a) Why is it so prone to failure?
b) Why is it so expensive to fix?
No wonder nearly every new car now has it as standard - it keeps the dealers and specialists with plenty of repair work as other components become more reliable.
Im a loser baby....so why don't you kill me?!
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I remember HJ warning all Air con users to run them at least once a week or was it every month to stop seals drying out. I warned my neighbour but she leaves car in garage for 3 months every year whilst doing world cruise. After two years air conditioning still works OK so perhaps the air conditioning fluid and seals have changed from past vehicles.
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a) Because it is hard to contain a high pressure gas in a system that isn't hermetically sealed (as in a fridge) with numerous joints, seals and electrical connections. Materials used are cheap and lightweight and prone to stone and corrosion damage.
b) Because failure of one component can have big consequences on other parts of the system, and manufacturers need to make more money on parts to make up for cheaper car prices. Engine bays are so tight, and dashboards and electronics so complicated, that labour charges can be very high. Plus manufacturers would go bust quickly if cars lasted and lasted. As long as it lasts the warranty period then they are happpy. As an example, to fix an evaporator on an S class merc, parts are about only about £400, but labour is 22.5 hours to remove dash to get to the part.
Of course, this also applies to virtually every system on modern cars, so you need to get used to it and keep a new car for 3 years, take big hit and replace with new each time. Or run and old car that you can fix easily but will cost a few quid along the way in replacement parts.
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