Scotty,
I just took my 2012 Chevy Avalanche to the dealer service center about a vibration and noise when accelerating whether parked or driving at any speed. They said it was coming from the AC Compressor and did not know why, possibly going bad. I just replaced the engine with everything already attached in November. They want to replace the compressor at a charge of $1295.00. Does that sound right to you?
Well, Rockauto shows a "GM Genuine" replacement compressor for that vehicle for the princely sum of $175.79. Autozone shows a new - not rebuilt - Four Seasons compressor with clutch for about $256. Drier should be replaced also, but those are cheap, maybe about $30. So even taking into account markup and labor that seems a bit high, assuming the compressor hasn't actually locked up which would require replacing the rest of the AC system due to contamination.
I would make sure it's the compressor before proceeding though. With the belt off you should be able to rotate the compressor crank in its normal direction of rotation with no noises or binding. Usually you do this by rotating the center part of the clutch. You should also be able to spin the clutch pulley without any noise or roughness which would indicate a bad bearing.
Your post raises a lot of questions in my mind, other than the price.
Is this the same dealer that replaced your engine and accessories last Fall?
Does the noise occur whether you have the AC on or not?
Does the AC produce cold air when turned on?
Have you taken to an independent mechanic to see if he reaches the same conclusion as the dealer and then what the total cost is? Those Chevrolet Avalanches are not hard to work on, and so any good mechanic should be able to assess it, find out what really needs to be addressed, and fix it for much cheaper than the dealer.
$1295 for just the compressor...no, way to high. I would want an itemized list of everything they're charging for before even considering it.
Is this the same dealer that replaced your engine and accessories last Fall? No. I purchased the engine from a dealer online an had a mechanic put it in for a lot less.
Does the noise occur whether you have the AC on or not? It just occurs when the AC is on.
Does the AC produce cold air when turned on? The AC works just fine, haven't had a problem with that at all.
I suspect they did check all that. 1 know the compressor is about $200 - $250. I just can't see labor being that much.
The cost is too much, but that’s the dealer for you.
They are commonly referred to as "stealerships" for a reason.
Not yet, planning to.
Thanks for the info. I will make sure I check it out more thoroughly. I will let you know what i find and the outcome.