sobastrace

Hi All,

I have read many of the threads on the site, and I have seen a bunch of links on the equipment suggested, but none with links of good shops to handle doing the conversion. If any of you know of a shop near Palm Springs (or LA, OC, SD, etc) to handle upgrading my A/C so I can actually use my car in the summer, I would really appreciate a point in the right direction.

Thanks,
-S

sobastrace

Anyone know of a trustworthy P car mechanic in Palm desert? Riverside?

Thanks for any input......

rusnak

Isn't Performance Aire in Anaheim? They have got to be high on the list.

sobastrace

Rusnak, Have you heard anything about Performance Aire? Has anyone on the list had work done there?

sobastrace

Nevermind....I just did a search on performance Aire. Sounds like they are well liked. i will be giving them a call and I guess giving them a visit soon.

catalinajerry

sobastrace, there is a wonderful independant garage in Palm Desert that fixed my a/c on an 86 carrera. Was very happy with their work. Sports Cars Garage in Palm Desert. 760 773-5098.

sobastrace

Thanks CatalinaJerry. I have not seen them. I talked to Performance Aire, and they told me not to do my A/C since the car has 200,000 miles. They said I need to save my money for a engine refresh (budget $25K) and a tranny refresh (budget 7-8K). I am still stressed. I have been gentle on the car knowing it is older, but it does not burn huge amounts of oil, It has steady power through the whole powerband, starts eaisly, and runs well. No funny noises, so i was not planning on a mojor repair anytime soon, but now I am a bit worried. After talking to those guys I decided I better have a leakdown and compression test done, before I spend money on the A/C. Not having an A/C in Palm Desert, would be like not having the car, because I will not be driving it with no A/C.

theiceman

25K for an engine rebuild ? WOW .. by the time you pay for an engine "refresh" and transmision work from these guys you could have bought another really nice Carrera or even a 993 !!!

Brads911sc

Why dont you buy the kit (3k) with everything... and do it yourself.. Take a month or two and go slow. That is what I did.. I did it when i was a newbee and it was actually one of the easier jobs ive done... most of the hassle is all the dirt.
25k for a rebuild? Based on that alone I would NEVER have performance aire touch my car. Sounds like they are eager to do the work for you. You can get a top quality rebuild, from a reputable porsche shop for 1/2 that...
I hear you on the AC. Im in Houston, 90 degrees + every day from Mid May to Late September... I wouldnt consider a car without AC.
BTW... I get about 37 degrees at the vents with R134 with 80 ambients... So it can be done...
Good luck. Tell us what you decide...

sobastrace

Yeah, I thought 25K sounded a bit much, since I can buy a nice car for 25K, and I think the leakdown is a good idea for a baseline on engine health. I think I am going to shuffle the garage around. Sell my 48 Dodge Pickup and my 69 MGB GT to get some space, and then I will install a small A/C system in my garage, and install an insulated door. After that, I will use the summer to refresh things like the light switch, A/C, Tach, engine grounds, and interior, and when the temps fall below 90, the car will be ready to emerge as a new butterfly.

Amber Gramps

I wish I could remember the Porsche only shop across from UCR. I think the labor rate is $80 per hour, family owned and friendly, lots of tracked 911's, place has been around for ever. I'd try finding them before you go any further.

the power of google:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...94.13,,0,-3.86

Now that is trippy.

scottb

Sobastrace: What do you need done? If just replacing the hoses and compressor, it's a DIY job. You can also remove your condensers and have a local radiator shop flush and clean them. Then you can have a solid auto a/c shop evacuate and recharge the system.