Hi all. This is my first post - I think it's a faux pas to post in a functional forum before I've been around and introduced myself, but I've waited until I had a problem and now I need some help. I moved to a new area, away from my trusty and beloved Subaru technicians at Casey Subaru in Newport News, and I am lost without them.
BLUF: HVAC stopped blowing refrigerated air last fall (can't tell how abrupt it was, because the weather was starting to get cooler). Actually, I wasn't even sure it happened until I tried to run the AC once it started to warm up this summer (yup, it's hot). Dealer couldn't find any leaks, but determined that the system would hold a vacuum, and so charged the system with coolant and fluorescent dye. It blew cold air for about a day or two and stopped working again. Brought it back yesterday, and was told just "evaporator. $1600." I've read enough here and in other sites to know that this is absurdly high. So there is no confusion about whether I ought to go back to these guys for the repair. But I have a few questions, because I definitely got the "you-dumb-broad-just-sign-the-work order" treatment at this place, and the more I know, the better I will be able to fight price gouging in my search for a good mechanic.
1: I read somewhere that the flat rate time to replace the evaporator core is 4 hours. The $1600 guy says it's six. Can someone verify the maintenance standard for me?
2: Should I even have confidence in this diagnosis? The method made sense, but I would think you'd use a borescope before handing someone a bill of this size. Basically, they shined a black light on the condensation that dripped from the evaporator. If there's a leak in the evaporator, does that mean the core has to be replaced? Maybe a link is loose? Your answer might save me at least the $350 for parts (actually, these guys charge $380, and make no apology for exceeding MSRP because "the 'S' is for suggested").
Thanks!