2010 Gen 3 Prius AC Leak Cost to Fix Evaporator and Condenser

Sitting at a Toyota dealership (Orlando area) right now and just got hit with a massive service bill of $4400 to replace the AC Evaporator and Condenser on my 2010 Prius (136k miles). The service tech said he is willing to go down to $3600 out the door, but that he can't go any lower than that. I'm obviously overwhelmed and am seeking some feedback.

Back story: A/C stopped blowing cold air a month ago. Came to the dealership and they did an AC Evac/Recharge/Dye for $162 after finding out I was very low on Freon. Was hoping it just leaked over the years since I've never had to do a recharge in the past. A/C worked for about 2 weeks and then back to not blowing cold air so I knew I had a bad leak.

Assessment today from service tech/repair estimate: "AC evaporator is leaking freon inside case behind the dashboard and needs replaced. Also seeing mall amount of dye on bottom right side of AC condenser and dryer bag needs to be changed." He said that if they only fix one it will probably just be a temporary fix...

Repair estimate: $2800 for the AC Evaporator replacement, $1000 for the AC Condenser replacement, $130 for AC evac and recharge (all prices include parts and labor) = $4400 after tax. He is willing to bring the price $3600 out the door.

My thoughts: I figured the leak would be in either the evaporator or the condenser...but not both. Is that common? I know these repairs are expensive, but didn't expect this much. I'm assuming you would recommend I at least get a second opinion? Do I go to a different toyota dealership or try a local shop that is recommended by Costco (get 15% off service with Costco)...but they probably wouldn't have one who specializes on working with Priuses? Might also just call around for a quote from a few dealers...

Other considerations: is it worth putting this much money into a 2010 Prius with 136k miles on it or should I consider swapping for a newer car/Prius at this point? The used car market is insane right now so it seems like a bad time, but putting $3600 into a Prius that might be worth $6000-$7000 seems crazy. A 2015 Prius with 70k miles is going for $14k+ right now so I would have to put another $7k into a car like that.

The other hard part about this is that I just put $3000 into this Prius in December to replace the old hybrid battery with a new one (several cells failed). Having to throw another $3600 into the car means I will be close to spending the same amount in repairs as the car is worth in market value. Wish I would have swapped the car out back in December, but I was hoping to make this car work for another 100k miles with the new battery. Now I have to make a decision on what's best going forward. Do I put another $3600 into my Prius or do I give up and swap it out? Any other thoughts/feedback from this awesome community?

In case it's helpful, I shouldn't have many things to service for quite some time besides oil changes, etc. Have 1 year old tires, new brake pads+rotors, and have changed the spark plugs. Only other thing I can think of upcoming is Hybrid and Engine Coolant at 150k miles.

 

Thanks for your feedback, Mendel.

Update: I called 2 other Toyota dealers in the Orlando area and 1 local shop that is recommended by Costco and includes a 15% discount on service.

Toyota Dealer 1 Quote = $3300 with Costco discount
Toyota Dealer 2 Quote = $4100
Local shop recommended by Costco and AAA = $2450 after taxes with Costco discount

Seems like the local shop is the clear winner, but my fear is that they aren't experienced with Prius hybrids. I brought that up with the service technician though and he said they are very comfortable servicing Prii (have changed hybrid batteries for owners in the past and performed other service). I really enjoyed talking to him and think I am going to go with the local shop unless one of you can talk me out of it or have other thoughts. Again, I really appreciate your feedback!