The only charges which would be charged in relation to the compressor would be the shipping charge which averages 30-50 bucks.
Common charges are;
1. the original service call.
2. The labor time charges to remove the compressor, take it to the distributor for exchange -replace the compressor.
3. Recover old freon charge.
4. Any driers used in clean up.
5. New freon if needed.
6. Compressor shipping charge.
7. Materials, such as the torch, solder, fittings, ect.
With an under warranty compressor, a fair charge would be between $400.00- $650.00. I have done easy ones for $300.00.
Companies that deal with flat rate pricing usually double their profits with all of the add-ons.
The "other" would be to find out why the compressor failed- and this is an important procceedure not to forget.

I just got finished putting a warranty compressor in this afternoon. It had blown a terminal out of the compressor so i didnt need to do a recovery.
5 ton scroll N/C (warranty)
liquid line dryer $ 42.00
suction dryer $ 64.00
solder (2 sticks) $ 7.50
freon $144.00
labor $250.00
tax $ 21.33

Total $529.83

Granted the condensing unit was locate behind a home and not on a roof. I know carring a compressor, torches, vacuum pump, extension cords, hand tools and all other parts up a tall ladder isnt something alot of people like to do but maybe thats where some of the extra charge comes into play.

Hope this helps.

It normally takes longer to replace the compressor than an installation of a new condenser. The labor quoted sounds high, but if the tech spent 3 hours on the roof in the beginning, some extra is due. (Depending on what he did for 3 hours) Most diagnostics take less than 20 minutes, and maybe 30 minutes to determine a bad compressor. Normally it takes me less than 10 minutes to determine a bad compressor if it is dead. (substitute the cap with a new one) If the wiring is melted, it could take an hour to repair the wiring. If the valves are weak, it may take longer. 3 hours on the roof, sounds like the tech took a nap on the roof. I am not quick or young. I am not a super tech. I am fat and old, and hate to work on the roof.

why did they charge you $957 for a warranty compressor?
would be about a 400 - $500 job around here.

"I am not quick or young. I am not a super tech. I am fat and old, and hate to work on the roof."

- LOL. Bob, you tell it the way it is.

"I am fat and old, and hate to work on the roof."
You can't do anything about the old part bob, but if you did more rooftop calls you might trim down. Then you'll just be old! ;-)

I came across this forum while trying to find out if it was normal business practice for an AC repair company to charge $1140.00 for a "warranty compressor" Glad I did some investigating. If you live in the Plano area, I do NOT recommend Fix Air Services, Inc. on Ave. K.

Wow! I am so glad I found this thread. I was just quoted $1100 to replace the compressor in my Trane unit outside at ground level. He said the compressor was under warranty, but the filters, freon and labor are $1100. I knew that sounded high so I told him I would think about it and get back to him.

Can anyone tell me if his diagnosis was valid: The unit is cooling but not very well. The freon is full. He hooked up his gauges, closed the liquid line valves and found the pressure would not drop below 30 lbs. He says that indicates the seals in the compressor are leaking internally.

The normal pressures were:
Liquid: 195-200 lbs.
Sug: 95-100 lbs.

Does this sound legit? He said the pressure should have gone down near 0 instead of hanging at 30. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

$1100 and under warranty? Is that correct...I was just about to buy my Trane...is that warranty a gimmic?

Plume:

Get a 10 year Parts AND Labor warranty for peace of mind.

Still asking: Anyone know if this method of testing was valid?

I know I found a statement elsewhere on the internet that failure of internal seals on a compressor is very rare. Unfortunately, it didn't give specific or talk about testing.

Oldbutspry:

You can try posting your question on HVAC-talk.com. Pricing is not permitted on that forum, and they'll probably need more detailed info from you.

Best of luck.

Thanks very much!

I am running into the same problem. I live in Northern VA. My ac unit (Trane) is only 3-4 year old. I had a tech came out to check and was told the compessor is bad. It's not getting cool air, only the fan is running. So I called the orignial ac company that installed the ac unit. They gave me an estimate of $1000-$1500 for labor and more if they need any other small parts. For this price, I can get a new system for $2000-$2200. But it seems like a waste since my ac unit is fairly new. Does anybody know of any reputable ac company in Northern VA that will service Trane at reasonably price? Thanks!