1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

My 2010 Toyota Prius AC no longer blows cold air and there is a rubber smell when the heater is on.

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by carpediemck, Mar 26, 2015.

  1. carpediemck

    carpediemck Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2010
    20
    6
    0
    Location:
    phila.,pa.
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I took my 200000 mile Prius to a garage that is highly recommended and the mechanic stated that I need a new evaporator and expansion valve. He tested the car for a day. There was no time to do the fix so I arranged for a dealership that I trust to do the job. When they were ready to do the work, they detected no leak in the evaporator, but said that the compressor, expansion valve, and AC line needed replacement. (They showed me the leak in the compressor with special glasses.) After I called the first mechanic with the new info, he said that he could detect a leak nowhere, but, in the evaporator, and, at the expansion valve area. I am now stymied as to what I should do. Any advise? I am in the Philadelphia, Pa. area. If you know of any reputable people, I could use a name or 2. Thank you!
     
    #1 carpediemck, Mar 26, 2015
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,801
    48,999
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    first of all, how much is each place going to charge you?
     
    #2 bisco, Mar 26, 2015
  3. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 5, 2014
    1,584
    257
    0
    Location:
    Ocala, FL
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    Time for a 3rd opinion, I guess.......since both are likely to be REALLY high dollar repairs.

    Maybe time to trade ?? With 200K miles, what will go bad next ??

    And none of that covers the funny smell when the heat is on.

    In order to properly detect leaks they would have had to re-pressurize the system.
    Did it cool at all for a short time after either of these service visits ??

    Kind of sounds to me like both shops are just guessing.......and propose to gamble with YOUR money.
     
    #3 Easy Rider 2, Mar 26, 2015
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,801
    48,999
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    if the parts are expensive, at least your mech can install salvage or rebuilt.
     
    #4 bisco, Mar 26, 2015
  5. carpediemck

    carpediemck Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2010
    20
    6
    0
    Location:
    phila.,pa.
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Thank you for the responses. Yes. The cost would be bad. Both places ran the tests, solely, to detect leaks, as I requested. Ironically,I just donated my 350000 mi 2005 prius, that hardly ever had maintenance issues, to a charity. ( I'm in sales so I can run up 75000 miles in a year.) I wish there was a simple way to assess the problem. Do you think its wise to use salvage for AC parts?
     
    #5 carpediemck, Mar 26, 2015
  6. carpediemck

    carpediemck Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2010
    20
    6
    0
    Location:
    phila.,pa.
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Actually, THAT 2005 had some problems also. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
     
    #6 carpediemck, Mar 26, 2015
  7. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 5, 2014
    1,584
    257
    0
    Location:
    Ocala, FL
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    I personally wouldn't do it but that's just me.
     
    #7 Easy Rider 2, Mar 27, 2015
  8. feivel

    feivel Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2007
    43
    5
    0
    Also having air conditioning issues in a Philadelphia Prius, and would love a recommendation of a Prius-aware mechanic in Philadelphia who can handle the Prius A/C. Where do these get posted? If there isn't already a

    Also, I would love to hear the estimated prices for this work. It might be so high that it's not even worth researching for my case. I'm pretty sure there was a leak first, and the compressor motor has since stopped running, so it'll probably require replacement of a fair portion of the system.

    Thanks!
     
    #8 feivel, Apr 17, 2015
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)