2012 Edge with AC problems

[MickInOhio]

Hi all ,

 

Thanks for the add here . Wife is proud owner of a 2012 Edge . During a recent trip we noticed faint burning smell and smoke coming from engine bay . Opened hood, no coolant loss , no leaks . AC quit cooling. Belt is on and that is about the end of my expertise.

 

Any and all tips , tricks, suggestions welcome. Can't afford a dealer visit right now and I bought a can of refrigerant but thought I would check some sites before I do anything .

 

Thanks in advance for your time and assistance,

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Sounds like the compressor may have bit the dust due to a refrigerant/oil leak. Taking the Edge to a qualified mechanic would be the right thing to do.

[MickInOhio]

Had it serviced at a Ford dealership . I was told it was a 300.00 dollar expansion valve and upon arriving to pay the bill learned they also replaced the compressor without my knowledge or approval for over 800.00 + dollars. Service manager came out , and said " Boy I'll bet you wish you had purchased that extended warranty now " . My jaw fell to the floor as he went on about how the mechanic ( pictured on the wall , 30 years , certified mechanic blah blah blah ) . I first advised him of the diagnosis of the problem by his over achieving employee and the total cost by my service agent. , 300.00 bucks. Svc Manager says well, they found the rubber seals blew out in the compressor and they had no way to know it was bad before they replaced the valve. I asked for a mirror and a wet nap , he asked what for and I told him I obviously had STUPID written on my forehead and wanted to wipe it off.

End result , Svc manager removed labor from the bill and charged only for parts . Walked out after paying 500.00 bucks. AC isn't as cold but I sure as hell was frosty when I left.

Thanks for the help , much appreciated.

Forgot the smart ass remarks,, like What do you want me to do ? Remove the parts ? I laughed and said Up to you boss, tell your ace mechanic to bring his tools to my place because that's where the car will be

Also had it in for a recall , ( number 3 ) for what I can't remember , even with an appointment , they couldn't give me a time to pick it up. They had never done this specific recall before and were unsure of the repair time needed. Picked it up they said whatever it was tested OK and nothing was replaced , Never ever have I heard that line before and I'll buy the next car somewhere else .

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Sorry to hear about the bad experience! You had every right to be indignant, and especially if the AC function is not fully restored. Did they charge the system fully?

 

As for the recall, not to take their side, but some recalls are check and replace only if needed. Kind of like the recent halfshaft recall. So hard to pin anything on them if so.

[MickInOhio]

Like any business , there is always one . On the recall issue, it was the same mechanic , we had to wait almost 3 weeks for an appointment for service due to vacations and back log of work , and we are the 1st Edge to be seen ? Call me jaded, but after my initial party with the service manager I was skeptical. I didn't know they did a check and replace only of needed. I thought that if it was recalled for an issue ,the part causing the issue would be replaced .

 

I have an 06 F150 , lost power to the windows, dash gauges , interior lights , . They couldn't tell me what the problem was , but they could give me an estimate of cost ? 700 to 800 bucks.to fix and repair the issue. Went to an F150 group , learned it was most likely the dash cluster. Sent it off to a shop , they had it on the bench and couldn't get it to malfunction and offered to send it back to me , no charge . I asked that they replace it and clone the info. 200 bucks including shipping and I'm back in business !! I missed my truck,,,,, How do Dealerships justify the cost difference . I know everyone is there to make a profit but geez. Total time to remove and replace cluster was 10 minutes as I watched a YouTube video .

 

If this " ace mechanic " ( same guy as noted above ) was on the ball , he would have known , or should have know that this was a pretty common issue , as I learned in an online site like this. These sites packed with all of you helpful folks are worth there weight in gold.

 

Thanks for the help and observations, I do appreciate it !!

 

Be well,,

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Couldn't agree more! I don't think mechanics have access to the Internet at work though, probably to keep them from "surfing". Anyone know?

[Bo Keifus]

My understanding is that mechanics at dealerships are paid a lot more (sometimes double) than those at places like jiffy lube or other hometown shops. Then there's a markup on that, so that's most likely where your cost differential comes from.