My 2009 Honda Civic (24,000 miles) has been blowing hot & humid air for the past few weeks, when idle - at a stop sign or red light, or parked. The air also has a musty odor, and the problem seems a lot worse the hotter the temperature outside. When it's cooler outside(below 90's), it doesn't seem to be as much of an issue (if at all). When driving, it works fine. I went to a mechanic who did a 22-point inspection and topped it with Freon and put a dye through the system to detect any leaks. It worked for a day or two, then same problem occurred. When I took it back they found no leak, but determined that it was a problem with the compressor. They tested it with some gauge and said something about the needle vibrating at idle that indicated it was the compressor. (They didn't offer to show me, but showed my husband instead, who doesn't know any more than I do.) They also said the compressor would be around $1,000. I discovered that it should still be covered under the manufacturer's warranty and made an appointment with the dealership. They checked it out today and said it was just the air filter that was dirty and needed to be replaced. It ended up costing me over $80 for a new air filter, but I'm not even sure now if that was the actual issue or if I got ripped off by the dealership. I had last replaced my air filter at 12,579 miles (August of 2010). The previous mechanic had checked the air filter, and didn't determine that it needed to be replaced immediately. Also, if it was only an air filter, would it cause the AC to blow hot, smelly & humid air only when idle and when it's hot outside, but work fine when I'm driving or it's not as hot outside?
Is it possible that the Honda dealership tried to blame it on a dirty air filter just so they could get some money out of me, when the actual problem may have been covered under warranty and I might not have had to pay anything?
I've only driven it today and it seemed like it was working better, but could still tell the AC was a lot more powerful and cooler when I was driving. I just moved to Houston, TX a few weeks ago and it seemed like that's when the problem started. It's extremely hot & humid outside and I live in an area with a lot of stop & go traffic. My 2 yr old and I are miserable and I don't want to leave the house to go anywhere during the day b/c of this! Please let me know if you have any advice.
Thanks!
Saturday, June 20th, 2020 AT 11:03 AM
(Merged)