NEW AC CONDENSER LEAKING TSB 19-091

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dallasjhawk

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Per TSB 19-091 dated August 9, 2019:

"American Honda is extending the warranty on the A/C condenser to 10 years from the original date of purchase with unlimited miles.

This warranty only covers vehicles that have a defective A/C condenser from the factory. The A/C condenser was not manufactured to specification. As a result, tiny holes may develop in the condenser tube walls that allows the refrigerant to leak out."

This is BS !!!
If the warranty only covers a defective A/C condenser from the factory, and the Dealer fits a Warranty condenser (same part #, same useless Manufactured out of spec" condenser that was removed, and it fails again (which it will), then there is no further Warranty coverage under TSB 19-091 ???

I have yet to see any discussion or statement about being able to identify these "Not manufactured to spec" condensers, and ways to identify them, as the replacement condensers seem to have the same exact part number as the defective ones.

The whole HONDA Condenser situation is totally FUBAR !!

Forget about a "Better Mousetrap" -- now about a "Better Honda Condenser" !!!
I am wondering if there are any non Honda OEM condensers that would fit, and would be a more reliable replacement to the Honda one.

Meanwhile, the Dealers are making a Killing, fitting replacement condensers with ridiculously high bills ($2000+) , and then changing you for YOUR own refrigerant that they just a few hours ago, sucked out of your car !!.

@chiefbrody Maybe you can ask your Dealer what the warranty is on the Condenser they are putting in under TSB 19-091, and if it fails within the 10 years of the car's original purchase date, is this warranty replacement one covered as per the original ???
Well, the TSB warranty extension only covers 2016-2018 so the logical thinking would be they fixed the problem for the 2019 and so all replacements are the 2019 version of the condenser. of course they use the same part number online, its not the manufacturers part number, its hondas.
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samuellms

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Per TSB 19-091 dated August 9, 2019:

"American Honda is extending the warranty on the A/C condenser to 10 years from the original date of purchase with unlimited miles.

This warranty only covers vehicles that have a defective A/C condenser from the factory. The A/C condenser was not manufactured to specification. As a result, tiny holes may develop in the condenser tube walls that allows the refrigerant to leak out."

This is BS !!!
If the warranty only covers a defective A/C condenser from the factory, and the Dealer fits a Warranty condenser (same part #, same useless Manufactured out of spec" condenser that was removed, and it fails again (which it will), then there is no further Warranty coverage under TSB 19-091 ???

I have yet to see any discussion or statement about being able to identify these "Not manufactured to spec" condensers, and ways to identify them, as the replacement condensers seem to have the same exact part number as the defective ones.

The whole HONDA Condenser situation is totally FUBAR !!

Forget about a "Better Mousetrap" -- now about a "Better Honda Condenser" !!!
I am wondering if there are any non Honda OEM condensers that would fit, and would be a more reliable replacement to the Honda one.

Meanwhile, the Dealers are making a Killing, fitting replacement condensers with ridiculously high bills ($2000+) , and then changing you for YOUR own refrigerant that they just a few hours ago, sucked out of your car !!.

@chiefbrody Maybe you can ask your Dealer what the warranty is on the Condenser they are putting in under TSB 19-091, and if it fails within the 10 years of the car's original purchase date, is this warranty replacement one covered as per the original ???
I got a reply from Honda, and they are willing to pay 90% of the cost to change the evaporator...
I wonder how long my AC will hold this time..
 

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I got a reply from Honda, and they are willing to pay 90% of the cost to change the evaporator...
I wonder how long my AC will hold this time..
EVAPORATOR leaking now !!! That's a lot of labor to replace !!! 10% sounds good !!

Not many seem to be having EVAPORATOR issues --- either you are just unlucky, or else they somehow damaged it when they were doing all those CONDENSER changes.
 

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Well, the TSB warranty extension only covers 2016-2018 so the logical thinking would be they fixed the problem for the 2019 and so all replacements are the 2019 version of the condenser. of course they use the same part number online, its not the manufacturers part number, its hondas.
One would hope so, but as far as the part number is concerned, why when one looks that part number up on most of the Online Honda parts Dealers, do they state that the part number has been DISCONTINUED, but do not list a replacement part number.

I guess they will get it all sorted out "Sooner or Later", just like they did (NOT) with the pre 10th Gen A/C Fiasco ;)
 

Niceshotwhatasave

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Just re read all the posts in this thread, and my driver side is blowing hotter than the passenger side.. Does this mean my compressor is bad and not the condenser and im screwed?
Or is the condenser leaking and then causing the compressor to fail and regardless of the condenser getting replaced under warranty I would still have to pay the $190 diagnostic fee plus the compressor repair cost?
I have an appt next Wednesday but want to make sure I know what im getting myself into before I go.. I don't even have the money for the diagnostic fee if they find the issue isn't the condenser :(
New here, and same issue as this guy, driver side blowing hotter air than passenger side. My Honda dealer had no idea what I was talking about when I walked in originally and I'm trying to figure out the best course of action. Should I call a bigger nearby dealer and see if they know the issue? If they replace the condenser under warranty would that include the refilling of the coolant under the warranty? Also, if they inspect it and tell me it's not the condenser or it's somehow not covered do I need to call Honda Corporate beforehand to try and get them to cover the cost or after the repair? And what number at Honda even deals with this? Sorry clearly a noob here.
 


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I thought i had the condenser issue but dealer said my evaporator is the issue... 15+ hour job! Thank God it's under warranty
 

samuellms

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I thought i had the condenser issue but dealer said my evaporator is the issue... 15+ hour job! Thank God it's under warranty
I have evaporator leak two days ago too... I hope it is just a coincidence, but not the dealerships coming up of different reasons about the AC issues..
 

matthewed

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New here, and same issue as this guy, driver side blowing hotter air than passenger side. My Honda dealer had no idea what I was talking about when I walked in originally and I'm trying to figure out the best course of action. Should I call a bigger nearby dealer and see if they know the issue? If they replace the condenser under warranty would that include the refilling of the coolant under the warranty? Also, if they inspect it and tell me it's not the condenser or it's somehow not covered do I need to call Honda Corporate beforehand to try and get them to cover the cost or after the repair? And what number at Honda even deals with this? Sorry clearly a noob here.
I'd say try to call different dealer. My dealer told me right away about the new tsb even before I mentioned anything.
 

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I thought i had the condenser issue but dealer said my evaporator is the issue... 15+ hour job! Thank God it's under warranty
15+ Hours !!! SERIOUSLY !!! :doh:

( I have to wonder how long it actually took, or more to the point, how much time a tech was actually WORKING on the car )

I'll stop now, or else I will end up saying something that will get me kicked off this forum..
 


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15+ Hours !!! SERIOUSLY !!! :doh:

( I have to wonder how long it actually took, or more to the point, how much time a tech was actually WORKING on the car )

I'll stop now, or else I will end up saying something that will get me kicked off this forum..
Not sure I understand...15 hours is the standard for that job
 

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Not sure I understand...15 hours is the standard for that job
I realize that that is what is documented to be the "Standard", but that is still a JOKE.
because in practice It does not take 15+ hours to change an Evaporator in a Civic.

Sample AC Evaporator Replacement Costs
Below are some sample costs for replacing the AC Evaporator:

Model Labor Parts Total
Ford F-Series $621 – $792 $171 – $254 $792 – $1046
Chevrolet Silverado $666 – $849 $248 – $420 $914 – $1269
Ford Focus $666 – $849 $202 – $524 $868 – $1373
Toyota Camry $352 – $444 $536 – $601 $888 – $1045
Toyota Corolla $352 – $444 $536 – $601 $888 – $1045
Nissan Altima $459 – $585 $258 – $309 $717 – $894
Honda CR-V $234 – $298 $189 – $249 $423 – $547
Honda Civic $234 – $298 $189 – $249 $423 – $547
Honda Accord $234 – $298 $176 – $207 $410 – $505
Ford Fusion $666 – $849 $202 – $524 $868 – $1373

So for Civic $298 Labor $249 parts = $547 total

If labor is $298, and it takes 15+ that's a labor rate of $19 / hour lol

Seriously, it doe NOT take 15+ hours to change an evaporator in a Civic, especially when you have a fully automatic recover/re-charge station.

Problem is, when it really HOT, and your A/C is not working, some will pay ANY PRICE to get cool !!
 

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So for Civic $298 Labor $249 parts = $547 total
Well, the evaporator only MSRPs for $188 USD so something seems a little nuts with the labor... it looks like from all the diagrams, the disassemble needed is the whole of the passenger side of the dash enough to get the blower motor out of the way. From there, it seems very similar to other Hondas as far back as early 2000 Accords. So maybe a day worst case (Which at the labor rates lately, could easily be the better part of $800)? But what sucks sometimes is going off of book. Book can save you sometimes and cheat you others.
 

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So I took mine in last week and the front seal of my compressor was leaking.

Quote for repair was $1700. I have mechanical breakdown insurance with a $250 deductible through Geico and they agreed to pay for the compressor only ~$1200.

Honda was recommending to replace the ac clutch and another part because they were contaminated from the leaking compressor. Geico did not want to cover them since they weren't actually broken yet.

About 5 hours later they were finished and I only had to pay the $250 deductible + Tax = $270 for the repair.

I talked to the service advisor for a bit and he said he doesn't know why Honda is only covering the condenser because he hasn't seen any civics with condenser problems, only compressor problems.

The service advisor said if Honda decides to start covering the compressor on a TSB then they will pay me back the $270 I spent.
 

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I talked to the service advisor for a bit and he said he doesn't know why Honda is only covering the condenser because he hasn't seen any civics with condenser problems, only compressor problems.
Is your Civic a sedan or hatch?
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