Crappy Honda AC Compressors!!!!!

Neilk · 02-09-2016, 09:15 AM

So pissed, the AC went out on my wife's 2012 Honda CRV with 48,000 miles...

Just got word from the dealer that the compressor seized up and blew shards in the system. There was a class action lawsuit on these that covered lots of Honda's up to the 2011 model year. Looks like someone needs to extend it. Dealer wants $1,800 to replace compressor and condenser.

I mentioned the class action and asked if Honda would goodwill part of the repair. I will obviously go elsewhere if they don't cover a good portion of it. Any ideas what independents would charge for such a repair?

That extended warranty sure looks good about now.

One more thing, warranty is only 36,000 miles. Most manufactures offer 4 years. Hating Honda right now.

Neilk · 02-09-2016, 09:21 AM

Update: Honda is willing to cover 50%, still $900 out of pocket for a lousy design.

fastfredracing · 02-09-2016, 05:38 PM

when I saw the thread title , I knew it was going to be on a CRV. I must have done 7,or 8 of them over the last few years.
They are a pain also. A real test of the dexterity of your fingers . Zero access, at the plug, and the bolt that holds the lines in, I hate em'.
I had a new one DOA, right out of the box, from the el cheapo parts store. You could hear my tirade of vulgarity a half mile away that day .

Neilk · 02-09-2016, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

when I saw the thread title , I knew it was going to be on a CRV. I must have done 7,or 8 of them over the last few years.
They are a pain also. A real test of the dexterity of your fingers . Zero access, at the plug, and the bolt that holds the lines in, I hate em'.
I had a new one DOA, right out of the box, from the el cheapo parts store. You could hear my tirade of vulgarity a half mile away that day .

So curious as to what you charge? Has this made your 2016 resolution not to take *****ty jobs?

PorschePilot · 02-09-2016, 06:46 PM

If you have it done at an independent shop ask them how much for the new compressor. I bought a new compressor at ********.com for a third of the price a shop wanted to charge me and they had no problem when I asked them to install it.

mattdavis11 · 02-10-2016, 03:17 AM

CRV's have a scroll compressor. It's not a question of if, it's when. Unfortunately when they go, it's catastrophic, and everything has to be cleaned/replaced. You can not clean the condenser, replace it. Evaporator can be flushed as can the lines.

What you don't want to do is go back to another scroll style compressor. Luckily, Sunair has developed an aftermarket piston style/swash plate compressor.

Make sure your fans, the two behind the radiator, are in working order.

I feel for you, it's not a fun job.

Chocaholic · 02-10-2016, 04:04 AM

Yep...our 2011 Odyssey has 93k on it with no issues. GA summers, so it's running a lot. Guessing it's specific to the CRV as indicated. Gotta wonder why they'd use a different type for the CRV only.

billybek · billybek's Garage

Scroll compressor have far fewer moving parts inside to fail compared to a reciprocating compressor. Wonder what it is about the scroll Honda is using for that application that makes it so unreliable?

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

I know many cars are engineered to have a compact engine compartment to keep the vehicle smaller. So many engineers are forced by the bean counters to design a system to not be easily repaired, but it might safe the manufacturer five buck per vehicle to make so it get done that way. They don't care how hard it is to fix.

So many cars have alternators in the V of a V or V6 and the intake has to be removed to replace a alternator. Water pumps are placed in crazy locations.

It makes me love my 30 year old El Camino even more. I can swap an alternator in 20 minutes. R&R of the AC compressor is an easy job.

aschen · 02-10-2016, 06:00 AM

yes they do suck, er they dont suck when they are suposed to and they are located on the bottom of the engine in many cases.

I do know quite a few people who have just replaces compressors without going therough the rest of the AC system with good results.

I did it on my wifes accord. I couldent find any evidence of debris and the compressor was 200$ from rock auto. It blew freezing cold for the next 18 months before I sold it.

KNS · 02-10-2016, 06:29 AM

I know everybody rags on BMW reliability (and they can be hit or miss) but it shocks me that the air conditioning in my 12 year old, 200,000+ mile 325i is untouched. I haven't done a thing to it and it still blows ice cubes.

I have owned Hondas in the past and they seemed to work well but I never kept them more than eight years or so.

mattdavis11 · 02-10-2016, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billybek

Scroll compressor have far fewer moving parts inside to fail compared to a reciprocating compressor. Wonder what it is about the scroll Honda is using for that application that makes it so unreliable?

IMHO, it's a lot of things, but I don't think you can pin the blame totally on Sanden. In his case it's a TRSE09 compressor. His system is 18oz of refrigerant and 4.5-5oz oil. If you have much more oil, it won't cool. However, I don't there's enough oil to lubricate the compressor, specifically the crankshaft needle bearings. I think they wear first, affecting the rotation of crankshaft driving the oscillating scroll. Once the crank shaft no longer has a fixed rotation, the oscillating scroll will also change its pattern and will begin whacking the fixed scroll. All that metal causes a restriction, the desiccate bag and header on the condenser trap some of the oil, but still will allow some oil and refrigerant by, and with every cycle, the compressor receives less and less oil. Then she blows.

Failures can be very violent, I've seen some pretty large holes in the cases on CRV's.

mattdavis11 · 02-10-2016, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aschen

yes they do suck, er they dont suck when they are suposed to and they are located on the bottom of the engine in many cases.

I do know quite a few people who have just replaces compressors without going therough the rest of the AC system with good results.

I did it on my wifes accord. I couldent find any evidence of debris and the compressor was 200$ from rock auto. It blew freezing cold for the next 18 months before I sold it.

Different can of worms with the CRV. I don't know what year your Accord was, but they generally either leak at the shaft seal, valve plates worn out, or the coil goes dead. No debris, you can expect lots of debris on a CRV.

Scott Douglas · Scott Douglas's Garage

What I don't understand is how a good engineering company like Honda can loose the recipe for making a good compressor or at least spec'ing a good one from suppliers. My '02 Accord went 9 years without so much as a recharge of the A/C system and it still worked as good as the day I bought it when I got rid of it. Granted I used it just about every day, but it still worked.
What happened between then ('02) and now?

mattdavis11 · 02-12-2016, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

What I don't understand is how a good engineering company like Honda can loose the recipe for making a good compressor or at least spec'ing a good one from suppliers. My '02 Accord went 9 years without so much as a recharge of the A/C system and it still worked as good as the day I bought it when I got rid of it. Granted I used it just about every day, but it still worked.
What happened between then ('02) and now?

The pressure. Denso had a choice, and went with GM. So, Denso began making a crappy compressor for GM, and Honda picked up Sanden, whose compressors which were once bullet proof, turned to shyte.