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ssavett · Jul 31, 2007, 01:33 PM

Hello, all.

A few weeks ago the compressor fan motor on our 3 ton Trane heat pump apparently died. The unit was only 4 years old, so the part was covered by the Trane warranty. However, the labor to replace the part was not covered. (For what it's worth, the model # of the heat pump is 2TWB0036A100AA.)

I called the company that originally installed the unit to perform the repair. The initial technician diagnosed the problem, called his dispatcher, and then left. Another technician showed up a few hours later with a replacement fan motor. Thirty minutes after showing up, he declared the problem fixed. The bill for this repair was $485.

The company refuses to itemize the diagnostic charge, travel charges, or installation labor. They simply lump it into one fee of $485. When questioned further on the phone, the supervisor told me that his company does not penalize customers if the technician is slower than average. Instead, they charge a blanket fee for that type of repair based on the average time it has taken over the years to do such a repair. The whole thing sounded fishy to me.

When I asked Trane what the ballpark cost of such a repair should be, two weeks later I got back the following generic e-mail response: "Since our products are applied products and are sold to equipment owners by local independent Trane dealers, there are many variables as to the total investment an equipment owner will make in their central home comfort system due to the nature of the installation, etc. We, therefore, do not establish a manufacturer's suggested retail price. Your pricing will be established by your local independent Trane dealer. You can find him in your local Yellow Pages or by using our dealer locator on our web site. I appreciate your contact."

The bottom line: what should the labor for the replacement of a compressor fan motor cost in a relatively modern Trane heat pump?

esquire1 · Jul 31, 2007, 01:41 PM

For a fan motor or compressor.That would be very high for labor to replace a fan motor in my area. If it's the compressor probably close, maybe a liitle high for my area but not off by much.Much more involved in changing compressor than fan motor.

Lowtax4eva · Jul 31, 2007, 01:55 PM

If they already did the work and you didn't ask for an estimate up front you simply have to pay whatever they billed you. It's possible they billed you the "list price" and if you had asked up front or negotiated they might have charged less.

It does seem a bit high, but it's your responsibility to question why the price is so high BEFORE the work is done.

ssavett · Jul 31, 2007, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by esquire1

For a fan motor or compressor.That would be very high for labor to replace a fan motor in my area. If it's the compressor probably close, maybe a liitle high for my area but not off by much.Much more involved in changing compressor than fan motor.

Thanks for such a quick response!

I wasn't home at the time, but the symptoms that prompted my wife to call the HVAC repair service were an intermittent loud buzzing noise coming from the outside unit and the lack of cold air coming from the registers. I don't have the invoice in front of me, but I'm pretty sure they replaced only the fan motor. The whole repair was 30 minutes once the guy showed up with the part. Is that too quick for a compressor replacement?

When I was questioning the labor charge with the manager at this HVAC company, he said that the technician was on the clock for the trip back to the parts warehouse, and then his 45-minute wait for the part at the warehouse, plus some paperwork at the warehouse, plus the trip back to our house to finish the repair. Is that typical in the industry? Thankfully, this is the first time I've had to call for an HVAC repair.

Thanks again! Your input is greatly appreciated.

esquire1 · Jul 31, 2007, 02:44 PM

If that is for fan motor I would insist on seeing an itemized statement. That is way overcharge. Most techs would have a motor on there truck. It has been a long time since I've made a call and didn't have a motor on truck to replace bad one.

EdgarB · Aug 13, 2007, 05:03 AM

Cost to replace Air Compressor Trane TTD742A100A0

Toyo · Aug 19, 2007, 10:58 AM

You got shafted if that's for the fan motor. That's about a 30 minute job once the guy is there. In regards to you paying the 45 minute time at the counter is crazy. I think they need to reimburse you at least an hours worth of time.

DRAKE4ME · Jul 15, 2008, 06:19 PM

There Are A lot Of Flat Rate Company's Out There But B-4 Any Repair Should Have Been Done The Should Have Got Your Approval You Should Not Be Penalized For Them Not Having The Right Part On Their Truck We Are A Flat Rate Company With 33 Trucks On The Road And All Our Trucks Are Fully Stocked If We Don't Have The Part We Have A Min Wage Driver To Go To The Supply House Our Techs Are Not Allowed In A Supply House

Covertaire · Dec 17, 2010, 03:32 PM

Always get a quote upfront. Trans has some "bastard motors" that are oem specific and yes, it's expensive. Personally, the 485 for the fan motor and probably capacitor isn't that far off...

aav amphibs · Jul 4, 2012, 09:42 PM

Mine took a dump before leaving for Washington DC. I live in Houston, very hot lately. I decided to go online and find a motor. I looked up the part and wrote down all pertinent information. They shipped it to me, and when I got back from DC after 4 nights, it was waiting for me at my door. I took power away from outside unit using the circuit breaker, I took panel off, took a pencil and paper and drew a diagram of where wired connected to from fan motor. Three wires. One to capacitor and other two went to the pole switch. Very simple to remove with needle nose pliers.
Took the screws off the grill and off comes the grill with the fan motor. Wires are routed in this tube, you take all that off. Just put a tape on the grill so you know where it goes on to when you put it back. Fan blades were a bear getting off. I tried pounding it off with a hammer but I mushroomed the shaft, so I took it to work where this guy cut it for me with a rotor and air hammered out the shaft with an air hammer screw knocker. Then I put the new motor on and the rest was history. I am cool as a cucumber. Total cost was 98 for the motor plus shipping and handling and taxes to about 146 total. The hell with giving that kind of money to an HVAC technician. I had one change my capacitor for me a few days prior for 150 bucks. Part I bet cost no more than 20-30 bucks and five minute job. I wasn't going to let him change my fan motor.

aav amphibs · Jul 4, 2012, 09:51 PM

I am an aircraft mechanic and this was a simple fix for me. Just take a good look at what you got before you remove it so you won't have problems putting it back in. I measured the distance of the shaft showing to where the fan blade was installed, so when I placed it on the new motor, it would be exactly that same distance. You don't want it to spin later to find that it is touching the motor or the unit. The fan is held onto the shaft of the motor by a set screw in my case. Others I understand have a allen key or something. When you put the new blade on, make sure you have it good and tight, but don't overtorque nothing!! Especially the nuts that hook your grill to the motor. Those bolts on the motor are very small and if you overtorque them, you can break it easily. Just a little nudge should do evenly to all 4 or 5 nuts. I used the same nuts, though they were a bit rusty from the outside but still good on the threads. It pays to have some mechanical skills but any novice should do fine. Remember, if not sure about anything before you take it off, make a little diagram or some notes so you can install wires and motor back on correctly. And by gosh, make sure you have your power disconnected to your unit. The breaker box should be right there on your wall of your house by your condenser unit. When all done installing, check it by turning power back on and running your ac. Then put the cover back on. Also, be sure to route the wires so when you put the panel back on, you don't crush the wires. Pay attention to how the wires are routed.

aav amphibs · Jul 4, 2012, 09:56 PM

I saw different fan motors with different companies and pricing. I went with the one that matched my part number, or equivalent. I was afraid to get one where I would have to do some splicing, but not that scared since I can splice if I needed to. It's just a matter of getting the correct connectors. Also, most importantly was the size and mounting for the motor. I guess I got lucky getting one that mounted exactly as to what I had. Sure, I could have probably found a cheaper motor, but what kind of modifications would I have needed? I lucked out with connections and mounting that came with the motor, but then again, I researched for about 2-3 hours and carefully thought it out. I was just not willing to hand over 600 bucks for a job I know I could do if I had the correct parts. I was up and going that same night I arrived and my wife was happy to be cool as a cucumber too.

aav amphibs · Jul 4, 2012, 10:05 PM

And lastly, yes, you do pay for WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW!! I know my fan motor was no good, it sounded like someone trying to stop in a 45 degree incline going 90 miles an hour. I was horrid sounding and it sounded like the bearings and the whole motor was on its last leg. I visually looked at it as it started to make that lound screech and saw it shaking like it wanted to explode. Every spider senses I had told me it was a bad motor. I don't pretend to be an HVAC technician and I do respect their trade when they are HONEST and reasonable. This time it belonged to the aircraft mechanic, ME! A motor is a motor is a motor. Remove and replace. Kill power, pay attention to how it all connects and when reinstalling, do it in reverse order. Typical mechanical common sense.