The AC in my car only works intermittently and only of course in the hottest weather possible, does it blow hot air instead of cold. I scheduled an appointment for free AC diagnostics at PepBoys in Reno, but got a call just as I was getting in the car (two or 3 days ago when I was in Reno) that the AC technician was not in, so had to drive the rest of that day without AC. Temps per the signs I saw along the road were in the triple digits, heaven knows what it was inside my car! Of course free AC diagnostics is not available in California, and there's no PepBoys anywhere near where I am staying now anyway, so I called a place in town very nearby to the motel that advertised they do AC and made an appointment for my first morning here at 8 am. I figured I'd have an answer about the problem and solutions before my son even woke up and boy was I wrong.
I dropped my car off at 8 am, when it was nice and cool, meandered back to motel and then some shopping down the road while waiting for a call about my car. 2 hours later no call and thinking 'this isn't good' I called and learned they had only identified that it does what I described and maybe the pump that pumps the AC is making noise and maybe that's the problem, but they're doing more testing. So I walk over to my son's and we go in his car to his Dr. appt. and after he takes me over to the car place, but tells me they guy does unauthorized unnessecary work and that makes me even more concerned. I get something out of the trunk (and no one notices or challenges me taking stuff out of a car) go find the owner and learn they are still looking for the solution. But I ask 'I will get my car back before the end of the day, right? Even if all you do is add freon?' Yes. On the phone, my husband also expressed doubt as to their capabilities. Well, you guys aren't helping!
At about 3:15 pm, after they've had my car for over 7 hours, I get a call that I can come get my car and it's not fixed because it is beyond their league how to fix it. They couldn't be sure what was causing the intermittent problem, but that it definitely is in need of repair. When I asked how much I owed him, he said 'since we didn't fix anything, I wouldn't feel right charging you anything'. But since they put so much time into it I paid them $55.00 anyway. That's 1/2 hour labor and he said that's what they would normally charge for diagnostics, so I chose that amount to pay them. Even though I could have just walked (driven) away scott-free, I wouldn't feel right not paying anything.
But I still have AC that blows hot air in triple digits. It seems to work fine in fairly comfortable weather and can get me way too cold if I turn it to the lowest temps, but as soon as the outside temps start rising above the mid-90°s I'm toast.
Guess I will have to take it to a Volvo dealer and suffer the consequences of their billing. But maybe then I'll have working AC again. I hope it's not one of those stupid changes Ford made when they briefly owned Volvo. They messed some other aspects of Volvo during their ill-advised take-over of Volvo production, that really irritate.
