Mechanic Dave of Dave’s Auto Center (@davesautocenter) recently went viral when he explained how shoddy repair jobs that only replace the condenser lead to A/C contamination.
In the video, viewed over 294,000 times as of publication, Dave explains that a shop that just replaces the A/C condenser instead of flushing the lines is wasting a customer’s money.
“They got rid of your noise,” Dave said. “They’ll collect your money, they’ll send you down the road, and you will not have a job that was completed correctly.”
According to Dave, mechanics need to replace the condenser because the fluids toss bits of debris and metal that collect inside of it.
“The metal material that gets thrown into this condenser, you can’t flush these,” Dave said. “I have cut a condenser in half, and you cannot flush all those different layers.”
To properly repair an A/C unit, Dave suggests flushing “the lines that go to and from the compressor and condenser and replace the desiccant of the receiver dryer.”
@davesautocenter Air Conditioner Contamination. You gotta do it correctly or you will have problems with your repair. Guaranteed 👨🔧 #autoshop #autorepair #carrepair #enginerepair ♬ original sound – Davesautocenter
Many viewers argued that his advice was too expensive and required too much work to be the standard repair practice for removing contaminants from an A/C unit.
“Not everyone has 2 grand for all that work,” a viewer said.
“Basically, if the ac compressor goes bad u should replace the entire car except the hood insulation pad. Assuming it’s not bad lol,” a second added.
“For the difference in price, I will take my chances. I could replace the condenser 3 times before being behind,” a third added.
Others agreed with his assessment.
“It might go from 500 to 2000 but at least you’re not gonna replace the compressor a month from now you’re gonna have a job that is done proper,” one argued.
“I would at least replace the receiver drier,” another remarked.
“Good job. Any time I have a bad compressor first thing I checked is the office tube 80% of the time it has metal always change the condenser,” a mechanic replied.
What is A/C contamination?
According to car site Original Air, one of the most common issues with a car’s A/C system is internal contamination. Contamination spreads through the fluids meant to protect the compressor, contaminating the lubricant and causing components to fail.
Contaminations can come from a combination of old and/or new oil, grease, rust, and corrosion that accumulate inside the A/C system. Original Air states that these contaminations typically occur because of neglect and not replacing the filter-drier after the system is open to the air or when the compressor isn’t properly flushed.
The Daily Dot reached out to Dave via TikTok Comments. No other form of contact was available.
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