AC pressure switch cost

[ruralrat]

Hi guys/girls,

I have a 2013 is300h f sport with 107k miles , always serviced regularly, never had any problems until recently,

I took my car to my local dealer because i kept having 'clean sonar ' message, turns out a sensor in the front grill 

had failed , £95 later , and 15 minutes to fit( saving me £144 labour!!!!) all was good, but thats not the issue, my friend 

has a 2015 is300h, took it to the same dealer 2 weeks before i took mine, he just took his for a health check, no problems

 until a week later, his aircon started blowing warm, a week after i had taken mine, guess what, my aircon started blowing 

warm too, coincidence?, maybe, his just needed re-gassing, now all good, i took mine to an independent garage, they fully serviced the system and re-gassed, still warm , but being very nice people, they didn't charge a penny, i am suspecting the pressure valve

by the condensor, after checking fuses , i enquired at Lexus how much to change and re-gas, they quoted over £700(BIG GULP!!!),

er, think i will leave it i said, then enquired at another Lexus dealer as to the cost of said part , it's over £300(ANOTHER BIG GULP),

just for a pressure switch, of which i have seen for sale on the web ( sure they are Denso) for around £30, add that to the £69 to 

re-gas, shows how expensive Lexus garages can be, sorry it's a bit long winded, just wondering if anyone else has had a similar 

experience, or any other ideas to do with my AC?.

 

but still warm, nic

[Pops1]

Had the same problem with my sons is300h, aircon fault was the pressure sensor, it is NOT A DIY JOB as the gas has to be recovered and refillid as it will leak out when the sensor is removed . Same as yours, when the aircon was turned on and didn't work i got the independent garage to regas the system and check for leaks, no problems but the aircon still wouldn't work so it was suggested that I could run to the breakers and get a used sensor and he would fit it for free (this involves removing the gas/refrigerant, fitting the sensor and refilling the gas/refrigerant), the sensor i got was a used one from some model of toyota, i think it was an avensis, the sensor is located behind the grill on an aluminium pipe, it is very tight so you need to be careful that you don't snap the pipe, replaced the sensor and refill the system and all ok since. 

Original sensor part number is 

499000-7880 and is a denso product. 

 

[Linas.P]

I had same issue on IS250, the high pressure side pressure sensor was like £300. That is because Lexus does not sell the actual sensor, they only sell the whole high pressure assembly which is like log hard line specific to the model (at least that is excuse for the price). In the end I just got sensor itself from eBay, which was marked Denso, but I am 90% sure it is fake... regardless making pressure sensor is not rocket science and for £15, even if it is fake and even if its going to to fail every two years... it is still cheaper to pay £15+60 (for regas) than £371 + maybe £140 labour + £60 for regas. 

[ruralrat]

Thank you John and Linas for your replies, I have sent for a new sensor, and i am hoping to have it delivered early this week, spoke to a technician at the garage i had the first re-gas, he said he will fit it no problem, just hope it will cure the issue , as i am going away in it next week, i have heard that i could bypass the sensor , but i don't want to risk damaging something else!.