A/C Redemption?
Talked to Wayne. He checked first to make sure the radiator fan and compressor fan did in fact need to be replaced. (Didn’t want to just take someone’s word on it.) And they did, so he replaced those.
Then he checked out the a/c. Drained and flushed the system. Inspected it. Recharged it with freon. Working perfectly. Nice, cold air conditioning he said. Compressor looks fine. Quiet, not making any noises, working great. System doesn’t appear to have any damage, any leaks – nothing. It’s fine.
He said he thinks the fan dying is what caused us to be low on coolant. I guess as the fan doesn’t work, the pressure builds up and the system will release freon through an emergency valve of sorts. The only sign of any leak was right at that valve he said. The more the fan died, the more pressure built up, the more the system ejected coolant until we got to a point where it wasn’t blowing cold anymore.
He put dye in the system though so if it starts blowing warm at all again, he can see where any possible leak would be. But right now? Doesn’t see any signs of damage or leaking. In fact, he said he doesn’t even need to see the car back unless we have problems.
He changed the oil and looked over everything else in the car and said the car is mechanically sound. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s in good shape he said and can’t find anything wrong with it.
Total for the two fans, a/c check, evac, flush, recharge, oil change and labor? Just shy of $700. A lot of money of course, but sure beats $900 for the fans and $3-4K for a complete a/c system the dealership told us. I’ll pick it up with Mom tomorrow.
This is why I like Wayne. We brought it in there with the expectation of needing to spend thousands of dollars. With the thought that the entire system was destroyed. He could have told us anything and we would have believed it. Instead? He replaced what was broken and flushed out the system and said we didn’t need to spend more than that. I appreciate when someone doesn’t take advantage of you and that’s rare in car mechanics.
So for anyone in the Tampa Bay Area, my recommendation is to see Wayne at Tip Top Toys.
2627 Harbor Cir, Clearwater, FL 33759
727-724-8697
We’ve been to him twice now, both times in situations we thought were massively dire, when he could have charged us just about anything and in both times? Told us honestly what was wrong (and what wasn’t!) and was fair in work and price.
Tags: a/c, air conditioning, air conditioning Honda Element, bills, car repairs, car work, debt, element, finances, honda, honda element, honda element a/c, honda element air conditioning, mechanic, money, paying for car repairs
:: about ::
40 year old Pagan woman who lives in Florida with her guy and two cats, loves Disney, reads fanatically, tinkers in photography and runs her own handcrafted artisan jewelry business.
Inadvertently became the face of Healthcare Reform in America by posting the (in)famous "I am Obamacare" image and sharing the story of her hysterectomy at age 34. Now runs her own small business, PhoenixFire Designs, specalizing in handmade tree of life pendants, full moon tree of life necklaces, family birthstone jewelry, wire wrapped jewelry and more full-time.
Our best friend passed away suddenly March 13, 2010. Five years later, it's still hard. The full story can be read here.Hysterectomy Fund
October 2013 Update: Happy 2 Year Anniversary!! I'm amazed at how different life is two years later. Though the hardest thing I've ever been through in my life, I've grown so much as a result of having overcome such terrifying and daunting medical issues. In a weird way, I'm better for having experienced these hardships. I'm more sure of myself these days and more confident I can face life's challenges better.
I have tried to turn this medical challenge into an opportunity and using this as a means to push forward with my small jewelry business and as a way to support myself again.
Your continued support is appreciated right now and even links to my shop are appreciated. Thank you to everyone who's helped and spread the word. All of you helped make it possible for me to be here and healthy.:: calendar ::
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2 Comments
Oh fantastic! And the nice thing about establishing business with a small, local shop is that as the years go on, they are more likely to give you deals on things as a loyal customer or not raise the rates for you. My mechanic in Lancaster hardly ever charged me more than an hour of labour and would look for parts at a junkyard for me so I didn’ t have to pay full retail!
Sounds like you found a keeper!