[milligi]

Don't regret buying my iQ last June (2019), but, really? ....A/C compressor fail started end of last summer when car was 5 yr. old. Didn't bother to get it looked at before now due to $$$. So here it is mid-July 2020 and I thought I'd bite the bullet and finally took it to the Toy dealer yesterday where purchased and (never mind that I didn't bother to dicker with them on the price - $10k which I knew was a little high), they now want $2,000 to REPLACE the compressor and that's with a 10% discount. And no, I didn't buy a warranty. So, I figure it's now a $12k iQ and if they'd tried to sell off the lot last year with NO A/C, it would have been a $6k car. Am I wrong?

The reason it's so expensive (they "allege") is the placement of the unit requiring the engine (or sub-frame) he told me each in different conversations, must be dropped in order to get to the compressor. The specific diax is stuck "flow valve". My son suggested to hit it with a hammer and see if the valve can get UNstuck! Talked w/ GenMgr today who said he could go as low as $1500 on repair. My son told me to get other estimates, but how much can I depend on a non-Toy repair shop doing the job proper?

What's holding me back now, besides the $$, is that I hardly go out, fewer than 2k miles/yr., less now with Covid and get home delivery on anything I could possibly "need". I'm 77, mobility challenged, needing 2 canes to walk, and wondering how many more years of driving I'll have (especially in summer) to get the value out of a repair I may use fewer than 7-8x per future summer months. A/C would be nice, but thinking about just toughing it out. Didn't mind paying asking price when I thought I was getting an "intact" car.

1) Does it seem a little too soon for failure?
2) Does it seem a little high for repair?
3) Would you trust your iQ to a non-Toy dealer... the only other one in town I have a relationship with is Midas.
4) Is a/c diax a standard test run on all dealer trade-ins? and shoulda' been caught?
Lucky for them this sucker came along wanting a "uniQue" car.

Thoughts, please. Thank you.

 

[jzchen]

What's the current mileage?

It wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion, even third if possible.

First thing I do is buy one of those freon cans (shade tree mechanic style) to see if it's low/there's some kind of leak.

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[Keishin]

That really sucks, myself and a couple of friends have iQ's here and nobody's had problems with their AC so far... but yes, the A/C system in the iQ is very unique and was specially designed for our cars and one of the reasons why they were able to make it so compact so yes it'll be expensive to fix. I really find that there's no other car like this iQ other than the smaller Smart so if you really love your car and plan to keep it for much longer, do it. I would normally say get a second opinion like @jzchen but because of the unique nature of the AC system design, only get a second opinion from someone you really trust. If your only option is the dealerhsip, problem is I'm sure there a lot of techs have zero experience with this car... which happened to me one time...

 

[milligi]

Mileage was 36K when purchased. Thirteen months later it's 38K. (I told you I didn't drive much.)
If the flow valve is stuck (open or closed couldn't be detected) then charging with canned refrigerant, which my son can do, would just not circ at all, would it? It could be full right now, (no leak was detected) but with malfunctioning compressor might risk overfilling. Also my son mentioned if the vanes are hitting the housing flakes of metal might be circ'ing through the system so a flush and discharge before filling is really important!

But, yes, plan on 2 other local Toy dealers on Monday if they can work me in. Or whenever. I agree about using an experienced dealer -- no money to waste at my age! I'll post the results.

 

[jzchen]

There was someone on here that had AC problem a while ago, and even shared how he fixed it. I can't remember the mileage. Will try to find that thread...

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[nis350]

I would get a second opinion from the auto ac shops.... maybe they can repair it without replace the system. however, it is unusual for a toyota with 36k miles to have this problem.

as far as not fixing it, guess it really depends on how often you need to use it.

 

[minMAXr]

I had an AC issue with mine when I got it, but when I charged it with one of those AC kits from autozone I fixed the issue. Just make sure to not overcharge it or the AC clutch will start slipping and you'll have to go to a mechanic to release the refrigerant legally and safely for the environment.

Max PSI for the IQ for the AC is about 50 PSI with the AC running on max. Make sure to not exceed it