Car back from body shop-- funny AC behavior

[pan2]

Quick backstory: my 08 Prius was rear-ended and then pushed into the car in front of me. So both ends were smashed up and the insurance estimate for the repairs was ~$18K!

A month later (two days ago) I finally pick up my shiny Prius from the body shop. Besides the body work, I know that they replaced the entire AC unit. And now I'm finding some weird behavior:

1. When I push the recirc/outside-ar switch, I hear this mechanical sound near the passenger side vents. It sounds like something is moving or opening but isn't well lubricated and I'm hearing pieces rubbing that I never used to hear.

2. Periodically I'll hear a whirring sound when the AC is on. Sounds like a pump coming to life. But again, never something I heard before.

3. Not sure if this is normal or not: usually I run the AC with both AC/Auto and Recirc turned on. And lately I've noticed that recirc turns itself off without my pressing any buttons. Is this part of the Auto behavior? I don't think I've ever noticed that in ~2 years of owning the car.

Any insights here are most appreciated!

Thanks,
Mark

[Patrick Wong]

1. You are probably hearing the motor that moves the vent open and closed. Unless you had damage to the passenger cabin, there should be no reason for this part of the system to have been disturbed during your car's accident repairs.

2. Maybe you are hearing the air conditioner compressor. If this part was replaced then maybe the new unit is noisier than the original.

3. Recirc will turn off after you have driven a sufficient amount of time. This is normal and the idea is to allow some fresh air to enter the passenger cabin after an extended duration using recirc.