Expert: Chris Fortunato - 4/16/2007

Question
i have a 96 caddy deville
my air was not working
my auto center said he added refrigerant oil and a charge
it is working great

but he charged me $140--i think that is very high
what do u think
thanks
lou

Answer
Well, Lou, this has a lot to do with 2 things: the current price of refrigerant, and the hourly labor of the shop. For example, our charge and leak test procedure was billed at 1 hour (which included a partial charge, an electronic leak test, and the addition of a dye and black light test). Our shop charge was $90/hour, the R-134a was $25/pound, and the dye and sticker was $15. Most cars only needed 1 pound -- few came in completely empty. So, 90+25+15=$130, which is not too far off. If it was a Caddy dealer, in a moderately busy city or area, I'd say it might even be more.

Some shops will charge a .5 hour for just a charge and quick look over, so if that's all he did, that may be too much. If he leak tested the system, then it seems to be in line.

Peace!