27 July 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – With July being the hottest month on record, drivers are paying the cost when AC compressors, motors, water pumps or other components fail.
Jerry Devine of Jerry’s Auto Repair LLC detailed some of the problems coming into his garage. According to Devine, repairing AC systems in vehicles can be an expensive endeavor. There are a number of parts that can fail such as valves, inlet and outlet ports, rubber gaskets and compressors. Devine noted compressor replacements could cost $1,000 or more.
“Oh yeah, I get some people in with air conditioner repairs,” Devine said. “One person the valves went out on the inlet and outlet ports because they got rubber gaskets in them and when they get hot they’ll leak there, you’ll lose your Freon. That kind of thing might be $400 but if it’s a compressor we’re talking major money because you have to replace the receiver drier and other components they recommend on that car.”
Devine said in order to have a warranty on a compressor replacement, typically a whole kit needs to be installed. But AC components aren’t the only parts negatively affected by the heat, oil thins at higher temperatures which can cause your motor to leak.
“It puts pressure on your whole motor, as it heats up you can have more problems with oil leaks,” Devine said. “The hotter it gets the thinner it gets. It’ll find its way out of the motor. Water pumps, you let it get too much heat it’ll blow off some of your antifreeze. Heat in general is a problem with vehicles. You can go through a battery that way, as you’re starting something already hot and the battery is hot, those batteries tend to fail when it’s too hot. It’s always about the extremes, you can either lose them to high heat or really cold temperatures.”
“Just like a person if you go outside and it’s super hot it’s putting stress on yourself, it’s kind of the same thing for a car,” Devine said.
Devine said auto shops are typically not air conditioned so it can be a challenge to keep going. He said sometimes his garage will stagger hours to avoid the hottest parts of the day.
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