Took my wifes 06 Liberty (4x4 V6 auto) to the dealer to diagnose an A/C inop problem. Only warm air from vents. With engine running and AC on I could see the compresor was not turning, however, I was still able to manually turn the compresor with engine not running, so it was not frozen. Dealer told me the A/C comp clutch was bad. They wanted $1,000, ya one thousand to remove and replace the A/C compressor. They said they could not remove/replace just the clutch. I have a FSM and there is a procedure to replace/replace the compresor clutch. Additionally, they stated they did not hook up a scan tool or check for engine codes; said they did not need too. The FSM said to do this. Did I get ripped off? How do you know if a switch is not bad?? I paid $80 for the diagnostic. I am considering writing a letter to the dealer GM. Your thoughts

Did the tech atleast bypass the relay to make sure it was not engaging? Or even hook 12 volts direct to the clutch with motor off to see if it locked in? My grandfather would slap these kids for thier inability to diagnose properly. DAMHIK.

I don't know. The service advisor said a scan tool was not used and engine codes were not checked.

Then why the 80 for the "diagnostic"? Time to talk to someone important. What did the reciept say was done? I know here in FL they HAVE to give a detailed report on repairs.

we used to be mopar dealer until they found out owner was a republican
(lol)but what we have is an a/c system check for 79.95-if you come in and say that your air is not as cold as it was-we will hook up a/c machine 1st,to see if any freon in system-if it is then we see if compressor comes on-if not we look at possible causes-all this in .6-if you come in for anything else general diag is 85.00 for 1 hr-if we find problem in less than 1 hr-you still pay for 1 hr-fsm may say that they can change clutch but have seen lately that alot of parts that were there before bankruptcy are not there now.clutch may be one of them.even if they buy compressor aftermarket and put markup on it comp is probably 400.00-500.00,plus labor plus freon at 1.00 oz.not saying you got ripped but not saying you didnot at todays prices.will look at alldata to see what comp pays to change.

looked at alldata-clutch is part of compressor-not seperate-compressor part # is 55111400ab list 540.00=labor to install is .7hr does not include evac and recharge or freon-if 2 lbs r134a at 1.00/oz=32.00=if labor is 100.00/hr=70.00(.7)then 540.00 plus 70.00 plus 32.00 plus evac and recharge(642.00 plus recharge)you got hosed by about 300.00

I didn't have the dealer do any work, just the diagnostic. It pretty much went like you said. Appreciate the info. I'm going to see the GM tomorrow with the FSM and see what he says. Thanks

Just did one today...... and NO... I didn't use the scan tool. Comp didn't come on, front of clutch pulley was missing paint (hot), grabbed my dvom and since the connector is right there in front of your face ohmed it out and just as I thought, open. Installed a new compressor. We live in the desert, it's hotter-n-L, no way I'd risk installing an clutch coil only unless the customer signed a waiver stating that is what they wanted. Due to the heat involved when the coil bakes the front seal often will leak and create a "comeback".

It is generally accepted standard procedure to replace the accumulator and orifice tube when replacing the compressor. $1000 for the compressor, accumulator, orifice tube/liquid line, and evac/recharge is not particularly high at all. At my place of employment....134A is currently charged to the customer at $2.80 per ounce.

If it's a clutch coil failure it gets a compressor only. If I remove it and the oil in the compressor resembles gun metal gray metal flake paint, then you get the ugly new estimate.

So what is the correct thing to do? Dealer will do compresor only for 850 using factory parts. A local shop will do compresor, accumulator and orafice tube for $1,000 using whatever brand parts they use??

We replace compressors all the time, not many accumulators or condensers. unless the compressor grenaded and you have lots of metal in the system you dont need the other stuff.

Do you think a factory part would be better than aftermarket or brand X?

We used aftermarket all the time at work.Most were from Advanced.Only had a few problems and probally replaced a few hundred total.That compressor should be an easy job.Have someone evac the system and change it yourself.Just make sure that the compressor has oil in it.Some do some dont.Really not a hard job.You will need to have someone pull a vacuum and recharge it after install.Rocky