Avanza a/c evaporator servicing: Dashboard removal required?

**OTEP** · January 2nd, 2012 05:50 PM

That's what my a/c tech said. That to clean, repair or replace the Avanza's a/c evaporator. The whole dashboard has to be taken out.

I'm not really a fan of such procedure because removing the dashboard makes it prone to rattles if not properly done. And some accessories can become unreliable because of the work being hurried. A/C techs are not experts are removing the stereo, alarm LED, aux switches, etc. because that is no longer part of their job description as an a/c tech. Our MB100 is a good example of this.

Labor cost is also higher, btw.

And what's worse, on the Avanza, the steering wheel has to be removed as per the shop.

Is this true?

Oh, and there's also the danger of fouling up the SRS air bag system.

For a car designed to be a form of cost effective transportation, I would have expected the Toyota engineers to be more thoughtful.

Other cars that require dashboard removal: Toyota Revo, some BMW models, Volvo 850 series...

**ericson21** · January 2nd, 2012 06:04 PM

ganyan ata talaga sir eh. sa fortuner at innova ganyan din eh. ang mahal tuloy magpalinis ng AC kasi ganun nga ang procedure. baklas lahat.

**meledson** · January 2nd, 2012 11:11 PM

Ilan beses na akong nagpalinis ng a/c sa labas ng casa. no need to remove the steering wheel. unbolt ang dashboard para mai-angat para puwede ng makuha ang buong assembly ng a/c

**vinj** · January 3rd, 2012 09:18 AM

The Altis and Vios require this as well. So you're talking of a good chunk of the Toyota line-up already.

It's a PITA and i hate it as it does make the dash board more prone to rattles, increases labor cost and takes more time. For the 9th gen Altis J with the Sanden a/c, they can still pull the evaporator from behind the center of the dashboard (the Denso units, baklas dash talaga).

**OTEP** · January 3rd, 2012 02:33 PM

I don't see any logical reason for this. Other than maybe they are now using common parts for the LHD and RHD models so the housing has to sit squarely in the middle of the car.

But it's still a royal pain to service. The interior also gets dirty especially on older cars with lots of dirt and dust caked up in the different nooks and crannies of the dash.

Or maybe car manufacturers think that we junk our cars every five years like the developed world does?

On my '94 Toyota, the a/c is accessed just by removing the glovebox.

**JohnM** · January 3rd, 2012 02:47 PM

Based on this vid (Vios) the ducting is a big-a$$ piece of plastic extending from the intake behind the glove compartment all the way to the vents on the dash. This ducting contains the blower and the evaporator.

Skip to about 2:00 to avoid the gory details

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJmXqeTFtuU]Evaporator replacement TOYOTA VIOS - YouTube[/ame]

**vinj** · January 3rd, 2012 03:48 PM

Originally Posted by OTEP

I don't see any logical reason for this. Other than maybe they are now using common parts for the LHD and RHD models so the housing has to sit squarely in the middle of the car.

I have the same sentiments; it was designed that way primarily for cost reasons. Typical Toyota since the early-mid 2000s. One thing going for cars with a/c cabin filters would mean the evaps would need less cleaning already as long as you maintain the filter.

**shadow** · January 3rd, 2012 04:02 PM

Since cars now comes with cabin filter, hinde na kasama sa maintenance yun evaporator cleaning ng A/C. And I don't believed in yearly A/C cleaning sa cars... Pabuksan lang pag may sira.

**vinj** · January 3rd, 2012 04:07 PM

Originally Posted by shadow

Since cars now comes with cabin filter, hinde na kasama sa maintenance yun evaporator cleaning ng A/C. And I don't believed in yearly A/C cleaning sa cars... Pabuksan lang pag may sira.

Same here... pinapabuksan ko pag medyo may amoy na or affected na yung pag lamig. Usually this is around three to four years with my regular use.

**OTEP** · January 3rd, 2012 09:56 PM

I don't believe in annual cleaning also. But considering the age when I can finally afford the car (e.g. I drive a '94), repairs are inevitable.

And I don't like PITA repairs because it costs more and other things can go wrong beside the actual item being repaired (collateral damage). And I look after a fleet of vehicles (private and commercial), that's why I prefer cars that are easier (and faster to work on)

The stereo bezel on the MB 100 got cracked because of this and one time there is an intermittent rattle from the instrument cluster now.

We're getting the a/c on the Nissan Urvan done this month (possible expansion valve issue). On this unit, you don't even need to remove the glove box. There is an a/c access panel on the dash already. For something that was designed in the 80's, at least they got something right.