Navigating Warranty and AC Parts: Your Guide to Repair

Colin Ruscoe
4 days ago
5 min read

Finding out your air conditioner has stopped working is never fun, but taking a few quick steps before you start calling local technicians can save you a ton of stress and time.

We have put together a simple guide to help you navigate through warranty claims and AC repairs, the best questions to ask and when to know when it’s time to replace.

Air conditioner, warranty document, and a shield with wrench and gears icon on a blue background, symbolizing genuine spare parts and trusted repairs

1. Understanding Your AC Unit's Warranty

Your warranty is a safety net in case your unit breaks down, but it often comes with a few conditions you need to check.

Confirming Warranty Period: Do you have the original proof of purchase or installation details? If not, locate the unit's model and serial number (on the compliance plate of the side of your outdoor unit) and contact the manufacturer's customer service. They can tell you if there is still an active warranty on the unit.
Warranty Transfer: If you bought the home with a new or fairly new AC already installed, you need to check the brand’s Warranty Terms & Conditions regarding the transfer of warranty.
⚠️ Be aware: some manufacturer warranties do not automatically transfer to the next homeowner.
Who to Contact: Always start with contacting your manufacturer before engaging a 3rd party technician. By contacting a technician first you may have out-of-pocket expenses that could have been avoided.
The Waiting Game: Filing an official warranty claim can be a slow process. It's important to know that you might be without working AC for up to 30 days. If you need immediate cooling, this potential downtime needs to be part of your decision on how to proceed.

⚠️ The Risk of Bypassing Warranty

If you choose to speed up the repair by arranging it all yourself, you could be responsible for all associated costs (parts and labour) and for ensuring genuine parts are used. Using non-genuine parts could void the manufacturer’s warranty on your whole unit. Always confirm with the manufacturer before proceeding with any third-party repairs.

2. Repairing Your AC Unit Process

If your unit is no longer under warranty or the warranty is not transferable, the next step is to contact a local technician to diagnose and quote for the repair of your AC unit.

Site Visit Costs: Is there a cost to diagnose the problems? Will this come off the cost of the bill if you proceed with the repair?
Quote Breakdowns: Will the technician provide a quote with parts and labour listed individually or will it be one amount?
Can’t Fix - Must Replace: Are the parts available or is the technician wanting a replacement because it is easier? Does the offered replacement have the same features and benefits?
The Waiting Game: Technicians are middle-men in repairing AC units. They would love nothing more than to have your AC up and running, unfortunately depending on the availability of the spare parts and the time of year - sometimes delays can occur.

💡Tip: Some quotes may seem high initially, so it is important to remember that;

The average price of a qualified technician is $200 per hour.
It does cost the technician to travel to your home or business - not just in time but also in fuel and vehicle maintenance costs.
Genuine spare parts can be expensive - even when they are small items, and
Current freight charges are at an all time high.

3. Sourcing Genuine AC Parts

If your technician has given you the part numbers in your quote, or has told you the parts are no longer available, and you want to do your research before committing - that’s okay.

The online spare parts market is huge, so a little caution goes a long way to ensuring the parts for your AC system are available and most importantly genuine. Here are some things to be aware of:

Part Availability: Are genuine manufacturer parts still available for your AC model? Has the manufacturer substituted an older part with another? Since manufacturers continually update part numbers, the safest way to ensure you get the correct part details is to contact a trusted supplier like National AC Parts rather than guessing or relying on unknown retailers.
Looks the Same / Is the Same: Certainly not! Many components in an AC unit, like PCBs, Fan Motors and Filters, look like every other part on the market but just because it looks the same does not mean it will work in your unit. ⚠️ Do not substitute parts.
Always Choose Genuine: Non-genuine parts may seem like a bargain, but they can lead to poor performance, early failure and potential damage to your system..

💡Tip: Be careful with parts that look identical but may have slightly different part numbers (e.g. an extra letter or number) which can be simple to miss - they may not be genuine.

Verify The Supplier: If a non-genuine part fails, the retailer that sold it will need to be contacted - not the AC manufacturer. In some cases, especially with low-cost online sellers, the retailer may no longer be operating, which could leave you without any warranty coverage for the failed component.

4. The Big Question: Repair or Replace?

Before you commit to any costly repair, it’s worth weighing the repair estimate against the unit's age.

The "Sunk-Cost Fallacy”: Are you throwing good money after bad? It is worth considering a replacement if the repair bill climbs around 50% or more of what a brand-new, comparable unit would cost. This is especially true if your current unit is already 10 years or older.
Like for Like Replacement: Are you obtaining the same features in your new unit offered by the technician? How energy-efficient is the replacement unit? What are the warranty conditions and period? Will there be spare parts available after the warranty period?
Time for an Upgrade: Has your home life changed and it might be a time to consider upgrading from a wall split to a multi-head unit, or maybe a ducted system?

💡Tip: We wrote Essential Guide to Choosing and Energy-Efficient Air Conditioning Unit - a must read before purchasing a new air conditioning system to help narrow the choices down to what it is you really want and need.

Conclusion - Warranty AC Repairs Made Stress-Free

Dealing with a faulty air conditioner can feel overwhelming, but a clear plan makes all the difference. By understanding your warranty and asking the right questions, you can keep your cool knowing that you’re making the right choices.

When in doubt, don’t go it alone. The team at National AC Parts can help guide you through the warranty process with trusted advice, and help you identify genuine parts and their availability. Whether you’re replacing, repairing or just doing your homework, we’re here to make it easy!