SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- California drivers facing costly air conditioning repairs may have new financial relief through a program designed to help cover expenses.
The state’s Cool Air Rebate Program can reimburse up to 90 percent of the costs associated with repairing a leaky AC unit.
Diagnosing and fixing an automotive air conditioning unit can reach exorbitant prices, often costing drivers thousands of dollars.
According to John Eppstein of John’s Automotive Care, “You could be $1,500, 2,000 dollars if an evaporator core is leaking. That’s under the dash; you actually have to pull the entire dash and steering wheel out, that could be $3,000 to $4,000.”
Many customers are unprepared for the financial shock when they bring their vehicles in for repairs.
“You’re thinking my God, how much is this gonna cost? I don’t know if I have enough money,” Eppstein said.
To qualify for the Cool Air Rebate Program:
- applicants must be California residents who own vehicles built between 1993 and 2019 that use R-134a refrigerant
- households cannot exceed 225% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, this equates to a maximum monthly income of $6,028 and you cannot make more than $72,337.50 a year
- individuals enrolled in programs such as Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs, or California Healthy Families automatically meet the income criteria
Nathan Perrine, executive director of the Car Council, emphasized that the program is funded by unclaimed deposits from refrigerant can purchases, not taxpayer dollars.
“So, when you go to an auto parts store to buy a small can of R-134a refrigerant, there’s a deposit that you pay, a $10 deposit. You can get that back if you take your car back to the store. About two-thirds of the time people did that. The remaining 13% of those deposits went unclaimed, and that’s what’s funding this program,” Perrine explained.
Currently, John’s Automotive Care is one of 30 local repair shops participating in the program, but it has serviced fewer than a dozen cars thus far.
Eppstein expressed hope that more drivers will take advantage of this financial support, stating, “It’s a huge relief, you know, it just kind of helps people get through the day, get through the week. If you can take that burden off them and having to pay for a repair like that, this is a great program.”
Drivers interested in applying for the program can visit CoolAirRebate.org for more information.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
