Who’s had a Condenser puncture?

[Axatax]

Understand that an outdoor grill uses propane and has an open-flame running 10" away from the tank. A compressed gas like propane is inherently safe from unwanted ignition because it's under pressure. That's why the flames in your grill don't travel down the gas lines and ignite the tank.

Other markets outside of North America run propane in the AC system wheres NA run chloro/floroethane-based refrigerants. Western Europe, esp. cars for the German market continued this well into the mid-2000's. The reason for this is due to the prevalence of storing vehicles in enclosed spaces (ie. garages in private homes) where a leak could cause propane vapors to pool and constitute a hazard.

TL;DR - You can charge the system with $300.00 of R1234yf or $2.00 of propane. You'll loose a very small amount of efficiency with the propane, probably on the order of 2-3' below ambient temp.

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[rodneydperkins]

Same problems here with my 2017 Civic.
Only 34000 miles.
Compressor leaking - covered by warranty
Tubing leaking - covered by warranty
Condenser leaking from debris from road. Not covered by warranty. Dealer wanted $600 to replace. Condenser cost online was $75.
Very poor design. Located low to ground with very open grill. Entire condenser looks sandblasted and finally leaked.

 

[herox]

Same problems here with my 2017 Civic.
Only 34000 miles.
Compressor leaking - covered by warranty
Tubing leaking - covered by warranty
Condenser leaking from debris from road. Not covered by warranty. Dealer wanted $600 to replace. Condenser cost online was $75.
Very poor design. Located low to ground with very open grill. Entire condenser looks sandblasted and finally leaked.

Do you have the 2.0 or 1.5T?

 

[SaraDfromSC]

**update - was informed that my extended warranty covered the fix, so I only owe $100. I'm shocked frankly.**

Mine is in the shop right now getting "diagnosed" but I have no doubt that it's going to be the classic "a rock hit it and it's not covered by warranty." Total cost is going to be around $1000. This is after the compressor and a whole bunch of other a/c stuff failed last August and were replaced (thankfully under warranty).

Here's a question to the group - this is a known problem and Honda has zero interest in addressing it as far as I can tell. I have a 2016 Civic LX with 40K miles and $6700 on the loan. At what point do I cut my losses and get a new (not a Honda) car? Because the reality is that I could drive it 10 miles down the road and have the exact same thing happen. Or could go 10 years (unlikely) without this reoccurring.

 

[Crafty99]

I have a 2016 civic ex with 49K miles. I have been chasing a leak in the air conditioner for over a year. The first warm day last year, which was just after the warranty expired, the air conditioner was blowing warm air. A friend tried to recharge the system, but it did not work. Took it in to the Honda dealer only to find out the system was contaminated. They could not fix it. Turns out the friend tried to put r-134 into the system. After making several call, I found a Chevrolet dealer who had the special equipment to clean out the contaminated refrigerant and replace it. They did not detect a leak. A couple weeks later, they system was blowing warm air again. Called the Honda dealer, they refused to work on due to the contamination. I tried to explain it had been cleaned out, they still refused. So back to the Chevrolet dealer. They topped off the system and injected dye. By now it is October and air conditioning was not an issue. I looked for the leak over the winter but did not see one. I will say Chevrolet was much cheaper that Honda for the same service. The first clean out and recharge was $175. The second “top off” and dye was only 10 bucks.

Fast forward to a week ago, it finally warmed enough to require air conditioning. Once again, it was not working. Back to Chevrolet, they recharged it, added more dye and were able to find a leak: the condenser. The fins along the bottom of the condenser are all chewed up and there are at least 6 -10 leaks as shown by the dye. The car is at a different Honda dealer right now getting a new condenser. I also filed a complaint with Honda corporate. I don’t expect them to do anything, but if no one complains, they will never do anything. I am hoping the condenser is the only leak and that the new one lasts longer that the original one. I will look into a screen as others have suggested.

 

[herox]

I have a 2016 civic ex with 49K miles. I have been chasing a leak in the air conditioner for over a year. The first warm day last year, which was just after the warranty expired, the air conditioner was blowing warm air. A friend tried to recharge the system, but it did not work. Took it in to the Honda dealer only to find out the system was contaminated. They could not fix it. Turns out the friend tried to put r-134 into the system. After making several call, I found a Chevrolet dealer who had the special equipment to clean out the contaminated refrigerant and replace it. They did not detect a leak. A couple weeks later, they system was blowing warm air again. Called the Honda dealer, they refused to work on due to the contamination. I tried to explain it had been cleaned out, they still refused. So back to the Chevrolet dealer. They topped off the system and injected dye. By now it is October and air conditioning was not an issue. I looked for the leak over the winter but did not see one. I will say Chevrolet was much cheaper that Honda for the same service. The first clean out and recharge was $175. The second “top off” and dye was only 10 bucks.

Fast forward to a week ago, it finally warmed enough to require air conditioning. Once again, it was not working. Back to Chevrolet, they recharged it, added more dye and were able to find a leak: the condenser. The fins along the bottom of the condenser are all chewed up and there are at least 6 -10 leaks as shown by the dye. The car is at a different Honda dealer right now getting a new condenser. I also filed a complaint with Honda corporate. I don’t expect them to do anything, but if no one complains, they will never do anything. I am hoping the condenser is the only leak and that the new one lasts longer that the original one. I will look into a screen as others have suggested.

FYI once you contaminate the system, flushing and recharging the system is a band-aid fix. Your compressor and other parts are contaminated, and those parts can't be flushed and refilled. Can't blame Honda on that one.

 

[civicls]

Replace your condenser under warranty or you will pay for it out of pocket

This.
I have no idea why some of you are paying out of pocket in warranty

 

[civicls]

FYI once you contaminate the system, flushing and recharging the system is a band-aid fix. Your compressor and other parts are contaminated, and those parts can't be flushed and refilled. Can't blame Honda on that one.

 

[herox]

 

[civicls]

Idk what you mean by "contaminated", but flushing the system out does just that...

 

[herox]

Idk what you mean by "contaminated", but flushing the system out does just that...

You can look it up. Flushing the system does NOT involve the compressor and a few other parts.

 

[Crafty99]

FYI once you contaminate the system, flushing and recharging the system is a band-aid fix. Your compressor and other parts are contaminated, and those parts can't be flushed and refilled. Can't blame Honda on that one.

Not blaming Honda for anything. It’s just part of the story. The compressor and other parts are do not stay contaminated. Any trace amount left by the flush is not enough to be detected by the recharge machine.

 

[SCOPESYS]

FYI once you contaminate the system, flushing and recharging the system is a band-aid fix. Your compressor and other parts are contaminated, and those parts can't be flushed and refilled. Can't blame Honda on that one.

Can you tell us what the CONTAMINATION is, that cannot be removed by Flushing and Pulling a Vacuum (after the filter/dryer is changed) ??

 

[RJBDRN]

Hi. I am a new member and just joined because of this issue. I received an invoice for $2,500 to repair the condenser and one hose on my 2016 Civic Ex-L. I was shocked to see how many people are experiencing this issue and wondered if this is in-fact an environmental concern as the cars are leaking refrigerant. I am in California and contacted the CalEpa who confirmed this is an environmental issue but they need enough people to complain in order to urge Honda to issue a recall. For anyone experiencing this issue, I urge you to contact the EPA with your experience and be sure to mention that you know others are also having this problem. I am stuck paying for my repair as it just fell out of warranty in February but am pursing the issue with the EPA not only for our environment but for other owners to hopefully have their repairs handled. I also recommend tweeting Honda so they are fully aware of this issue.
Email for CalEPA- [email protected]
US EPA- https://www.epa.gov/web-policies-and-procedures/forms/contact-us-about-web-policies-and-procedures
Twitter for Honda- https://twitter.com/hondacustsvc

 

[Popehardboiled]

Same in my 2016 civic. Condenser leak $900 to fix. Ive NEVER had to fix ac on a car before

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