2001 Montana A/C Condenser

Have mine in the shop right now for the A/C not working. Shop claims it's the condenser and that it's a poor design. They claim that they've seen other occasions where the condenser is damaged by a rock being thrown up into the unit - anyone have any experience with this???

Secondly - they want me to go with an after-market coil, because they say it's half the cost (well, at least that's what they are going to charge me) The "GM" unit would be $800 plus installation - the after-market $560 installed.

Again - any enlightenment or experience here???? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks - Ted

I had one replaced May 2003. It had cracked next to the mounting bracket. Dealer service manager told me the same thing as you. Had seen others like it, poor design. Called GM and complained (van was out of warranty but only 2 years old). Gm split the cost. Fast forward to April 2004. A/C not working. Same problem. Replaced under 12/12 parts warranty. Debating upon selling the van or not before next spring.

I bought a 2001 in the fall of that year and my AC went on me in the summer of 2002, the cause was the condenser was split at the seam where the plastic is
stamped to the steel. (the old condenser were
all metal) all under warranty. This Spring 2004 my AC
is not working again, brought it to another garage, they told me my condenser was leaking at the seam and should be replaced. I have no more warranty. I went to see the dealer and they said that they really haven't had any major problems with them but after
contacting GM for me they are now willing to install
a brand new condenser if I pay the labor (2.3 hours).
What will happen next summer????? I think this new
design of using plastic and metal doesn't stand up to
the harsh temperature swings up here in Canada. The
condensers should be recalled and a new all steel model should be installed at no cost to the consumer.

hot you are recall happy. The answer when you have a problem with your car is to issue a recall? No its not. How the hell is a non working AC system a safety item?

I agree there is a defect in the condensors, the problem has been addressed by GM and its corrected.

GM has issuesd a new part that is mounted different and this one doesn't crack. The new condensor as well as the old one was all metal no plastic. I don't know where you got your info from?

The temp swings have nothing to do with the cause of the problems. The condensor is bolted in four places to the radiator. The rad gets hot, expands and warps the condensor. This warpage stresses the condensor till it cracks at the seam of the bracket. The new condensor is bolts in 3 places with one bolt being in an oversized slot.

The answer is not a recall but a special policy issued by GM to cover the costs of repair past the regular warranty time frame.

flatrater... is this something that GM has done or are you saying that this is what they would have to do to fix the situation. If they've done this - can you get reimbursed for repairs already done?

Ted

My Montana's air conditioning was dead when I tried to use it for the first time this year. I received a quote from Firestone for $850 to replace the condenser. They told me they had seen the same problem several times. A defect in manufacturing causes a crack to develop next to a mounting bracket. They had checked with GM but they were told there was no recall or credit available for this issue. I am weighing my options at this point.