1998 Toyota Corolla Repair Cost Honest?

2ND.AVE

MEMBER
1998 TOYOTA COROLLA
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
130,000 MILES

Hello, I have a Toyota Corolla 1998 4dr 4cyclinder, now has 130,000 miles. The a/c requires major repairs according to Toyota Service Center manager. When I submit the individual parts for pricing at NAPA Online the cost for the parts alone comes to approx. $350. The manager states it will cost $1983+tax to do this work. He states I need a new a/c condenser, evaporator, expansion valve, dyrer. He added Freon and it has created greater cold air flow. How can I determine if the work is neccessary? And if it is how much time do I have possibly before the a/c stops? I have maintained the car in great shape otherwise. Can you help?

1 Reply

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

Hi 2nd. Ave,

Normally the distributor or dealers will try to sell you as much as possible and they would try to replace all so that they don't have to worry about another item giving way after they had replaced an item.

The Service manager has practically sold you the whole system apart from the compressor and hoses.

How long the present AC last depends on the speed of leakages if any, and the condition of all those components. It could be days, weeks or maybe months.

You have to pay premium prices if done at the franchises or dealerships.
Necessary or not depends on the conditions of all those parts mentioned and how you look at it.

If you want hassle free AC for the next 1 or 2 years, it is necessary. You might want to take some risk by reusing all those components after testing for leaks.