Diagnosing AC - Do you need to replace a compressor to diagnose a condenser?
 

2014 Veloster | AC Stopped working
Question: Is it normal when diagnosing an AC that stopped working to have to first replace a compressor to diagnose a condenser?

Hi. Looking for some help. The AC in our 2014 Veloster stopped working, so we brought it into the dealer. The dealership's service dept. evidently recently lost some mechanics and is backed up. After dropping it off on two different days that they said they would diagnose it that they didn't get to it, (requiring us to pick it back up for our commute home, 2x Ubers to-from work, etc.), finally they promised they would get it in and sorted out before last week's heat kicked in. When we picked it up, they charged ~$1,000 for a new compressor, and didn't do much of a post-service explanation.

On the drive home we realized it still wasn't working, with a low fan noise (not too loud, but something wasn't right). It would 'almost' kick in and cool off for a couple minutes, and then just totally whiff out and stop blowing cold air altogether. After another day of dropping it back off for them to diagnose what they got wrong, and then them NOT getting to it again by EOD, we ripped into the service manager and asked WTF was going on.

So one more day of dropping it off and making them give us a loaner (after a pretty tough battle over it), and this time they say that it needed a condenser. When I questioned if it even needed the $1,000 compressor, they said that yes, it required the compressor to be able to know if the condenser needed replacing.

As you can tell, I'm at my last bit of patience.

So I'm turning to the forums hoping some folks smarter than myself in auto mech can tell me if this is normal, and we should accept what they're telling us. Or, if we should tell them to kick rocks, that's BS., and if so, what we should push them on to be sure we're not getting ripped off.

Thanks in advance for your help.

It sounds like you've been through a frustrating experience. In general, replacing the compressor is a significant job and often done when diagnosing AC problems, but it’s unusual for a shop to replace it without first thoroughly diagnosing the issue. If the AC still isn’t working correctly after a new compressor was installed, there might have been an underlying issue, like a bad condenser, which wasn't initially identified.

It’s not standard practice to replace parts without confirming the problem first, especially if the system still isn’t functioning as expected. Given the circumstances, you’re right to question their approach. You might want to ask for a detailed explanation of why the compressor was replaced first and what led them to conclude that the condenser also needs replacing. If they can’t provide a clear, logical explanation, it could be worth getting a second opinion from another mechanic. This will help ensure you’re not paying for unnecessary repairs.