[ellepea]

Hi, Everybody - I'm hoping to get some feedback on an issue I'm having with my 2011 Versa Hatchback...that I only have 22,000 miles on.

I noticed a strange smell coming from my vents when I turn my AC on a couple days ago (kind of like bandaids), and then my AC stopped working...I took it to the dealership this morning, and they confirmed that it is leaking freon and told me that they need to remove my dash and either replace my evaporator core or see if the AC lines are leaking. the quoted me $1756 + tax for the evaporator or $1260 + tax if leaking from the lines.

The first thing they asked me when they told me was if the car had been in a serious accident, which it hasn't, and then told me this is very uncommon. Is that true? It seems like there's quite a bit of posts online when you search about it.

Does anyone have any input they could share with me on this? It's way more money than I'd like to spend right now. Going to call Nissan corporate later, but figure I'd pick all your brains first!

Thanks in advance,
Laura

 

[pimperell]

Hi, Everybody - I'm hoping to get some feedback on an issue I'm having with my 2011 Versa Hatchback...that I only have 22,000 miles on.

I noticed a strange smell coming from my vents when I turn my AC on a couple days ago (kind of like bandaids), and then my AC stopped working...I took it to the dealership this morning, and they confirmed that it is leaking freon and told me that they need to remove my dash and either replace my evaporator core or see if the AC lines are leaking. the quoted me $1756 + tax for the evaporator or $1260 + tax if leaking from the lines.

The first thing they asked me when they told me was if the car had been in a serious accident, which it hasn't, and then told me this is very uncommon. Is that true? It seems like there's quite a bit of posts online when you search about it.



Does anyone have any input they could share with me on this? It's way more money than I'd like to spend right now. Going to call Nissan corporate later, but figure I'd pick all your brains first!

Thanks in advance,
Laura

I take it that the car is no longer under warranty?? If it is not under warranty, you could take it to an independent A.C. repair shop and get a second opinion. If it does turn out to be the core it is a labor intensive job to get a new one put in. The other alternative, is to use one of the sealing type refrigerants and see if that can get you ac up and running. It is not a long term solution, but it may get you through the summer, and it is not expensive to do. Good luck!!

 

[07Versa6MT]

It's likely one of the fins in the evaporator that burst if it leaked so fast that you could smell it, assuming you know/think it's the evaporator. It's either that or the o-rings that seal the fittings to the expansion valve, which is another leak point. It would have to be pinpointed first before they go and rip apart the dash just to realize it was leaking on the engine side of the firewall. It's possible to smell refrigerant if it's leaking in the engine bay, the evaporator drain is on the firewall, which allows any smells in the engine bay/surrounding area to work their way into the blower. Once the dash is apart though they'll put a new evaporator in anyways, which is why it's important to figure out how big the leak is and where it's coming from. When you vacuum a system down to 15 in/Hg, it's easy to detect the speed of the leak once you disconnect the vacuum source and use a gauge to see what it rises to, how fast it rises above the vapor pressure of water is what will show the size of the leak.

 

[ellepea]

Thanks for the input. Apparently they checked everything they could without removing the dash and said that it had to be either the evaporator or the lines back there. It's just total BS that this is even happening to a 3.5 year old car with 22,000 miles on it. I have a call in to Nissan Corporate, and we'll see what happens, because this is just not normal, and I refuse to put $2,000 worth of work into a car with 22,000 miles on it that I've babied the 3.5 years I've had it!

 

[07Versa6MT]

Well, that's good that they already did that. Unfortunately you gotta roll with it. Either live without AC, sell it, or trade it in.

Why not do it yourself? You can replace it yourself. Get what you need (new evaporator, sealing o-rings) and start taking out the dash. It's not really hard, just time consuming. Then get them to vacuum it, leak test again, and recharge. Then again, how much is AC worth to you? Personally i've never used AC in anything i have owned or lived in. Never grew up with it, don't need it.

Also you'll be out the cost of a drier/receiver too, as they should always be changed whenever the system is cracked open.