wrong with your AC and they just simply sucked it down and refilled it to the proper level (which is actually the first step in diagnosis anyways) and then just brought it back to you and told you it needed an aux fan also. (by the way, does it cool off on the highway now?) Express to him that you feel you didn't get a full and proper diagnosis, and would appreciate if they would look at it again, maybe double check for leaks with the UV light since it has been longer now and may be more evident, and/or use a sniffer leak checker that "smells" for the ac leak. Basically say you really need to know what the problems are with the system to get it back to full working condition as you don't feel you got that last time. But BE NICE! The nicer you are the more willing they will be to work with you.

[sarb]

Originally Posted by Weasel

The nicer you are the more willing they will be to work with you.

it worked every time for most of us.

[rooroo]

The X is with my indy now (ex-BMW tech). I told him about the experience at the dealership and he said that he will make his own diagnosis.
I'll wait to see what he says.

If a flush and recharge really is the first step in diagnosing the AC issue, then I guess that I am over-analyzing the procedure that I went through. But it just (now, after the fact) seemed that they went for my money before going for the problem.
BTW, they never told me any details about the freon level or the pressure readings before or after, nor was there any info on the worksheet they gave me (literally no info, just the price). I had to ask the advisor if they had found any leaks, he didn't volunteer that info on his own.
To complicate things even more I had the car on I-85 for a few miles at about 75mph, hit the max button and I felt the air cool just slightly if anything (could have been just my high hopes).

I read here on the forum about a member who took his car in to the dealership to have the freon levels checked (same thing I did) and left without paying anything. The policy was that if the recharge didn't fix the problem the costumer would not get charged for the service. The member is located in the UK though, it doesn't seem that the policy is the same here in the US.


I'll write back when I get more info...

Rui

[tonycajjo]

i typically do all my work unless its something i can not do, like recharge AC... last year i went to a indy mech and told him that my AC is leaking and i would need it charged. there is a couple of gaskets behind the dash, (you can get to the them from the engine bay) i used to get condensation on the pass side vents. are you getting the condensation?

[rooroo]

no condensation...

[HPIA4v2]

I never own a car that need A/C recharged ever, different makes and models.

I wonder if the tech just mis-diagnosed FSR problem, when my FSR died on me the fan blows so little air during one summer you thought the whole A/C is gone, fixed the FSR and when I set the temp to 60, crank the fan up;you better have your winter coat on

[rooroo]

From what I was able to understand during searches, the FSR is what blows the air into the cabin. If this is correct then it's not the problem. The "intensity" of the air coming out of the vents has not changed. But, lets say that you have the fan manually at the highest level, then hit MaxAC button... nothing changes temp or volume wise.

I could be wrong, but i'm pretty sure it's not FSR.

[X5 Meister]

Any photos?

[Weasel]

Wow Meister! I didn't know you could tell the temperature of the air in a photo?!? Damn you're good!