Hello all, I'm looking for a little direction on how to approach my current situation. About 3 weeks ago, when western Oregon was in the middle of a heat wave, the A/C on my Jetta started blowing ambient air. If I turned it off, then back on 5 minutes later, I might get 30 seconds of cooler air before the temperature warmed again.
Although I do most of my repair work at home, I know nothing about air conditioning so I took in to be evaluated by the VW dealership. They found that there were no Freon leaks, but that the compressor was only "compressing" up to 30psi. Their recommendation was to replace the compressor, receiver/drier, and expansion valve; a grand total of $1450 after everything would be said and done.
Needless to say the car is back home now, still blowing ambient air. After reviewing the Bentley manual, it appears that compressor removal amounts to the serpentine belt, alternator, bracket and the unit itself. Physically speaking, that sounds like something I could do myself in a few hours with the right tools. However, I can't find anything regarding the receiver/drier or expansion valve.
I did find a brief discussion about removing the passenger wheel well and "finagling" the unit out with some wrenches and a screwdriver, but that was in a B4 (not sure if any different on ours); nothing to say about the expansion valve. Overall, the discussion on self-replacement of these parts seems light, and I'm tentative about drudging into a foreign area of service/repair.
So that leaves me at a crossroads.
I live in an apartment, so my repair work is done on chip seal asphalt and it could be difficult if I have to do a lot of work from the underside. Is it possible to just change the compressor, maybe the expansion valve since it's at the firewall, and then have an A/C shop recharge it? Or is the compressor/drier/expansion viewed in the same manner as the timing belt service, where you'd be stupid not to replace the waterpump while you're in there?
Regardless of whether I do the work or not, where would be the best place to find authentic replacement parts, and what ballpark should I realistically look to pay for everything?
Thanks
Although I do most of my repair work at home, I know nothing about air conditioning so I took in to be evaluated by the VW dealership. They found that there were no Freon leaks, but that the compressor was only "compressing" up to 30psi. Their recommendation was to replace the compressor, receiver/drier, and expansion valve; a grand total of $1450 after everything would be said and done.
Needless to say the car is back home now, still blowing ambient air. After reviewing the Bentley manual, it appears that compressor removal amounts to the serpentine belt, alternator, bracket and the unit itself. Physically speaking, that sounds like something I could do myself in a few hours with the right tools. However, I can't find anything regarding the receiver/drier or expansion valve.
I did find a brief discussion about removing the passenger wheel well and "finagling" the unit out with some wrenches and a screwdriver, but that was in a B4 (not sure if any different on ours); nothing to say about the expansion valve. Overall, the discussion on self-replacement of these parts seems light, and I'm tentative about drudging into a foreign area of service/repair.
So that leaves me at a crossroads.
I live in an apartment, so my repair work is done on chip seal asphalt and it could be difficult if I have to do a lot of work from the underside. Is it possible to just change the compressor, maybe the expansion valve since it's at the firewall, and then have an A/C shop recharge it? Or is the compressor/drier/expansion viewed in the same manner as the timing belt service, where you'd be stupid not to replace the waterpump while you're in there?
Regardless of whether I do the work or not, where would be the best place to find authentic replacement parts, and what ballpark should I realistically look to pay for everything?
Thanks