Hi. I think I am having trouble with my AC system, in that when the AC
button is on, in either recirculate or fresh air mode, it doesn't seem to
make any diffence with the temperature. Now, I know most of you will say it
is discharged. But, I just had it recharged last month and the mechanic
that did the service did not mention anything about leaks or having to
change/fix anything when I picked the car up. Unfortunately at the time, it
was still too cold outside to test the AC to see if it was indeed working
OK. Compared to my wifes car which has ice cold AC, with the AC turned on
in my car, you wouldn't even think it was an option on the car.

I know for a fact that when I press the AC button, the compressor clutch
engages and it starts running, because I tried this myself in the driveway.
I also know that the Malibus are notorious for problems with the climate
controls, which is why I mentioned the earlier statement about the
compressor running. What I don't know is how to check the refridgerant
level/pressure, or if he actually did recharge the system with more R134.
When he gave me the bill, it showed a charge for the R134, dye and an
environmental fee.

I don't want to say that I don't trust the person that fixed it, because I
do know him fairly well, but I'm also not 100% certain that he did fix the
AC, or fixed it correctly.

Any help before I call this mechanic back and let him know what is going on.
If there was something I could check myself before returning the car to him,
I'd like to try it. At the same time, I am NOT paying for this repair twice
and I want it fixed properly before it really gets warm out.

Thanks,
Sharky

Here is the most simple test to determine if the air conditioner system has enough refrigerant to operate:

With the engine running, start the air conditioner and set the fan to the slowest setting.
Be careful on the next step to avoid burns and fan injury.
Open the hood and carefully place your hand on the metal refrigerant tubes where they attach to the compressor.
There should be a significant temperatiure difference between these two tubes. The greater the difference, the better the. system is running

This method was given to me by a trusted mechanic decades age. It is been a very cost effective reliable method of checking auto air conditioners.

Good Luck!
David
"Sharky" <cleighton (AT) NOSPAM (DOT) eastlink.ca> wrote

UPDATE:

The A/C system is definitely not working properly. I took the car back to the mechanic and told him that his work was not done properly. The A/C was not working only after one month. He said that he would not have tried to recharge the system if there were a leak. So, I asked him then why did my bill show a charge for refridgerant, dye, oil and an enviornmental fee? I also explained to him that I know how a system is recharged and that the dye is used to show any leaks in the A/C lines. I told him if there were leaks before you recharged the lines and you went ahead and recharged them anyway without fixing the leaks, that is not how the repair is supposed to be done. He repeated himself and I told him to go out and sit in the car and feel the air coming out of the vents, because I had just come off the highway and purposely turned the A/C on just to show him it wasn't working.

By this time, he was getting annoyed and he said if there is a leak in the lines, you'll have to bring it back in. So I said to him, if there are leaks in the lines, it should have been detected the first time you recharged it and I am not paying you again to recharge the system. He turned and walked away and went back out to the car he was working on in the shop, and I went back out to my car outside and left.

I just finished filing an online complaint with the Better Business Bureau and told them that I did not expect a refund, although it would be nice so that I can take the car to a more reputable shop and have it repaired again. I knew that in the past, this person had a reputation for ripping certain people off, I guess I thought that he had changed. The only other reason I took the car to him is he specializes in gas tank replacement, and that was the reason I took the car in in the first place.

Thanks for the help and for listening,
Sharky