2005 Mercury Marquis Refrigerant Leak

DHIRCHAK

MEMBER
2005 MERCURY MARQUIS
V8
2WD
AUTOMATIC
81,000 MILES

I have been told by my Mercury dealer that I have a refrigerant leak at the A/C dryer and that the dryer needs to be replaced. Cost will be approx. $600 plus tax. The A/C still seems to be working. What is the danger of waiting until the A/C stops cooling? Will this cause more damage to the compressor, etc. If the refrigerant completely leaks out? Does the $600 cost sound legitimate in the Cleveland, OH area? Thank you.

1 Reply

CH112063

MECHANIC
1,320 POSTS

Hi, I wanted to tell you that no, it makes little difference if it leaks out completely. I would shop around, a dryer is a fairly easy labor job, it is the sky rocketing costs of keeping the air clean and to keep the hole in the ozone from getting larger. A machine does 90% of the work. I would wait, when it leaks out then fill it and use a can of refrigerant dye so you'll be able to see all the leaks. It is R134 that contains a bright colored dye that stays in place Right now if you were to spend 600 and in 3 weeks something else leaks, you would not be happy. The dye works great. The only visible leak in any AC system is the oil that is used to lubricate the compressor and other moving parts. If it's comfortable, thank them and get another opinion. It is very expensive but if its satisfactory I don't think any more damage will occur. When a system leaks, its down and blows warm. A tiny leak can last years. But I hope you make out ok. The machine is very expensive to operate and recycle the freon.