The Motor Medics take calls from listeners every Saturday from 10AM-Noon on WTYM AM 1380 radio.
Dear Motor Medics,
My Husband and I purchased a 2007 Chevy Tahoe a few years back to haul our grandkids around. We looked at a few different vehicles trying to stick with a budget while getting the room we needed for five grandkids and we arrived at the Tahoe. It looks pretty good and has 180k miles on it. Until now it has given us no problems but last week we lost the air conditioning and our local garage wants 1200.00 to repair it. They said it is the rear high-pressure a/c line that has been damaged by the rocks on our gravel road. Naturally since we listen to your show we thought if anyone could help us save some cash with an alternative repair it might be you guys. Is there such thing as a used line for it? What’s involved in the repair?
Mavis in Toledo Ohio
Dear Mavis,
Hose rear lines for the a/c are prone to damage and always have been. The good news is that they usually only get damaged in one spot near the wheel well and often can be repaired. We have been able to save all but one with a splice kit. We lower the damaged section of the line then we splice it, replaced the accumulator and evacuate and recharge the system. We have seen other shops do it too and prices usually range from $250-$500 which is a lot better than your $1200 quote.
Take care, the Motor Medics