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I spent 2 days, double the initial estimate, got stranded, and the AC shop washed their hands saying the decoding key was not theirs.
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Finally, My Figo went for AC blower replacement. I checked with FORD service and they said I have to leave the car for 3 full days with them. They didn’t even connect me to their service advisors to get an estimate. So I removed the authorized service option. Next is a private car garage near Turahalli forest road (AMS service). They diagnosed the blower issue and received 2K for removing and repairing the dashboard plus the cost of the spare blower. about 6-7k. Finally, I decided to do it at Aditya Car AC in koramangala. From forum discussions and google reviews -I felt it was a good idea to go with them as they only work with AC and are experts.
Upon checking with them, I was told that they would need 2 hours to complete the job. Since they don’t have the FORD OEM AC blower, I ordered the exact part number from Boodmo and brought it to them around 4pm. work started at a fast pace and 2-3 men quickly dismantled the steering wheel and dashboard. All removed trim is repaired in-shop. I used the opportunity to clean the fine dust on the interior and dashboard trim. Until 8PM they kept trying to fix the new blower without success. Then they told me that the new blower didn’t line up with the screw holes perfectly and therefore they couldn’t fix it. I was surprised because I ordered the correct OEM spare part. Since it was the 9th day after giving birth, I immediately started going back to boodmo. Take a video of the alignment issue as proof if boodmo denies the refund. Fortunately, they refunded the amount.
AC shop has spare blowers of FORD brand. Since they removed the dashboard, I agreed to install their spare ac blower. After refitting the dashboard, they took it for a test ride and I don’t know what happened, they came back pushing the car. Said they needed the spare key to start the car. Since I didn’t have the spare key with me, I left the car with them and took an uber home at 10 pm.
The next morning, I got there at 10am with the spare key. They did something and gave me a test ride and gave me the car. I was near Banashankari bus stand and when the car went over a road hump, it stalled and the car refused to start after that. Engine lock (immobilizer) symbol alert is obtained. Called the AC shop guys and they asked me to disconnect the battery and connect and try again. Tried everything and nothing worked. Then they put a couple of contacts in the car scanner and a man agrees to attend. He went over and reprogrammed the key. When I got home, it was 3pm.
Post this repair, the car idled for 2 weeks and when I took it out a few days later, on the way to the office – smoke started coming from the bonnet. I turned off the car and opened the bonnet to see what happened. There was a green liquid sprayed into the engine bay and there was also a small amount on the road. I turned off the AC and took it to a nearby garage. Mech said there, it’s AC liquid and asked to get it checked at the AC shop itself. He said it is safe to drive when the AC is off. I went to Aditya AC again. They asked to switch-on the AC and keep it running for 5-10 mins. There is nothing to worry about and the green liquid is compressor oil sprayed from the AC pressure valve if the radiator fan is not working properly and overheating is occurring. He requested that the fan be operated from an auto electrical shop. Overall an adventurous trip, just to change the AC blower costing only 3000/- bucks.
In all I spent 12K as below,
- 8k – AC blower + fittings + gas/oil top up
- 1k – uber charges
- 3k – key reprogramming (I am assuming, key got decoded during dashboard removal and fitting process. As till then keys were perfectly working fine).
Lessons learned
For jobs that require removal of dashboard etc, it is better to go to authorized service centers. I spent 2 days, double the initial estimate, got stranded, and the AC shop washed their hands saying the decoding key was not theirs. If not bad taste, the whole experience did not leave a good taste to go again for any major work in them.
Hope this helps those looking for AC repair.
Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.
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