AC Compressor Question?

[Genesiswonderer]

Okay, so let me explain. I bought a 2015 Genesis 3.8 sedan from carvana in July 2021. When I first got the car, I noticed that the AC would work intermittently and only would work when accelerating mostly. So, a couple of weeks later I took it into caliber auto care, the closest place near me where silver rock, carvanas warranty company, contracted with (carvana has a limited warranty for i believe 100 days after purchase for every car they sell so this was under that). So Caliber did their inspection and determined something with the vacuum was off and there were metal pieces found in the compressor and the compressor had failed. So they contacted the warranty company to get a claim filed. So here's the thing. An OEM compressor for this car if I recall correctly is about $1000, just for the part. The warranty company didn't want to pay that, so they wanted to go out and "find their own" cheaper compressor. They finally found one that was just $350 (yes, so about 1/3 of the price of an oem) and sent it to caliber and they installed it. Okay, so after this like 2 week fiasco, I finally get my car back. I notice that when I get my car back, the AC works, but is just not very cold. I then started to notice that it was being intermittent again sometimes, sometimes blowing ice cold, and sometimes blowing cool air. Okay, so onto the point. Currently, the system will only blow cool air (I would guess maybe about 60-65 degrees fahrenheit) when the car is idling, however, when you start driving or rev the engine above about 1k rpm, the air then gets nice and cold (I would guess maybe 45-50 degrees at that point). So the ac works, it's just not very good.

Okay, so on from that very long explanation, what do y'all think the problem could be? My theory was it was just the compressor silver rock found was a cheap china part or rebuilt and just didn't work as well as an oem. I talked to one other person and they said caliber may have not charged the system all the way. What do y'all think? I don't think it's the cooling fan because it still gets cold when I rev it? Is it low on refrigerant maybe? Any help is appreciated!

 

[joegr]

Did they replace the condenser and expansion valve and flush the lines and the evaporator? If not, metal from the original compressor failure is killing the new compressor. Otherwise, its likely the cheap compressor. I tried a cheap Chinese one once on another car, and after a month it would cool some while driving down the highway, but not at all at idle.

 

[Tau]

It does sound like the refrigerant could be low from the symptoms you've described. You could have the service provider check the pressures with gauges and if the system has not be thoroughly checked for leaks with UV light activated dye, that should be done if it was full and is now low.

Best of luck

 

[Genesiswonderer]

Did they replace the condenser and expansion valve and flush the lines and the evaporator? If not, metal from the original compressor failure is killing the new compressor. Otherwise, its likely the cheap compressor. I tried a cheap Chinese one once on another car, and after a month it would cool some while driving down the highway, but not at all at idle.

I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure at least the condenser was not replaced. These extended warranties want to cover as little as possible. I guess if I want proper working AC I have to bite the bullet and pay out of pocket myself for the correct high quality oem components. Is there a way I can check if any of this was done? Either way, I'm probably gonna have my more trusted shop take a look at the system next oil change. It's a minor annoyance right now. Now that I think about it, I don't think Caliber did the job right, and silver rock didn't want to pay for anything besides the bare minimum.

 

[glennk]

You can take it to a dealer to have it evaluated and documented. Is the "warranty" still in effect? If so, I'd have a "pre purchase inspection" performed. I'm willing to bet you'll find more. Carvana's "inspection" process is garbage. Several other personalities on Youtube have taken junk cars bought at auction and turning around and selling it to Carvana for top dollar.

 

[Genesiswonderer]

You can take it to a dealer to have it evaluated and documented. Is the "warranty" still in effect? If so, I'd have a "pre purchase inspection" performed. I'm willing to bet you'll find more. Carvana's "inspection" process is garbage. Several other personalities on Youtube have taken junk cars bought at auction and turning around and selling it to Carvana for top dollar.

Okay, so the silver rock warranty from carvana is no longer in effect, as it is well past 100 days. However, I did get an extended warranty through Endurance on it. However, I don't think they would cover the cost to get the job done right. Yeah, I'm not going to buy anymore cars from carvana and carmax. I've had enough.

 

[Genesiswonderer]

Did they replace the condenser and expansion valve and flush the lines and the evaporator? If not, metal from the original compressor failure is killing the new compressor. Otherwise, its likely the cheap compressor. I tried a cheap Chinese one once on another car, and after a month it would cool some while driving down the highway, but not at all at idle.

Also, so would you recommend using the AC as little as possible until I can get it looked at just in case there is metal to not damage the system?

 

[joegr]

Also, so would you recommend using the AC as little as possible until I can get it looked at just in case there is metal to not damage the system?

No, continue to use it. If there are still metal flakes in there, the damage is already done. The condenser has to be replaced because it is parallel flow, so there is no way to flush all of it out.

 

[Genesiswonderer]

No, continue to use it. If there are still metal flakes in there, the damage is already done. The condenser has to be replaced because it is parallel flow, so there is no way to flush all of it out.

Thanks for the reply! So are you saying the condenser has to be replaced if the compressor is replaced? Like can you not replace a compressor without replacing the condenser? I might go back and look at the receipt because they might have replaced the condenser. Or were you just saying the condenser had to get replaced to flush all of the metal particles out? Also, does this mean if there is metal left the compressor would have to get replaced again, along with all of the other components and work?

 

[joegr]

Thanks for the reply! So are you saying the condenser has to be replaced if the compressor is replaced? Like can you not replace a compressor without replacing the condenser? I might go back and look at the receipt because they might have replaced the condenser. Or were you just saying the condenser had to get replaced to flush all of the metal particles out? Also, does this mean if there is metal left the compressor would have to get replaced again, along with all of the other components and work?

1. It depends on why the compressor is being replaced. If the old compressor seized or if metal flakes were found in the compressor or refrigerant system (which is what I think you were saying), then you have to flush all of that out of every part of the system. Due to the design of the condenser, it can't be effectively flushed, so it has to be replaced. With any contamination, you have to also replace the expansion valve, because it can get clogged. Anytime you open the system, you should also replace the dryer. Look up compressors on auto parts sites. They always have a disclaimer saying that you have to flush the system and replace the expansion valve and dryer (and condenser if it is parallel flow) for the replacement compressor's warranty to be valid.

2. Yes, if they didn't get all the metal flakes out, everything would have to be replaced again.

Side note: Did Carvana just fire all or nearly all of their employees?

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[glennk]

If you're still experiencing issues, any deductible from Endurance I'd take to Carvana for reimbursement. As for Endurance, I've never seen/heard of any issues using it at a Hyundai dealer. So, you have a warranty. Take it to Hyundai/Genesis for evaluation and repairs. The dealer will try to put it back )as much as possible) to stock.

 

[glennk]

Okay, so the silver rock warranty from carvana is no longer in effect, as it is well past 100 days. However, I did get an extended warranty through Endurance on it. However, I don't think they would cover the cost to get the job done right. Yeah, I'm not going to buy anymore cars from carvana and carmax. I've had enough.

Thank you for your comments/posts. I will pass on your experiences with Carvana.