Happy Fourth everyone. I'm considering a 2003 MCS with 96k for purchase. The ac quit blowing cold. Any estimates on this type of repair?
New OEM A/C compressor $930, aftermarket $750, used $450, if you haven't bought the car take this into consideration.
If it is still blowing, but not cold, it could be as simple as a system "charge". I forget what the new EPA agents are, but a simple Freon charge can be as little as $35.
My A/C quit blowing cold air when the cooling fan died. Common in older MINIs. I replaced the fan unit myself, so only cost me around $100.
Is it at all "cool"... or not cool at all? Mine lost a good bit of it's coldness... one DIY shot of the proper refrigerant later, and all is well..... and cheap...
:cornut: That's not cool(no pun intended). In an earlier post, if my alzheimers memory serves me correctly,perhaps on another thread, you talked about a mechanic friend who checked this car over. Any chance that he could check out the A/C for you. Nothing better than knowing for sure what's wrong and the expense involved. Jason
03 ac quit The mechanic was in another city and this car is several hundred miles away. This is a car we are looking to purchase but were wanting to know how much to expect in repair costs before buying the car. I hope to find a mechanic in his area who will take a look at it.
Hello miniconcarne, This is good news for me (at last)! Are you saying that you fixed your AC blowing hot by replacing the two stage (main) fan? I'm almost sure that my AC stopped working because the 1st stage fan stopped working (2nd stage still works), but never heard of an actual case where replacing the fan fixed the AC blowing hot air problem! This sounds sweet! Cheers! RayanMX
Decided not to buy the car. Seller was hesitant to let me drive it to a mechanic 45 miles away. Have since bought an 04 MCS.
I think the symptoms where this would be true is AC works when driving, blows hot at lights...etc. For me this year, My mini was not blowing cold in spring. Very surprising since it was good last year. I used a can of the juice with dye so if it leaked I could find it and fix it. The AC worked even better all year (still works great.) As a matter of fact, it works better than the wifes car that just got a new compressor, drier, and was repaired by a mini tech....so... My advice to get some refrigerant with dye and cross your fingers. It may just be low and that will be all you need (I still can't see a leak) It may be cold days make the seal shrink and it may leak over the winter again, then I will find it and fix it next spring.