AC Compressor Died - Suggestions For "Low" $ repair?

[hjonson]

2017 Soul EV - After some back & forth with Kia dealer service in 92025, they finally figured out that my compressor was kaput.
(first saying 'no refrigerant', then after I had it re-checked via 3rd party, they gave in. Lack of training?).
Gave me an estimate of $2200 to repair. Ouch, just ~1 year out of warranty.
Located a 3rd party compressor online for ~$500. They want to replace with a larger $1300+ component that seems to include more piping, etc.
Is that really necessary, and hard to believe that much in labor $.
What's your experience, and any suggestions to get $$ down to maybe $1200-$1500 ?
Thanks much.

 

[JeroenE]

Is the compressor you found too small? Why would they want to put in a bigger compressor in the first place?
I know nothing about American repairs, but perhaps you could get a quote from a 3rd party workshop. You don't need to stay with the Kia dealer, especially when the guarantee is no longer valid anyway.

 

[hjonson]

Not a bigger compressor, a “larger component”, ie a compressor with more ancillary parts than just the compressor, like maybe more piping or more wiring, can’t tell from pictures in Kia diagrams that show that part number . A 3rd party gave me a similar quote but they merely called the dealer and got their cost, for the same one the dealer quoted, no help. Is there a reason for not just replacing the compressor “motor” or is this a ripoff by the dealer?

 

[hjonson]

Has anyone had their Kia Soul EV AC compressor replaced ? What was your experience & cost ? Thanks.

 

[JejuSoul]

Hi hjonson.
I have been keeping a thread with details of the cabin heating system here - Heating and Cooling the Cabin - The HVAC System
I try to add links to the other threads where people have reported problems.
Unfortunately there's nothing similar to yours.
Good luck with finding a new part and please report back with what you find.

 

[mariano3113]

My AC compressor was replaced when the drive unit was replaced for leaking coolant.

I believe my extended warranty covered the cost for $100.

I will try to find my paperwork to see what the "cost" was.

 

[hjonson]

My AC compressor was replaced when the drive unit was replaced for leaking coolant.

I believe my extended warranty covered the cost for $100.

I will try to find my paperwork to see what the "cost" was.

Thank you. My 2017 is out of warranty by ~1 year, and no extended warranty.
Just could not believe an AC replacement costs $2200 !
Anyone else had this done?

 

[ksoul2084]

My A/C was working poorly/barely when my car went into the shop for a battery refurbishment back in 2020, under warranty. They claimed that no leaks could be found in the A/C system and recharged it. It worked well for about 6 months and then lost enough coolant to prevent the compressor from starting at all. Of course, by this time the car was off warranty.

I have also read that some people had their "octopus" component (used in cars with a heat pump, like mine) replaced with a newer design under warranty.

At this point, it is clear that there are coolant leaks are basically every hose entry point (can see the oily residue around them), so I might take it to an A/C specialty shop and see if they can replace all the o-rings, seals to fix it.

 

[mariano3113]

My AC compressor was replaced when the drive unit was replaced for leaking coolant.

I believe my extended warranty covered the cost for $100.

I will try to find my paperwork to see what the "cost" was.

Thank you. My 2017 is out of warranty by ~1 year, and no extended warranty.
Just could not believe an AC replacement costs $2200 !
Anyone else had this done?

I found the paperwork.

AC compressor cost was $2144.42


My most recent AC repair was an AC refrigerant line that went bad and not the compressor.

Total bill for all work done was $2131.17
$1421.00 was labor for the items

Deductible of $100 was my out of pocket that visit.
https://imgur.com/gallery/BJJzHnW

 

[BEC]

Wow.

I just got my 2016 back from the BMS/wiring and second parking brake recalls. While it was there I asked them to look into an odd intermittent noise (sounds like a baby goat bleating) from under the hood, accompanied by an off smell from the A/C vents and less-than-enthusiastic cabin heating.

The diagnosis is a dying compressor, and we were quoted about the same as the OP ($2200 +tax) for the repair/replacement but with the added bit of info that the compressor is on back order. So, for now, we're just going to live with it. Ours is two years out of warranty for this sort of thing.

I just checked RockAuto. They have a listing for the compressor at a little over $500 for the part, but it is out of stock.

This is one place where purchasing an extended warranty might have made sense. But we leased the car initially and then bought it off the lease, so they didn't even try to sell us one.