Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Contour Air Conditioning

Question for anyone who can answer.
I have a 1995 Ford Contour LX, V6 Auto transmission.
I had Ford look at my air conditioning system yesterday. (Big Mistake). Well, basically, they told me the ac compressor was bad. They also told me they wanted to change my R12 system to a R134.
Well, from looking at the stickers under my hood, they say my car takes the R134. I have had this car since 1997. I have never changed the ac system from R12 to R134.
Now, I am very concerned. Are they trying to pull a fast one on me? They told me to fix the ac it would cost me $1,400. (that also includes the conversion from R12).
Question: What does the Ford Contour, from the earliest version (1995) until now have for ac, R12, or R134. Or did earlier versions like mine really start out with the R12. I did buy it in 1997, so they could have possibly changed out the ac to R134.
But, none the less, the Ford dealership must not know what they were doing, especially if they didn't look at the stickers at the top of my hood to see what is inside my ac.

What does anyone think I should do? I paid them $109.95 to tell me all of that, and I know they are wrong. They talked to me like I was an idiot, I know how to talk cars for gods sake.

They told me over the phone, an ac inspection was $59.99, then when I got to the dealership he told me $100, that's $40 difference. Then they added shop supplies and hazardous waste. I contacted the manager there, and he wasn't much help. I asked for part numbers of the parts I need to replace, and number of hours they need my car for, as well as the rate per hour. They faxed me this paper, that told me nothing new. No part numbers, or numbers of labor.
Should I bring this attention to someone higher then the manager? Who can I talk to about this issue.
Ford is really pi**ing me off.
I am not going there anymore.

But, do any of you think I should forget about this, or should I talk to someone else at Ford?

All 1995 Ford Contours are R134a.

My suggestion is to take it to an independent shop that you trust, not the dealer. It may just need a recharge or their may be a leak somewhere--I think it unlikely that the compressor is bad.

Brian

I agree. Take it to another shop for a second opinion. I thought by 1994 all cars were R134 and I am pretty sure yours is as well.

You should always take your Ford to an independent shop if its out of warranty(and sometimes even if it is under warranty). My 96 Contour needed a recharge, cost $30. Yours may be leaking. The shop should add a dye to the coolant so that if it stops cooling then they can find the leak easily.

The stealership is definitely living up to it's name...

Ask around and take it to a trusted independant mechanic.
The dealership is the LAST place I would take it.

what dealership in MN did you take it to? I will tell if they are screwing you.

I think it was in 93 or 94 that all new vehicles had to be r-134a.

I took it to Stillwater Ford on Tuesday.
Today it is in a shop in Hammond, WI. I hope they give me a better anaylsis than Ford.
You are all right though. I should never have brought it to Ford. The only reason I did was because I brought it to a small shop in Hudson, WI called Hilltop on Saturday. And they couldn't figure out what was wrong, and wanted me to bring the car back on Monday for further testing. No way. They already had it for 3 hours.
I don't trust them, I once paid them $35 to tell me they didn't know what is wrong with my car (CEL). So, that's why I tried Ford. Lesson learned, again. No more Ford.
We'll see what this other shop says.

I was just so SHOCKED to have Ford tell me they wanted to convert my R12 ac to R134. Why would they tell me this, even under the hood it says R134. Do they just see a blonde woman and try to take advantage of me? They also kept talking to me like I was some kind of idiot. I finally spoke with the service manager, and explained I know more about cars then he thinks, and he can quit talking to me like I don't know what he's talking about.

Thanks for the reply's.

There are still plenty of "men" out there that will find any way to take advantage of people and get their money, and sometimes these places include dealerships and auto mechanics. The fact that you're a woman (and blonde ) should have nothing to do with the fact that your R134a AC system just needs to be recharged and maybe leak checked. I suggest you write a complaint letter stating your beef with these folks at the Ford dealership and contact a consumer advocate as well. Check out this site, e-mail the people here with your problem, and it might even make it on the radio as a topic of discussion. Clark Howard Homepage . Let me/us know what the results are of you current check of the AC system.

I'd contact Ford and your state consumer prot. agency (or whatever) in addition to complaining to the dealership. 1995 contour is 134a, as I think you know by now. Unbelievable attempt at fraud if they said that you needed to switch over.