My dash A/C was struggling to cool, putting out air just slightly cooler than the vent. So when I stopped at the Intermountain RV Park in the small town of Wendell, Idaho (3,000 pop) I asked if there are any RV shops in town. And it turns out the RV park has a RV shop! Wow, $50/hour. They were doing a solar panel install when I got there. But...they don't do A/C. Darn it.
So asked around, and there is a locally owned repair shop here in town that got good reviews by a couple locals. Gonzales Auto Sales & Service, 208-536-1552. Owner is a young guy named Javier. He's owned the shop for 11 years and is great to work with.
I also had an A/C issue with my car, compressor coil had a blown thermal fuse. Thought I would test him out before asking him to work on the RV. Told him I'd change the compressor in the car myself if he'd evac the system, store the freon, and refill when I was finished. Sure, he quoted $30. I did change my mind about doing it myself as it's hot here so had him do the change for me. $100 total. He has all the skill and equipment needed for the job.
The car's A/C works great now so I brought the RV in for him to look at and doesn't take long for an evaluation. One thing that's a bit troublesome is that it took quite a bit of freon. It's more likely a fast leak as opposed to the slow leaks most A/C systems have. Javier filled it back up and told me what to look for to check for a leak myself, suggested I test the A/C a couple times before I leave town, and that his hourly rate runs $65-$75 per hour if the tests showed a fast leak. Charged me $50.
I'm going to test it out in the RV the next few days to see if it holds the freon. If it leaks out, you can bet I'll take it back to them. Great shop, great people, low rates, and skilled at A/C!
If you happen to drive the I-84 through Idaho and have an A/C problem, Wendell would be a good place to stop to take care of it. JMO of course.
