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Cadillac Repair/Repair cost for the AC on a 1989 Cadillac

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Expert: - 5/30/2009


Question
I may buy a 1989 Cadillac De ville Brougham and the only things that does not work on the car is the AC and the power antenna. I would like to get some idea of the cost of repair for the AC??

Answer
Hello,

The antenna motor you can get on Ebay.

As for the A/C, I have no idea of what it can cost to fix the A/C.

There are far too many potential problems and unless you have it diagnosed for the problem, it is anyone's guess. The symptom may be the A/C doesn't work, but there is not one repair that someone can estimate the cost of repair without checking the system out. Just to mention a few potential problems other than wiring or fuses can be: compressor, condensor, seals, hoses, evaporator and more. These are the big buck parts. Could be the A/C heater control.

The vehicle came with freon 12 which is very expensive and getting harder and harder to get.

The replacement freon is 134a and a retro kit needs to be installed to use it.

Just don't be surprised if you end up paying thousands to get the A/C working. If you are lucky, maybe it only needs a pound over the years and has no leakage, but even at that expect to spend about $300.

Courtest of the government and environmentalists.

Rob

Cadillac Repair

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Rob Painter

Expertise

Alarm system questions cannot be answered on this forum. These systems are not what I can answer. Without being physically at the vehicle and not knowing what kind of electrical service has been done on the vehicle, there is no possible way to give an accurate answer over the internet. My expertise is in Ignition/key based anti-theft systems. These issues include GM VATS (resistor chip in key blade) PASSLOCK (MRD)-ignition lock rotation based, no special ignition key and the PKIII Transponder (computer chip in key) systems. These systems are not alarm based and are integral with the starting of the engine. This is why I cannot diagnose alarm problems without physically looking at the vehicle: Alarm systems are a completely different annimal than ignition key/lock based anti-theft system. Many alarm questions come from vehicles 10 years old, and since older, many hands that had been involved over the years.I am an expert in all GM factory (ignition/key based)systems. Alarm system questions pose to many situations beyond my knowledge as to what has been done to the vehicle over the years. Some guy may have actually wired the stereo into the alarm system. Who knows? Over my past 30 years in vehicle wiring repair, I have seen unbelievable wiring disaters done by guys that consider themselves "mechanics." I have seen stereos and alarms intalled using surgical tape. I have seen modules burn up, un-fused circuits, wiring jambed between the doors and even lamp cord used for a starter kill. To answer alarm questions over the internet without examining the vehicle is like asking; What does it take to remove a dent?

Experience

Education/Credentials-ASE certified. 11 years with a GM dealer and 17 years with a repair facility dealing with only the repair of theft recovered vehicles.

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