Why is one AC service quote 150 AED and another nearly 500? What should a proper service actually include?
I asked three companies to service my two split ACs and the quotes were all over the place — one was about 150 dirhams, another close to 500, for what all three described as "a full service."
I don't mind paying for a proper job, but I also don't want to overpay for a name, or underpay and get nothing done.
So: - What should a proper AC service actually include? - Why is the price gap so big for supposedly the same thing? - Is the cheap one fine, or am I getting a filter rinse dressed up as a service?
3 answers
The honest answer: you're not comparing the same job. A 150-dirham "service" is usually a filter rinse, a quick coil spray and a wipe-down — 15 minutes. A 400–500 job is an actual service. The number only means something once you know what's on the checklist, so ask for the checklist, not just the price.
What a genuine split-AC service should include: - Proper coil clean (indoor evaporator + outdoor condenser) — not just the washable filter. - Condensate drain-pan and line flush — stops the ceiling drip and the musty smell. - Gas pressure checked with gauges — not "topped up" blindly; refrigerant doesn't get used up, so if it's low there's a leak to find. - Electrical check — capacitor, contactor, tightness of connections (the cheap stuff that strands you in August). - A written report of what was found.
A 20-minute "service" that's really a filter wash is the industry's quiet secret. For how often you actually need this, see how often to service a split AC in the UAE, and for picking a company that does the real thing there's a whole thread on vetting them. If you want the full-scope version done properly, that's what AC repair in Dubai should mean — coil, drain, gas and electrics, with a report.
Learned this the expensive way. Took the cheapest quote for two years, cooling slowly got worse, then a coil was so caked it iced up. The "cheap" services never touched the coil properly. Paid once for a real deep service and the difference in cooling (and the electricity bill) was obvious. Cheap-but-often filter rinses aren't the same as an actual coil clean.
Good rule when you get quotes: make each company itemise. "Full service" means nothing; "indoor + outdoor coil clean, drain flush, gas pressure check with gauges, electrical check, report" means something. If two quotes both itemise the same scope and one is much cheaper, then compare on price. If the cheap one won't itemise, that's your answer about why it's cheap.
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