SCHNEIDER AUTOHAUS
I was extremely disappointed after I left. When I dropped it off, I told Chris that my air conditioning wasn't working. Chris charged me over 100.00 to tell me that it's my compressor, but there are many components to an air conditioner and when I questioned him, he said he didn't work on it. Maybe it is the compressor, yet you can hear the compressor turn on, but maybe it's the coil or a valve, or tube that the refergerant, something else, and if it was the compressor, I don't think it would take you an hour to find that out. I just got the impression that you don't want to work on Minis or maybe it's just my business. I got the impression that your customer is a hobbiest who often doesn't question the work or the price. Thank you for the opportunity to share my feelings about my last visit. Cathy Conried
Hi Cathy, I am sorry that you were disappointed with our service. Perhaps I did not explain this clearly enough, but when an A/C system is low on refrigerant, and no other abnormal symptoms are present (which was the case with your Mini upon initial inspection), the first step is to recharge the system and then re-evaluate the A/C system pressures and function. As noted on your invoice, the high-pressure side of the A/C system was still low at 150 PSI with a full charge of refrigerant, which is too low (should be closer to 200 PSI). Further inspection found that the compressor is slightly noisy with a full refrigerant charge, and its output was too low (this is a known failure mode of R56 Mini A/C compressors). Unfortunately, it did take some labor time and some refrigerant to fully diagnose this issue, and we need to pay the technician for the time spent. However, you did sign a written estimate that allowed $200 for evacuation and recharge of the A/C system (assuming that would be the only issue), and we only ended up charging $100 for the time spent on the A/C system. While it is true that a certain percentage of customers are "hobbyists" and auto enthusiasts, the vast majority of our client base is composed of people who drive a premium/luxury car like a Mini, BMW, Audi (or Porsche) and simply want it to be functional and reliable for daily transportation, and we strive to provide the same level of service for every client and car. I feel like I spent a fair amount of time with you both in person and on the phone explaining and clarifying the A/C system issues as noted above, and I am sorry that you are still displeased with the explanation and our service in general. Thank you, Chris Andropoulos
- SCHNEIDER AUTOHAUS