Ford dealer quotes $9,152 for air conditioning repair, more than car’s price

The cost exceeds the trade-in value of the car itself, according to Kelley Blue Book

When your car’s air conditioner stops working, you need to be prepared for the inevitable: the cost of repairs. But what happens when the bill is so high that it nearly exceeds the value of the car itself? For one Ford Fusion owner, that’s exactly the situation they found themselves in after a local dealer quoted more than $9,000 for air conditioning repairs.

In this case, the best option may not be a dealer at all, but an independent mechanic who can often offer more reasonable prices for the same job.

Astonishingly high offer

It’s unclear what ultimately caused the air conditioner to malfunction. according to a Reddit After the post went up, the customer took their 2019 Fusion sedan to Coggin Ford in Jacksonville, Florida, where they received an eye-watering $9,152.25 quote to repair the air conditioning system. This basically includes everything you need for a brand new air conditioning system.

More information: Which brand of car has the lowest 10-year running costs?

The major components (AC evaporator, compressor, and condenser) are often expensive. Currently, a compressor and component package for the 2019 Fusion 2.0-liter turbocharged engine is selling for up to $1,419.75 on RockAuto.com. This alone shows how expensive air conditioning repairs can be.

On top of that, the dealer will charge a lot for labor, especially if they have to remove the entire dash to access all the parts. While it’s unclear how parts/labor will be distributed, it’s still a crazy situation. In fact, we’re talking about about the same total cash as the car is worth.

According to Kelley Blue Book, the average resale price of a 2019 Ford Fusion is $11,286, while its trade-in value is $9,071. Since we know nothing about condition, mileage, options, or trim, we can’t say for sure. Still, many commenters think what we’re looking at here is “we don’t want to do that” pricing.

In other words, some shops will make such a large offer because they don’t actually want to do the work unless they can make a ton of extra profit on the deal. Is this what’s happening here? We can’t say for sure, but it’s likely that an independent mechanic could do the same job for less, and probably with just as much expertise and quality.

For many owners, this is a prime example of why independent stores often make more sense – lower overhead and more competitive pricing. Doing some research and shopping around can help car owners avoid a situation where repair costs make them question whether their car is worth saving.