Rep Power: 0

Hey all, proud owner of a 2007 LX 1.8L here

Got into a wreck a few years back, crunched up the front end and bent the rebar into the condenser. "Whatever," I thought in my infinite wisdom, "it still runs don't it?"

About a year ago the AC quits on me, and when I popped the hood I saw the clutch wouldn't engage. Tried to replace the relay then per Google's suggestions, but no dice. Cut to now, I've finally rustled up enough funds to get some repairs done, and they replace the entire front end & the condenser, and recharge it, all for about $1000. I hop in the driver's seat, flip on the AC, drive off the lot, and life is good... for about 2 minutes. Then the AC starts blowing hot air again and I hear a pretty audible squeaking sound.

Pull over, pop the hood, and the clutch is now spinning but reeaally struggling, and squeakin' away all the while.

https://youtu.be/olHUJKniBPw

clip very much related

So I take the guy back in, and now they're quoting me another $1000 for the parts & labor to replace the compressor, which I don't have.

But the clutch does this anytime I turn the engine on, AC or no, and I'd still like to drive the thing whether I get the AC repaired or not. So my questions are these:

Is it safe for me to drive as-is? Is it going to damage anything that isn't already broken?

And if not, is there a way to DIY a safe setup so that I don't have to pay another thousand, keeping in mind that I'm very much an automotive novice (but happy to learn if I can)?

And last but not least, is this a reasonable price for this kind of work? I'm not sure how easy it is to shop around for other quotes when they want to charge me for diagnostics, but more than anything I just want to make the right call here.

Thanks in advance

 
Rep Power: 224

When you first start the car and turn the A/C on (and it actually blows cold air) what is the compressor clutch doing? With the HVAC completely off the compressor is squeaking like in the video?

The compressor clutch can be replaced separate of the compressor itself. The A/C system wouldn't even have to be recovered/recharged.

 
Rep Power: 0

The only time the air was actually cold was as I was leaving the shop, it hasn't blown cold since. And yes, the compressor starts squeaking whenever I start the car. There's always a little bit of air coming from the vents whether the AC is on or not, but I didn't think anything of it until now haha

That sounds quite a bit better to me! The shop seemed convinced they'd have to replace the whole thing, but it's always hard to know if they're telling me that because that's their honest diagnosis or if they want the option that makes them more money.