AC hose problem - please help

[wla1br]

Hi there,

I have a '96 850 GL with 73,000 miles. My brother gave it to me less than a year ago. It's been well taken care of - almost pristine. Except . . . Coming out of a parking spot last February, I turned the steering wheel too soon, and a bit too hard, and hit a planter curb. I wasn't going fast and the curb wasn't very tall. But it was tall enough to scrape a hose - the gray, reinforced hose under the engine, at the front.

The reinforcement material was shredded a just a little but not punctured and no fluid was lost. The AC works fine. I want to get the hose replaced so I called three places for estimates: $358.00, $482.00 and $931.00 - What a shock! Can anyone tell me what a reasonable amount would be to replace the hose and why the estimates for replacing this hose would be so high?

I'm too embarrased to talk to my brother about it.

Thanks in advance.

Michelle -
I won't park my "new" car in an unfamilar spot next to a curb, then have a couple of beers ever again!

[vjaneczko]

First, you’d have to explain what parts they were replacing for you and what they were charging. Looking at FCP, they have four different A/C hoses, ranging from 88 to 139 bucks, so I’d expect the repair shops would increase their pricing by 25% (at least). Then there’s the labor at, what, $75 an hour or more? One thing they’ll have to do - which makes it hard for us DIY'ers - is to properly remove the Freon from the system before they can swap the hose. That is required by the EPA because Freon cannot be vented into the atmosphere.