Damage to A/C cooling coil

Gblatt:

What type of road surface do you normally drive on? I'm curious to know if your damage is caused by geographics...road conditions, typical weather conditions for your area, etc.

I've checked mine and it isn't bad. I've had mine for nine months. I rarely drive on the highway for long periods of time. I'm a city, local driver. Perhaps this is why.

:roll:

 

I was surprised to notice what you described this Spring. If you look in my PriusChat Personal Album I have some pictures of the A/C condenser.

I was in the process of having a local hotrod/paint shop make some grille protectors, but the hailstorm we had around 3 weeks ago means they're backed up at least 1-2 months.

My Prius spends 95% of its time on Winnipeg city streets.

 

My condenser had to be replaced due to a hole ('04 - around 25k miles). I only drive on city streets & highway.

 

I know. Once I get back to Winnipeg and have some time I'll clean them off.

Trust me, I don't like them any more than you do.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(delrey @ Aug 7 2005, 11:06 AM) [snapback]114252[/snapback]</div>

I have a 06 Prius with 5000 miles. My AC just stopped working and, thinking it was fully covered by warranty, took it in to Torrance Toyota. After examination they informed me that the condenser had damage from rocks or gravel, that my basic and extended warranty was no good, and that I could not get the condenser reapired and that it will cost me about $600 to replace the part and recharge the system. I contacted Toyota HQ and told them that I thought the warranty should cover the costs because the damage was not through fair, wear, and tear, the vehicle had never been in an accident, and that the exposed condenser, without a shield was an obvious design flaw. They told me that they had seen the same thing before and that there was nothing they could do but hold me responsible for driving it. My Toyota experience has just taken a sharp turn south. I am now looking into installing expanded metal to try and protect the new condenser, but need advice on this. Any ideas? Thanks,

Dick :angry:

 

Every Auto I have owned has had exposed cooling condensers for both A/C and engine and a few have been damaged from road debris. The Auto companies do not pay for these collisions. Toyota is not responsible for the conditions of roads. Gravel from pot holes, truck spillage, and, icy road gravel do us damage. Couple years ago I had a stud from a winter studded tire embed itself in my windshield and have probably had some of those in my radiators. Can't blame the car companies.

 

This is the case on just about every vehicle. If you put the A/C condenser behind the radiator then it doesn't have a stream of cool (or at least sort of cool) air into which to dump the heat. Your A/C system would have to have twice the rated capacity to get the job done. This is not a Prius, or even a Toyota thing. Several years ago I was driving my father's Volvo when a chunk of debris fell off some rusting POS SUV thing and landed squarely in the A/C condenser. I didn't realize what had happened until someone told me that my car was "smoking." At that point I inspected and figured out what the problem was, and eventually fixed it to the tune of $400 by doing most of the labor myself. (The R134a had escaped already so there wasn't much to be done but replace the condenser and then take it to a pro for charging.)

It sucks but what can you do? You can't expect Toyota to pick up the tab for this one.

 

built a screen unit from expanded aluminum with supports at the ends and two layers of the screen offset so there isn't a way for anything larger than small bits to get thru in a straight shot. Sofar it's stopped some very large and nasty rocks and the condenser looks almost as good as new. No over heating problems even in the interior where the temps get into the hundreds. Cost was about $20 for materials.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon @ Mar 9 2007, 08:56 PM) [snapback]403196[/snapback]</div>

Great idea, Frank, can you post some pictures of the set-up.

Thanks,

Lee

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon @ Mar 9 2007, 11:56 PM) [snapback]403196[/snapback]</div>

Thanks, Frank. How did you secure the supports? Screw them into the body or wire them? Regarding the comments that the company is not at fault, I suppose there is a point to that, except I have been driving over 50 years and have never seen this before, or even heard of it. But isn't this chat group great? One can learn more in a few minutes here than years of personal experience.

 

as it's in the car you really can't see it well as I painted it flat black but what I did is take two pieces of expanded aluminum, diamond shaped cutouts, and three pieces of 3/8X1/2" aluminum bar stock, measured the grill opening and added 1" top to bottom and offset the opening of one over the x of the other, then pop rivited the top of the X inside to the 1/2'wide piece of bar then went to the bottom and pop'd it on to the inside of the X using washers under the pops,this locks it onto the bar stock to keep it from moving up and down. Moved to the middle bar and did the same then on to the other end, then turned it over and offset the back screen and poped it on as the front side. Then cut the bars so nothing protudes past the screen. Put it over my knee and gave it a slight bend to follow the contour of the grill then nothing fancy I zap strapped it on to the grill. Before you zap it on hold it up behind the grill and look at it, if you can see thru the diamonds turn it over. When it's properly installed you shouldn't be able to see directly thru it. You have to pull the lower splash shields off the car, 5 minutes, and get it up in there. I was going to build some mounts and drill and bolt it to the bumper bar but zap straps have worked fine for over 2 years.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dick Torrance @ Mar 9 2007, 04:34 PM) [snapback]403093[/snapback]</div>

It is probably covered by your auto insurance. It is no different than the insurance paying to replace a windshield after it was damaged by road debris.

 

After reading stories like this on PC, I bought a mesh grill from ebay. It fits nicely behind the lower grill. Cost about $20.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon @ Mar 10 2007, 02:30 AM) [snapback]403248[/snapback]</div>

Frank, you da man!

Dick