B 3.0
AC
Air conditioning and cooling
In this city the air conditioning is not a comfort item and the cooling system is not seasonal. Performance testing, leak finding, compressors, radiators and water pumps.
From May to October, air conditioning is what makes a car usable in Jacksonville, and the same heat that makes you want it is working the cooling system every single day.
The most important thing to understand about A/C is that it is a sealed system. If it is low on refrigerant, that refrigerant went somewhere, and it went somewhere through a leak. Topping it up without finding the leak is selling you the same refrigerant twice, and it is why we test before we recharge rather than after.
The second thing is which refrigerant your car uses. Vehicles built up to the mid-2010s generally use R-134a. Newer ones use R-1234yf, which needs different equipment and costs substantially more per pound. That single fact is the reason two A/C recharges can differ by three hundred dollars, and it is on the table below rather than in a conversation afterwards.
On the cooling side, a water pump or thermostat that fails here does not strand you gently — an overheated engine in August can become a head gasket in the space of one exit ramp. If the temperature gauge climbs, pull over.
An overheating engine can become a head gasket or a warped head within a very short distance. Stopping at the next exit and telephoning costs a tow. Continuing costs an engine.
Tell us these at write-up
- Refrigerant type
- R-134a or R-1234yf. Different equipment, very different cost. It is on a label under the hood, and we will check it before quoting.
- What it is actually doing
- Blowing warm, blowing cold then warm, not blowing at all, or cold only when moving are four distinct faults.
- Whether it has been recharged before
- A system recharged twice without a leak test has a leak, and finding it is cheaper than a third recharge.
- Engine temperature behaviour
- Runs hot in traffic, hot on the highway, or hot always. Each points somewhere different.
- Coolant history
- When it was last changed and whether the correct type was used. Mixed coolant types cause their own failures.
All of it goes on the repair order in your words, and the written estimate is built from it. See estimate and authorization.
- Estimate
- Written, against your vehicle
- Authorize
- By you, before work starts
- Changes
- A revised number needs a second authorization
- Old parts
- Returned if you ask at write-up
Diagnosis is $149, and it is credited in full against the repair it identifies if you authorize that repair with us.
B 3.1 Prices
What these operations cost
Published ranges for the operations in this group, at a labor rate of $149 per hour. Everything on one page is on the pricing page.
| Operation | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| A/C performance testPressures, vent temperatures, controls | 0.8 hr | $129 |
| A/C leak testDye or electronic, with a written finding | 1.2 hr | $189–$249 |
| Evacuate and recharge, R-134aAfter a leak test | 1.2 hr | $229–$329 |
| Evacuate and recharge, R-1234yfAfter a leak test. Refrigerant cost is the difference | 1.2 hr | $389–$620 |
| Compressor replacementIncluding receiver/drier and system flush | 4.0–6.0 hr | $890–$1,680 |
| Condenser replacementIncluding recharge | 3.0–4.5 hr | $620–$1,050 |
| Blower motor replacementCabin side | 1.5–2.5 hr | $289–$520 |
| Cabin air filterOften forgotten, and a common cause of weak airflow | 0.4 hr | $69–$119 |
| Radiator replacementIncluding coolant | 3.0–4.5 hr | $620–$1,100 |
| Water pump replacementTiming components extra where driven by the belt | 3.5–5.5 hr | $690–$1,180 |
| Thermostat replacementIncluding coolant | 1.5–2.5 hr | $289–$520 |
| Coolant flush and fillCorrect specification coolant | 1.2 hr | $169–$219 |
| Hose replacementUpper or lower, each | 1.2 hr | $189–$340 |
Prices are USD ranges for the operation named, at a labor rate of $149 per hour, and include parts and labor unless a line says otherwise. They exclude shop supplies, disposal fees and tax. They are published so you can budget before you call, and they are not an estimate for your vehicle. Reviewed September 2026. The estimate for a specific vehicle is written against that vehicle and authorized by you before any work starts. See the disclaimer.
Questions Air conditioning and cooling
Questions about this work
Specific to this group. The general ones — estimates, warranty, payment, shuttle — are on the FAQ page.
Can you just top up my A/C?
We can, but we will test for a leak first, and here is why. A/C is a sealed system. If it is low, the refrigerant escaped, and it will escape again — usually within a few months, and faster in summer when the system is under the most pressure. Recharging without finding the leak means buying the same refrigerant twice, which on an R-1234yf car is an expensive way to buy time.
Why is the recharge on my car so much more expensive?
Almost certainly because it uses R-1234yf rather than R-134a. Cars built from roughly the mid-2010s onward increasingly use it; it is considerably more expensive per pound and needs different service equipment. It is a real difference in our cost rather than a markup, which is why both figures are published separately on the table above.
My A/C is cold when driving and warm at a stop. What is that?
Classically an airflow problem across the condenser at low speed: the cooling fan is not coming on when it should, or the condenser is blocked by debris or corrosion. At speed the airflow does the job for it, which is why it feels fine on the highway and fails at a light. It is usually a cheaper repair than people fear.
How often does coolant need changing?
By the manufacturer’s interval for your vehicle rather than by a rule of thumb, and using the specification your car actually calls for. Modern long-life coolants last a long time; what ruins them is mixing types. In this climate the cooling system works harder than the interval assumes, so the interval is a ceiling rather than a target.
B 0.0 The rest
Everything else we do
Diagnosis
Finding out is its own job, priced on its own, and what you own at the end of it is a written finding you can take anywhere — including somewhere else.
The system you notice only when it is wrong. Pads and rotors, brake fluid, calipers and lines, tires, balancing and four-wheel alignment.
Misfires, timing components, belts, starters and alternators, transmission service, axles and driveline — the work that follows a diagnosis rather than preceding it.
Oil and filter, fluids, filters, belts, plugs and the mileage-interval services, each priced as a line item rather than discovered at the counter.
Describe it and we will name the operation
You do not need the right word for it. Tell us what it does, when it does it, and how long it has been doing it, and we will tell you what it probably is and what that costs.
Arlington Motor Company, Inc. · 10939 Atlantic Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32225