Hi folks,

The other day there was white smoke coming from under the hood of my Z. It was on the passenger side. This went on for a while. When I popped the hood, I could not tell where the smoke was coming from although it seemed to be coming from below and behind the motor. The smoke eventually stopped without me doing anything but looking on dumbly. The A/C got so it would only blow sorta cold for 4 or 5 minutes and then blow hot. Or maybe not hot, just outside temp since it is hot here.

I talked to my local Z shop about it and they told me that if it was the compressor, I was in trouble. Apparently you can't get new OEM any more and in the shop's opinion, the aftermarket compressors are terrible. How bad? They won't last through the warranty period. As a result, the shop won't warranty labor on the install of 3rd party compressors. (They will send the compressor back, but I have to pay the labor of install every time.)

I don't have word back from them that it is the compressor.

I am basically here to ask for advice and counsel. Is what the shop says about aftermarket compressors true?

What would you do in my place?

There are plenty of used compressors on the market that could be either used as is or sent to a rebuilder of your choice. The majority of aftermarket compressors are actually OEM ones that have been rebuilt by a mass rebuilder (I wont speculate on the quality because I don't have enough experience with them). All that said I have been running an autozone compressor without problem for years, granted my car only sees a couple thousand miles a year so it hasn't been much. I think you need to find a shop that will warranty the part and the labor, a shop that will do that will likely charge you more but you'll have the warranty.