Please! I need opinions!

I bought a beautiful 2000 cherokee sport 2wd stock (except headlights) with 155k this thursday from a used car lot (I know, I know) but I needed a car asap and it looked to be in amazing condition... (I am not a mechanic but I used what I knew and it looked good to me).

5 days later I go to pick my son up from school and I hear squealing and I see black smoke along with a burning rubber smell. I look and the serpentine belt isnt turning. I turn the Jeep off and called the tow truck and took it to a mechanic.

They called me today and told me that the AC compressor locked up and needs to be flushed and replaced.
I was told: the compressor by itself was a 600$-700$ part but they could get it for 400$ from georgia by tomorrow.
They said they need to replace a belt and the freon plus the 2 hours of labor this will cost me a little less then 800$ total.

Is this a fair price considering I cant fix it myself and I dont know anyone that works on jeep/chrysler/dodges??

Is it worth it to repair assuming that there are no other major issues??

Is this a common problem with this car?

Any advice or knowledge helps!

THANK YOU


**I have no pics of the engine sorry**

 

*bump*

 

For AC work and replacing a compressor, yes it is a fair price

 

Awesome thank you!! I just want to make sure I'm not getting played and wanted to see how much i should tip the mechanic...

 

This is the jeep btw... I think shes beautiful

 

Save some cash and swap the compressor yourself. Can get a used compressor at a junkyard or car-parts.com for $50-$100. Recharging the freon will be around $50-$80

All that is needed to swap the compressor and serpentine belt is a simple 3/8 ratchet and socket set plus a crescent wrench for the ac lines.

$10 or so for a bag of orings for the ac lines.

Where are you in Georgia? I could save you some cash lol. I don't agree with 4.3 xj at all.

 

That is the price you should expect a shop to charge for the work. You have however asked that question on a forum dedicated to doing the work ourselves. You are going to get opinions like MonacaYankee, a fair opinion.

Me, I would get a belt for a non-ac model and put it on. Bypass the compressor and keep driving. No need to replace or remove the compressor, just leave it there. Can be done in the driveway in 15 minutes for ~$30. In the spring, roll the windows down.

 

The prices they told you are unacceptable!!! At rockauto.com you can get a new A/C compressor together with a new dryer for less than $ 150!! (I did that last year) The A/C service shouldn't extend $ 100!

 

I'm imagining this in the Schwarzenegger "Terminator" voice.

 

Check warranty if you buy parts for them to install.

 

If you're not comfortable doing the removal/install yourself - as others have noted - this is a typical shop quote for the work. You can sometimes save a little money if the shop will install parts that you bring them and you can order a new compressor and bring it to them. The downside is the shop will generally not warranty anything and if something goes wrong that you aren't able to prove was due to installation error, you're on the hook.

This is always a subjective question. However, what are your options really? Can you return the vehicle if you only bought it 5 days ago? Where I live (MA) you could take it back and get it fixed or a refund. I've heard AZ is even better with that sort of thing. If you can't return it, you could sell it but in that case you're going to need to fix the problem anyway.

There is the option of bypassing as others have mentioned. You don't *need* A/C, but if you're in the southern U.S., it's a much bigger concern than if you live in a generally colder area.

There IS a major concern that you should be aware of - the 2000 I6 engine has a well known casting defect with the original 0331 cylinder head. Google this and you'll see it's pretty widespread.
If the engine has had the head replaced, it's not a worry, but if not you need to be aware of the potential failure that will be a pricey fix if you're having it done by a shop rather than mostly or all yourself.
That said, I drove my 2000 TJ (Wrangler) that had the 0331 head for 305k miles without an issue (and the engine was still good - it was the tranny that killed it), so it's not guaranteed to fail necessarily, but in a nearly 20 year old vehicle - you aught to be warned.

It can and does happen, obviously, but it's not the sort of thing that you're doing every X years or anything like that. If it's replaced correctly and you maintain the A/C system you will probably never have to do it again.

 

If he is young looking they will work him over. My quote to FIX a leaking ac system was 1168.95. So i said screw it and tested it a little myself i tightened my shrader valves and it slowed the leak way down so now i gotta recharge every 6 months which im fine with. Ill uv dye it next time

 

Assuming the OP is a "he" and not a "she".

I agree that it's possible and at that sort of dishonest shop, if the OP is a "she", it doesn't matter how young she looks, simply being female is enough (unfortunately).
I think that the shop sounds like a fair one - but who knows - we're working under the assumption that the a/c compressor was the actual problem.

 

Yeah, I would have loved to try to work this out myself.. bypassing the compressor completely isnt a bad idea... I live in north carolina so it does get hot but hey, I'm used to it.

I am capable of doing minor work to my vehicles myself but my jeep is my only vehicle at the moment and I am 9 months pregnant due any day now and I dont think taking an uber to the hospital is an option...


^^^ I have the best of both worlds... I'm young AND a she... Shops try to take advantage of me all the time, as do dealerships.

I really appreciate the replies. I'm going to let the shop take care of this one so I can get the jeep back on the road asap.

Thanks everyone!

 

Congratulations on the upcoming baby.

My trusted tire shop actually was created by a woman who was taken advantage of and disrespected by a shop because she was a woman. She's not young, but she's a firecracker and the shop does excellent work.

As far as the 0331 head - make sure you do the cooling system maintenance and if you ever even start to overheat, pull over and stop the engine - don't take any chances or push it.

You may need to use a towel or even a flat board when you put the car seat in if your back seats are as squishy as they are in my 95. My daughter's seat has a super heavy base and the kids are usually in my "DD"/family car, so I deal with it, but my Dad always a towel in his truck to make sure the seat angle is correct.

Good luck and enjoy the new-to-you XJ.