We tracked the decline of the A/C compressor in our Veracruz until it finally croaked. So the other day we scheduled an appointment with Cormier Hyundai in Carson. It was ready for pick up in a few hours.
According to the service tech, a lack of Freon was to blame. Mixed with Freon is a light oil used to lubricate the compressor...
No Freon means no lubrication. No lubrication leads to a whirring, groaning noise and eventual failure. Sounds familiar.
Cormier recharged the system with Freon, checked for leaks and the issue appears to be fixed. We'll be sure to report if the problem returns.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Coordinator @ 6,241 miles
stingray454 says:
12:34 PM, 03/21/08
Hmmmm, Refrigerant doesn't disappear for no reason. There must be a leak somewhere, and if they didn't find it, I guarantee it will fail again.
opfreak says:
01:03 PM, 03/21/08
a leak at 6,241 miles?
houston we have a problem. Sorry thats crap that a brand new car is already lossing stuff.
dragonflight says:
01:14 PM, 03/21/08
Maybe it didn't come with enough out of the factory?
cx7lover says:
01:40 PM, 03/21/08
I'm positive that it didn't come with enough stuff, anyway shame on u people for taking so long to get it fixed, bitching about it the entire time, THEN taking it in FINALLY.
7driver says:
01:45 PM, 03/21/08
As it relates to automotive applications I'm pretty sure Freon is R-12 (a CFC), which was banned. I think you mean R-134 (tetrafluoroethane).
langjie says:
01:47 PM, 03/21/08
Freon?!?!?!?
like 7driver said, nobody uses Freon anymore!
texases says:
02:30 PM, 03/21/08
Yeah, people call every coolant "freon" - kind of like a xerox or kleenex.
thebigal says:
03:08 PM, 03/21/08
ya - if they didn't find the leak, than it is bound to happen again. A car this new shouldn't be losing Freon or what ever they are using to charge the system. My 6 year old truck had the A/C compressor changed 4 years ago (not because it wasn't cooling - it had a bearing or something failing and I took it in BEFORE it actually failed) and it has never had a problem since then, it still blows colder than a lot of newer cars.
johnmarco says:
03:54 PM, 03/21/08
This was 100% under warranty right?
Well that is a sketchy problem. Makes me nervous about Hyundai but hopefully that's an isolated incident.
SubyTrojan says:
04:24 PM, 03/21/08
The refrigerant in use is probably R-134a. Mike might have said "freon" because it's just easier to refer to it as that. :shrug:
altimadude00 says:
05:34 PM, 03/21/08
New cars are just as prone to malfunctions as old ones.
My father's Cadillac had a dead battery the day after he brought it home off the lot, doesn't automatically signal the swan song of Cadillac.
This is an isolated event. It's hard to judge a company by the experiences of just one car.
SubyTrojan says:
06:24 PM, 03/21/08
altimadude00, that actually isn't a surprise if the vehicle your father purchased had sat on the dealer's lot for awhile. Its battery may not have been properly maintained or it might not have been fully charged when he took delivery of it.
jdub53084 says:
08:50 AM, 03/22/08
Hey, just to clarify, Freon is a trade name for Dupont's refrigerent, and is trademarked to the company. All cars made after the 1994 model year had to have R-134A refrigerants installed.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blfreon.htm
benson2175 says:
04:32 PM, 03/22/08
If you have a car that was made before 1994 can you still recharge the AC with freon or do you have to use the new stuff and there's some converting or some bs.