Our A/C system has a leak and I am getting some estimates from differnet shops about replacing the leaking hose, and then evacuating and recharging the system. I mentioned ND-OIL 11 to them and they said they had never heard such a thing, that all cars are recharged from the same tanks of refrigerant. Is this true? I've been trying to get some good estimates from my local Toyota dealers but it's been a pain and I don't really trust them. This is supposed to be a top notch shop and they have been providing pretty good service up to this point.
I *think* that the refrigerant is the same, but you must use Toyota's oil to avoid damage to the compressor internal wiring. If the independent shop didn't know that they will be learning on your car. I'd use a dealer.
Right, but they aren't going to add any oil. They are just going to add refrigerant. So does that mean it is ok? My impression from them was that the refrigerant already contained oil. Maybe I should ask to speak to a tech instead of the service guy.
It is possible to purchase refrigerant with and without compressor oil. You already know that Prius requires a special compressor oil due to concerns about electrical conductivity. Since it appears that your A/C shop is oblivious to this issue it might be better for you to rely upon Toyota dealer service for this repair.
You must use ND-11 or equivalent oil. In fact, if you use equipment that has been used with regular refrigerant oil, the oil can contaminate your system. You can purchase the oil from Car Quest, it is part # TSI CQ16136 hybrid electric compressor oil. The wrong oil can cause the motor to short or draw extra current heating up and damaging itself. Normal air conditioner oil can be electrically conductive.
I finally convinced the shop that it needed special oil. It was tough to convince them but they were very open to listening to what I had to say, which cannot be said of a lot of shops. They ordered the proper oil from their local supplier and had it within 10 minutes. I am really surprised at the lack of information about this in their service manuals. They checked and re-checked the information they had. He even talked to the guy at car quest. Anyway, I refuse to go to the Toyota dealer because I think they are fleecing me. These guys are at least willing to evac & recharge the system, and then look at it again in a couple days to confirm there is a leak, while the Toyota dealer just wanted to charge me $1000 to replace a bunch of stuff. The independant shop wants half as much to do the same work and they offer an 18 month warranty, which is more than I can say for the dealer. Also how many shops do you know of that have a cat in the waiting room?
Looks like he waited about 5 and gave up Prius Chat for good. If we only would have responded sooner.
Ben, that's an easy mistake. The date of the post is a little obscure, but not hidden. Look at the bottom of the post, just above the "Report" button. You'll see that the post before yours was made on June 20, 2009. Hope that helps.
the point of this forum is to help everyone, it might not help our old friend, but it might help others who found this thread.
