A/C gone!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius\";p=\"85074)</div>

I've never seen an automotive A/C condenser mounted behind the radiator. To get maximum airflow they're mounted in front of the rad.

If the A/C condenser also had the heat from the rad passing through it, it wouldn't be very effective.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman\";p=\"85262)</div>

I agree with you. That has been my experience as well and I am ashamed to admit that I did not look under the hood of my Prius check out the setup there.

I was simply replying to delrey, who wrote the following:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(delrey\";p=\"85061)</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius\";p=\"85351)</div>

[/b][/quote]

Oops I missed that part. The service guy who told her that is full of s**.

I would be interested in seeing that condensor. I still have the ruptured A/C evaporator from my 1990 4Runner. They had a problem with the expansion oriface that caused head pressures that exceeded the evaporator rating.

I was driving along and suddenly this white fog whooshed out the vents.

 

Pretty amazing rock to miss everything else and still hit the condensor. Kinda like the Kennedy "magic bullet." Maybe a tech banged it with a wrench?

 

The Honda S2000 has the AC condenser in front of the radiator, as do all vehicles, I do believe.

Air flow through the first radiator can get fairly restrictive with debris bending the fins. It makes sense to have the AC in front of the radiator, to allow condensing of the refrigerant with ambient temperature air.

 

Jay I just went out and had another look at the wife's 2k4 and I'm with you on this one, we need some screen or some other stone or debris shield for at least the lower grill portion. Her's has some fins that have been hit so it's just a matter of time before it takes a rock and has a hole. I'll do some looking at screening and see if there's an easy solution to this potential problem.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon\";p=\"85445)</div>

Frank:

I'm surprised at how quickly the condenser took a beating, considering I *never* drive on gravel roads and the car spends 99% of its life in Winnipeg. And I think Winnipeg is quite good about keeping the streets clean in summer.

I distinctly recall the difference in the appearance of the condenser as I had to spend almost an hour last fall rooting around to dig out the block heater cord. Whoever put the block heater in had the cord wrapped around that support behind the hood latch.

At the time I thought "huh, nice shinny aluminum condenser." Not anymore. Not too many fins are bent - yet - but the header tanks have a lot of nicks in them. So it's only a matter of time.

As far as finding some sort of mesh to put in front of the plastic grille, I stopped by a speed shop yesterday and they had a *huge* assortment of stainless, aluminum, steel, and plastic mesh in various patterns, colors, and sizes. For an extra $50 they'll even match my color code and paint one for me, though I'm leaning towards the black aluminum one.

Anybody have any idea if a bug screen would block airflow too much? I plan on taking some highway trips this summer and Winnipeg has almost as many mosquitoes and flies as Florida. From what I can see, cleaning bugs off the A/C condenser would be a giant PITA.

Jay

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KTPhil\";p=\"85388)</div>

If you look through the lower - or for that matter the upper - grille, all you see is the A/C condenser. That's not the radiator you're seeing.

So any rock that flies through the plastic grille is bound to hit the A/C fins, row tubes, or headers.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(delrey\";p=\"87924)</div>

But then you run the risk of missing the great steaks at the Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Canuck @ Apr 27 2005, 10:59 PM) [snapback]85130[/snapback]</div>

I have a 06 Prius with 5000 miles. My AC just stopped working because of condenser had damage “from rocks†and my warranty is worthless. I had to pay $648 to Torrance Toyota. I consider it a design problem and Toyota should stand behind their warranty! I purchased a grill over the internet and it arrived today. I plan to post a complaint with the California Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Automotive Repair requesting that office assist me in resolving the matter to the extent provided by law.

Dick

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(delrey @ Apr 27 2005, 03:37 PM) [snapback]85028[/snapback]</div>

The Prius has a design flaw and you will have to pay out of your pocket to repair the condenser. I just paid $621 for a rock that went thru mine. I think it might have come from a truck picking up road debris from the side of the road, but this is just a theory. I talked with Toyota HQ and they insist that I, not they, have to be responsible for repairs. This just does not happen to other vehicles, to the best of my knowledge. I ordered a grill to protect the condenser in the future from Ebay and had it installed at a body shop, but I do not know if even that will protect it in the future. Bottom line: I think that the condenser should have some type of protection and Toyota should alert the public--after all, they see the big picture regarding all of the Prius' out there that have this type of damage. Check out the Ebay grill at http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/06-07-2006-...sspagenameZWDVW

 

I also have a 2004 and two years ago the AC stopped cooling. The dealer said "Hole in the condenser caused by stone, not under warranty" (sound familiar), Also quoted $$$ to fix.

I took it into my local gas station, they put in some freon and a "leak stop" chemical additive for about $50. It has worked ever since (not yet turned on this spring so we'll see).

JeffD

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dick Torrance @ Mar 15 2007, 11:27 PM) [snapback]406575[/snapback]</div>

I'm curious as to whether you got any sympathy or resolution from the Consumer Affairs Bureau regarding the design flaw in the AC condenser.

I purchased my Prius in the dead of New England winter, 12/05. During the 2006 summer, whenever I'd turn on AC, I just thought the Prius had a really lousy AC system, as it seemed only to raise humidity. When I had my car in for a computer update in late summer, I asked them to check the AC system. The diagnosis was a hole in the condenser that "must have been caused by a rock." I got the same story about its not being covered under warranty, except this notoriously expensive dealer said it would cost close to $900 for repair. Interestingly, when I complained about the price, he brought it down to the $650 range.

Because summer was almost over, I chose to wait for the repair. As this summer heats up, I've been considering getting it done. I just did a web search for hole in air conditioner condenser, and have discovered a number of such stories on Prius Chat, an Edmunds forum where a couple more Prius cases have been reported, and even more similar reports about Honda Civics on a Honda forum. All get the same story from dealer repair shops: not covered under warranty because this is an external problem, not a manufacturer problem.

However, it's clear that these new low cars that are designed to increase gas efficiency are tightening internal space and positioning the condenser so it is exposed more. If the redesign is increasing potential damage from outside forces, e.g., a rock, then it is definitely a design flaw and should be covered under warranty.

I plan to open up negotiation with the Toyota dealer again, as well as exploring options with the Better Business Bureau Auto Resolution Center and with Toyota corporate.

If anyone has experiences with this issue, I think it's important that they get reported and discussed on Prius Chat so we can document just how many such cases are occurring. If it's happening to some of us, it's going to happen to more of us. It would also help to know if anyone has been successful in having it covered under warranty, and what you did to get it.

The better armed with information we are, the better our chances of getting this covered. I'll let you know how things go.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(saftaleah @ Jul 28 2007, 04:18 PM) [snapback]486771[/snapback]</div>

Well, this summer we were told the "rock thru the compressor" story from the dealer here (pretty sure they said "compressor," v. condenser at the time, but either way...). I couldn't believe it (that'd have to be one *big* rock, I figured <_< ), so I declined the $$$ repair and endured a hot summer (busy work time - don't have time to keep taking the car to the repair shop). Now that fall's here, I'm planning on getting a second opinion ... (can't help but also wonder if it's an electrical issue?)

 

Anyone know if blocking your grill can prevent or reduce damage to the AC components?

 

Re: A/C gone! (Rock -> Condensor = Hole ...)

I think this just happened to me (2005, 80k miles). Anyone have luck/advice for dealing with dealer on repairs? or am I simply out $600+ ?

Aftermarket screens?

Thanks, - Rick.

 

Has anyone here actually seen one of these supposed holes? Reason I ask is it should be pretty obvious if it was from an impact or a defect. An impact would have cratering and a slight depression around the hole. Is the hole by any chance on a seam? I would think 10 seconds on an arc welder at a machine shop with the compressor still in place should patch the hole and allow refilling the system.

 

My wife has a 2006 prius With 50k. She absolutely loves the Car. Great mileage and Fun to drive.
2 weeks ago the a/c stopped working. The fan works but no cool A/c. We took it to the dealer who found it had enough coolant. He than thought it might be the inverter. After checking with Toyota and consulting the dealership's best prius trained technicians we were told the compressor needed replacement. 1300$ plus Tax.
Of course the car is out of warranty, but the dealer did try to get Toyota to make retribution. Toyota responded that since the warranty expired and no power train components are involved they would not help.
I found this disappointing and will consider the newly designed Honda Insight the next time we purchase.