Broken AC

[yuro]

well.. to make a story short, i have 2004 mazda 3 gt, basically car is 4.5 years old.. and my AC stopped working last weekend... i don't have warranty because i'm passed my millage, but i did buy exteded (5 years/100 000 km) warranty...

i checked the fuses and they were ok... took a car for a AC check and one of my high pressure lines (the one that runs from condenser to evaporator) is rusted... am i upset? i mean i do expect that something should start to wear out on a car that is almost 5 years old (like ball joins, tie rod ends) but a rusted line???? anyway, at least it's a line and not a compressor... :) going to replace the line on my own and take the car for ac-recharge....

here are the pics.. the hole is right where the smaller line connects to the flange...kind of beside the bolt...

http://home.cogeco.ca/~ykuzmin/mazda_ac/IMGP1503.JPG

here is more detailed picture

http://home.cogeco.ca/~ykuzmin/mazda_ac/IMGP1505.JPG

[mazda lover]

well.. to make a story short, i have 2004 mazda 3 gt, basically car is 4.5 years old.. and my AC stopped working last weekend... i don't have warranty because i'm passed my millage, but i did buy exteded (5 years/100 000 km) warranty...

i checked the fuses and they were ok... took a car for a AC check and one of my high pressure lines (the one that runs from condenser to evaporator) is rusted... am i upset? i mean i do expect that something should start to wear out on a car that is almost 5 years old (like ball joins, tie rod ends) but a rusted line???? anyway, at least it's a line and not a compressor... :) going to replace the line on my own and take the car for ac-recharge....

here are the pics.. the hole is right where the smaller line connects to the flange...kind of beside the bolt...

http://home.cogeco.ca/~ykuzmin/mazda_ac/IMGP1503.JPG

here is more detailed picture

http://home.cogeco.ca/~ykuzmin/mazda_ac/IMGP1505.JPG



W.T. HELL these cars are turning into rust buckets.
Do you have any body rust yet? wouldn't the repair be covered by the extended warranty?
Good luck

[yuro]

i don't have rust anywhere else, and i've been doing anti-rust spray (Krow) every fall for last 4 years...

i thought those lines were aluminum, but i guess they are not...

if my car would still be under extended warranty, would this be covered? because somebody told me that AC and AC components are not covered under the extended (100 000km/5 years) warranty...

[yuro]

and i guess i didn't make it clear in my first post, i'm out of extended warranty, i already went over 100 000 km....

[ShortBus]

and people wonder why some many owners are getting rid of their 3's?

yeah mine will be gone also after 3 years is up and won't be replaced by another mazda.

[masterballer]

Just wondering which shop you took it to, my 2004 ac isnt working anymore as well and i need to fix it asap! :bang

[yuro]

i took it to a shop at around Keele & Steeles area... it's a very small shop at the industrial plaza... i don't remember the name out of my head, but i do have business card at home... they didn't do the full test with the special gass, he just did an air pressure test (usually it's enough to find large leaks like mine).... i think he charges around 50-60 dollars to re-charge ac, but he didn't charge me anything for the test...

i didn't get an estimate on how much it's going to be to replace the line... i think i will get the part from mazda and try to replace it myself and then go back to the shop for re-charge... it doesn't look too hard to replace the line... on one end it's just a bolt, on another (where the line enters firewall) some special plastic clip.. i'm not sure how easy to take that clip apart without specialized tool, i guess i'll have to ask around...

[Noisy Crow]

Stress crack... should have been rubber-isolated......

[McGuyver_3]

That looks more like corrosion then it does rust

[dsichewski]

Make sure to check the a/c line to see if there are special o-rings at the connections. these should be replaced if you replace the line. also make sure that they pull a vaccumm on the a/c system before the recharge it. if the system won't hold a vaccumm then you have another leak somewhere.

[ravin13]

this is Canada, there is nothing that won't rot when a ton of salt hits it. as well, the lines are aluminum, but they are usually soldered with lead, which will cause the rot. Be very careful with the a/c lines, there are a ton of things that can go wrong if not done correctly. as dsichewski said, replace the o-rings, but as well, becareful when inserting the new line, if you nick the new o-ring, thats toast. as soon as you are done, bring it to the shop so the can purge the system, any moisture in the system can cause compressor failure and then you have a bigger problem.

[McGuyver_3]

^ well said but even aluminum corrodes seen it b4 i dont think there is anything out there that will not corroded or get destroyed in some way :(

[mazda lover]

and i guess i didn't make it clear in my first post, i'm out of extended warranty, i already went over 100 000 km....


ops miss-read your post.
But the lines are under the hood away from salt and moisture so after 4.5 years corrosion still is not acceptable, JMO