2016 AC Granaded dealer $3000+ to fix

[BestCarEver]

My 2016 Civic was just diagnosed for $120 with AC Compressor failure which destroyed additional components. My car was extremely well taken care of, still looks brand new being not yet three years old with 98K, (61K miles) 38K out of standard warranty (tomorrow is my third year anniversary). This is a known issue, extremely disappointed. Honda is in the process of reviewing my complaint to remedy my situation. I heard gurgling sounds from my car the day I picked it up, which I now realize was my AC gently grenading itself as I no longer hear those sounds. I can’t believe I am forced to deal with this issue as I picked Honda reliability, now I have to rely on Honda goodwill to fix an obvious defect. The estimate to repair us over $3000 or 7% of the cars value when new! My mother in law’s 10 year old Hyundai Accent with same milage still has a working AC.. Damn…

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[jred721]

First thing I would do is try negotiating on the price, it doesnt hurt to try. I would also get quotes from other dealers or independent shops who can do the same service, I have a feeling you'll find somewhere that does it cheaper. Lastly and I know this is probably not an answer you want to hear, but at 98K miles on only a 3 year old car and with $3000 going in to fix it, I personally would just look into selling it and trading up to a 2019 Civic or another car. Its not the most financially prudent option (obviously) but not an entirely dumb one either. Just some food for thought.

 

[BestCarEver]

Really appreciate your input. Only 61K miles, I live in Canada. I am still waiting to see what Honda will do. I've already bought another compressor from eBay with only 4500KMs for $135. The condenser with other bits is $150, new seals about $10, expansion valve about $20, maybe another $50 for miscellaneous. I have a buddy with a AC machine so getting it filled won't really be a big deal either. I just want Honda to fix their low quality parts, this should not be my issue. I will keep updating post to let you know how it is going.

 

[SCOPESYS]

Really appreciate your input. Only 61K miles, I live in Canada. I am still waiting to see what Honda will do. I've already bought another compressor from eBay with only 4500KMs for $135. The condenser with other bits is $150, new seals about $10, expansion valve about $20, maybe another $50 for miscellaneous. I have a buddy with a AC machine so getting it filled won't really be a big deal either. I just want Honda to fix their low quality parts, this should not be my issue. I will keep updating post to let you know how it is going.

Sounds like a good plan .. you know how much the Honda Dealer is going to charge you, just for the Compressor !!!


Having an A/C Buddy is a big plus .. hopefully if he is a GOOD buddy, he will take the care to look after you, and do a good job -- not just the minimum under a Dealer's time constraint,

 

[jred721]

Really appreciate your input. Only 61K miles, I live in Canada. I am still waiting to see what Honda will do. I've already bought another compressor from eBay with only 4500KMs for $135. The condenser with other bits is $150, new seals about $10, expansion valve about $20, maybe another $50 for miscellaneous. I have a buddy with a AC machine so getting it filled won't really be a big deal either. I just want Honda to fix their low quality parts, this should not be my issue. I will keep updating post to let you know how it is going.

Oh okay got it, 61K isn't that bad actually. That was a smart thing to buy the parts on ebay for much cheaper and have it installed by a friend will also save a huge amount of $$. I will say though that I also experience a weird metallic sound when the A/C starts up sometimes, but it only happens when it starts and for the rest of the time it functions as normal. Honda should definitely issue a recall for the compressor though, it's ridiculous how they haven't done anything about it yet.

 

[BestCarEver]

I would suggest you get anything unusual checked. It is hard to figure out what is usual and what isn't with a new vehicle. I will put the parts in myself, not a big job at all from what I've seen so far, I would guess 4 hours of wrenching, a couple of hours going to my friend's place. I would take the car to a trusted mechanic and get them to give you a second opinion on the sound, I wish I had.

 

[BestCarEver]

Oh okay got it, 61K isn't that bad actually. That was a smart thing to buy the parts on ebay for much cheaper and have it installed by a friend will also save a huge amount of $$. I will say though that I also experience a weird metallic sound when the A/C starts up sometimes, but it only happens when it starts and for the rest of the time it functions as normal. Honda should definitely issue a recall for the compressor though, it's ridiculous how they haven't done anything about it yet.

I've been reading up on refrigerants, lubricants, compressor types and how they work. A condition occurs when the crank case of the pump is relatively colder then the rest of the system and liquid refrigerant flows into it and below the oil. When the conditions change and the refrigerant vaporizes beneath the oil, then it violently foams up the oil, creating a drop in lubricant level as the oil foam envelopes the internals starving the mating surfaces of lubrication until the vapor migrates out of the crank case leaving the oil to flow back towards the bottom of the crank case. If too much oil is added, it could hydro lock the pump, so there is no easy just put more in type solution. There are multiple methods these issues are easily handled with, but they have to be functional. Not sure how you would hear this in the cabin; through your ducting perhaps? Maybe you should listen to it on startup, stay safe and all that. This is my theory, take it as entertainment value only please.

 

[Royal_Purple_Oil_Filter]

I heard gurgling sounds from my car the day I picked it up...

Can you tell any specifics of this "gurgling"?

 

[BestCarEver]

Sure.. It came from behind the glove box, sounded like water coming to a boil, I assume it might have even been a faulty expansion valve letting too much liquid refrigerant through vaporizing too much too quickly. I don't really know, if I did I would have had it looked at sooner unfortunately.

 

[Royal_Purple_Oil_Filter]

Sure.. It came from behind the glove box, sounded like water coming to a boil, I assume it might have even been a faulty expansion valve letting too much liquid refrigerant through vaporizing too much too quickly. I don't really know, if I did I would have had it looked at sooner unfortunately.

Is this something you hear when you shut off the engine? or this is something you hear while the engine is running?

 

[BestCarEver]

I used to hear it first time I started the car in the morning and throughout the drives randomly.

 

[Zodd]

i hear this every time i start the car for 20 seconds then it goes away... car is still in warranty, will AC fail ?

 

[BestCarEver]

i hear this every time i start the car for 20 seconds then it goes away... car is still in warranty, will AC fail ?

I would say most definitively as mine no longer makes any noise now that it is destroyed. I would ask an AC guy, or even pay to have it diagnosed at the dealer, and if the fault is found then it should be a no charge deal.

 

[lexro]

My 2016 Civic was just diagnosed for $120 with AC Compressor failure which destroyed additional components. My car was extremely well taken care of, still looks brand new being not yet three years old with 98K, (61K miles) 38K out of standard warranty (tomorrow is my third year anniversary). This is a known issue, extremely disappointed. Honda is in the process of reviewing my complaint to remedy my situation. I heard gurgling sounds from my car the day I picked it up, which I now realize was my AC gently grenading itself as I no longer hear those sounds. I can’t believe I am forced to deal with this issue as I picked Honda reliability, now I have to rely on Honda goodwill to fix an obvious defect. The estimate to repair us over $3000 or 7% of the cars value when new! My mother in law’s 10 year old Hyundai Accent with same milage still has a working AC.. Damn…

Did you bring the car in because your AC no longer blow cold air? I've been reading up on a lot of AC issues with this 10th gen civic..since I heard the faint gurgling/whistling/harmonic sound coming from the AC...
This is starting to worry me. How long till the sound from your AC disappears?

 

[BestCarEver]

I actually took it to the dealer after it was diagnosed at a local AC shop. When they injected nitrogen into the system to look for leaks it re-pressurized the system enough for the compressor to kick in which caused my radiator fan to run damn near full speed constantly. At that point I needed to fix the fan run away issue. It is DEFINITELY defective. From all the reading I have done, it appears that this refrigerant breaks down into some type of corrosive substance which eats the seals. There are also issues with the condensers leaking which would introduce air into the system causing the refrigerant to degrade. I am extremely disappointed with Honda, it is now 8 days into the 7-10 business day turnaround time for Honda to get back to me regarding this issue.

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