Hello Everyone,

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I purchased a 1999 Honda CRV with 67,000 miles on it from a Honda Dealer in September 2003 I believe it was. My problem is this. I had only had the vehicle two weeks when all of a sudden the air quit and it sounded like metal rattling around. I was told by the Honda Dealer that the A/C had blown up and that there were metal fragments. Needless to say eventually the Honda Dealership agreed to fix it as the warranty wasn't due to kick in until 30 days had passed.

Now 3 1/2 years later I had stopped at a light and I heard the rattling again. The car was hesitant to accelerate at the same time. I took it in, of course it was Memorial Day weekend, with no slots available to take a look at it until after Memorial Day. Several individuals suggested I not drive the car as if it was the transmission I could do more damage. Well, wouldn't you know I found out the A/C had blown up a 2nd time. Unfortunately Honda would not give me a break. I asked if they could review the history of this particular A/C system which they wouldn't do to see if this system had a problem and that possibly Honda would replace it at a lower cost. I ended up taking it to a local mechanic who has done excellent work on my car before not pertaining to the A/C.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of problem and if so do you know what causes this? I hate to think every three or more years with putting less than 11,000 miles on it that I am going have to replace the system again. I would appreciate anyone's input as to whether they have experienced this problem and have they found a resolution to this problem.

Thank you,

Melissa

I have a 99 Civic, it has pretty much the same A/C setup. I just finished repairing the ac on my car. What happens is usually the compressor goes out, or some metal part in it breaks. It will still go for a while without giving you any signs that it is broken. While it is doing this the metal parts are getting ground up or made into little shavings. It you fix your ac and just replace the compressor, those metal shavings are still in the other parts of the ac. When you start using the new compressor, the metal shavings will cause it to deteriorate faster than it normally would, causing it to break sooner. If they didn't do a really good job flushing out the ac system, that might have been what happened. If you get it repaired make sure you get the Compressor, Reciever/Drier, and the Expansion Valve all replaced. The condenser and evaporator can usually be flushed out, but may need to be replaced also. This should run you anywhere from $800 to $1400 depending on where you take it. If they are going to charge you alot more than that, take it somewhere else. Hope this helps.