Link between a/c repair and coil failure

[AbuDhabiFowler]

So I recently had the dash off repairing the a/c on my 08 Expy EB, replacing the evaporator hose, high pressure hose and expansion valve, which did the trick.

However, when I collected the car I noticed some serious shuddering when accelerating and even when sitting idle so did a sharp u-turn and took it back to the shop. After a few days and running a diagnostic test we replaced 4 coils, which again solved the problem of the shuddering.

My question however, is this pure coincidence or could the problems with the coils be related to the work done on the a/c? Could the mechanic have done something 'accidentally' when under the hood?

Cheers

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[bedrck46]

How many miles on the expy

 

[AbuDhabiFowler]

175k done and no previous issues. Changed the spark plugs in November.
Km that is not miles!

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[bedrck46]

you say you changed plugs back in November.
Were the coils changed also.
Did the expy show a check engine light or have any codes appear.
anything that occurred that could have been caused by the mechanic may be hard to prove at this point.

 

[AbuDhabiFowler]

In November the car went for a service, a different garage, and the mechanic recommended the plus get changed. Not being mechanically minded I went with it. The coils were not changed.

Before the a/c repair there was no sign of a check engine light however after the a/c repair the light came on intermittently as did the shudder.

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[bedrck46]

With the mileage that is on the expy why were only 4 coils changed? My opinion would have been to replace all 8 and know they were new. Now you have half new and half old.
Also which 4 coils were changed? Were all on the same side?

 

[AbuDhabiFowler]

The mechanic only charged for the coils not the labour, which made me more suspicious! Arguably if the two aren't inter related then charge the full amount, or maybe he is just a good guy and I'm being unfair.

I can't see how the coils needing changing is related to the a/c problems but at the same time find the coincidence a bit much to believe.

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[AbuDhabiFowler]

Well the diagnostic test showed fault in 4 so under his recommendation rise were changed and the car is running smooth, however I have requested all 8 are changed and go back in 2 days.
The ones changed were 1, 3, 4 & 5

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[bedrck46]

I would tend to be a bit suspicious also It isn't unusual for a coil to go bad and for someone to just replace that bad coil but when 50% go bad all at one time I would question it. Again I don't think there is much you can do about it at this point except to not deal with him again.

Do you know for a fact that he replaced all 4? Did he tell you what the codes were? Or did you see the results of the diagnostic test.

Also being you already have 4 new coils I would consider replacing the remaining 4 and also keep them as spares if needed

 

[AbuDhabiFowler]

I didn't see the results of the test for the first 3 but did for the 4th. Appreciate the advice to keep the old ones as spares, hadn't thought of that.

I saw what looked like new coils under the hood and 4 'old' ones on the bench. I trust they were changed.

Don't expect anything to come out of it, more a case of understanding if the problems could be related or pure coincidence.

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[bedrck46]

Its possible that something was disconnected and when he ran the test is showed bad coils and after replacing the coils he found the real problem That would explain the no charge for labor. Very well his intentions were good. I know I have left thing disconnected or loose when doing repairs on my own vehicle. Also at this point we are just second guessing. So your thought about pure coincidence or related is just guessing Hopefully we all learn something from your experience

 

[nonwoven29]

I would suggest educating your self on your ride. it's totally possible the 2 are unrelated but no peace on mind would come from not knowing for certain.

 

[AbuDhabiFowler]

Isn't the whole point of these forums to help the uneducated become slightly educated by those that already know!
Thanks for the advice.....

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[bedrck46]

Isn't the whole point of these forums to help the uneducated become slightly educated by those that already know!
Thanks for the advice.....

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That sounds and looks good on paper.
But I have seen times that you can lead the horse to water but you need to give them a good kick in the A$$ to get them to drink. Just like in a recent post when the person can't get his expy to shift and when I told him to check the brake pedal switch or to check some fuses.
HE replies he DOESN'T THINK its the switch or fuses but never bothers to check

 

[daoud elmassri]

Yes when he removed the hoses from your heater core and the air condition coolant could have gotten in and caused a mis.