And I'd also stop getting my car maintained at a dealership. You don't NEED to have the car dealer serviced to maintain the factory warranty, and there are less expensive places to get the same service.
READ your owner's manual... Especially the part about factory recommended maintenance and service.
I have no clue what an A/C tune up is. I have a 2001 vehicle and the A/C works perfectly. If the unit in his car is running OK I would leave this alone. Sounds like high profit margin job for a dealership. They make most of their money on parts and services. That being said, it is always nice to get another opinion but each mechanic also needs sales and profits. Be aware of that. Cars now have a scheduled services listed in the owner's manual. Most are to inspect items. Go to an auto parts store and buy a thermometer for A/C readings. It is a device with a long part that you get to place in any vent of the car. Then you crank up the A/C the readings need to be in the 40 degrees range at max cold. If this is OK, why a "tune up?" Good luck and keep asking questions. This was an excellent one. Oh, using Google you can locate information as to anything about cars. Recently my 2001 car was misfiring and from prior experience I knew it had to be a coil. A free reading of the codes confirmed. A video online showed how to change these. $27 bucks later the car was fixed. Going to a mechanic would have been over $150 for a 5 minute repair. As to the question of what a car owner can do as to A/C systems, the answer is not much past to check the cold air temperature. Good luck.
The answers above about say it all. But there are things you can do to insure a cool summer. The cabin air filter is one and you can find how to access it in the owners manual. Also use a water hose and clean the condenser and radiator fins of last years dirt and leaves. The drive belt for the compressor should be check for tightness and quality. Other then that it is like the others have said it is a closed system and runs until it breaks.
Apparently not,...If you're asking, then you don't know A C systems....get a pro, it will be cheaper in the long-run................( after you mess up the system )
2007 Toyota Camry.
The dealer keeps telling me that my A/C needs a refresh/tune up (for $260). Is there anything that I can do myself? If not, I'll end up getting a second opinion at a local shop. Thanks in advance.
