[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Aroy

2. The after sales service for Daikin, General and Hitachi is pathetic.

The company from which we bought our Mitsubishi ACs are also agents for Daikin and several other suppliers. Their AMC is expensive compared to a long warranty, but they do turn up for service, and appear to do a decent job. We gave them labour-only AMC for the old Daikin (It became just too tough to get hold of the local guy we bought it off --- he's good and everyone wants him!) and they repaired a (non-inverter) motherboard within a few days.

My reasoning for buying from this company was that they would be the point of contact, not faceless company call-centre staff. Right or wrong, only time will tell, but it is working out ok so far.

[neo_narender]

Originally Posted by Raj_RD

Our daikin fixed speed split ac gave up after 2 years.

Daikin seems to work perfectly if nothing ever goes wrong, but if something goes wrong, it will be a nightmare.

Originally Posted by Gansan

I just checked Amazon and it is available. Available at Croma too.

It seems R22 models are not allowed to be sold & very less chance at getting even through online, as per the dealer at Croma. Also my bedroom window does not support a window ac.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

No "O." It is Japanese company, not an Irish one

Thank you about the info about General ac. Everyone seems to call it that & even the stores list them as O General on their websites.
The choices(2) among so many brands are clear now.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Don't do this.

Yes, I do not want to repair the same thing over & over again. But sadly the resale of a used ac, even though just 2 year old seems to be pathetic. Maybe that is the case with acs. Just 2-3k. I gotta ask around among the local ac repair shops more to get an increase in the quote, provided by dealers for exchange.

So, I had visited Croma yesterday. The prices are fixed & no bargaining whatsoever, I like that as I do not shine at bargaining. Everyone was polite & professional. They explained everything in detail, no matter how many doubts I had asked. It was not the case at Bajaj Electronics.

Coming to the product itself, I am liking both LG & Daikin.

LG (LS-Q18ANYA, 1.5 Ton 4 Star, ₹38,990):
- Ocean Black Protection on the fins (This is the part on the indoor unit that has a leak in my current Samsung ac)

Daikin (ATKL50TV, 1.5 Ton 3 Star, ₹36,990):
- Like General, this company only manufactures & specializes in Air Conditioners
- Longevity according to most
- Japanese build

Confused among these two models.

Croma is providing extended warranty programs called Onsitego. For the products ranging from 35k - 50k, they cost:
1 year - ₹3,348
2 years - ₹5,113
3 years - ₹8,248
Upon further inquiry, I was told that in case of a problem, I just need to place a call to Croma customer care & they will speak to the respected manufacturer & place the request. Essentially they are the go-betweens.

Originally Posted by Aroy

3. LG has a 5 year warranty for now 10K. That includes 2 service per year and all parts and labour except a few plastic parts. I find that their technicians are much more knowledgeable, and their service is no questions asked.

How fair is the pricing by Croma? Also was it 1+4 or 1+5? Croma people had no idea about this & were pushing towards their own extended warranty program.
Seems it is a no brainer to get an extended warranty for acs like automobiles.

Neo

[Thad E Ginathom]

Having shown an interest in Daikin/General, have you not explored Hitachi/Mitsubishi?

[neo_narender]

Considerations:

Samsung - Yes & ruled out.

LG, Daikin, General - Yes.

Mitsubishi - Yes.
RR among current ac brands it seems & I feel ₹55,000 is way too expensive for my puny 100 sq.ft bedroom. A 0.8 Ton unit (38k) falls into my budget (45k - preferably with extended warranty, considering I had purchased a brand new ac in 2018 for 33k which am replacing with a very minimal resale) but I feel I may be cutting it way too close.

Hitachi, Carrier, Voltas, Bluestar - Not yet.
These are within my budget too. I will look into them as well.
Voltas & Carrier have intrigued me before, as I have heard good reviews from some friends who use them, but with R22 refrigerant.

P.S. I realise that a 1 Ton ac will do the job just fine for the room size, but I decided to stick with a 1.5 Ton this time around.

Neo

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by neo_narender

Yes, I do not want to repair the same thing over & over again. But sadly the resale of a used ac, even though just 2 year old seems to be pathetic. o

This is a suggestion. Call Samsung and ask them to quote for a new evaporator coil and a new indoor unit. For the former, it should cost a lot less than a full indoor unit. The indoor unit may come to about 15k but should come with its own warranty, if its brand new. This is a guess. Even at this price, it is less than half the cost of a brand new air conditioner. Your outdoor unit has no fault so why dump the unit. Once you get the unit up and running, sign up for a full parts and labor extended warranty program from a local vendor or Samsung. You local repair shop should also have ways to source a new evaporator unit. It is worth a try before spending 50k on a new unit.

[prateekm]

My Carrier AC stopped working after 12 years of trouble-free cooling. Called up a technician via Urbanclap and the guy told me that the motor had conked off. As per him, they don't make new motors anymore for old ACs and finding a used one will be very tough. Any ideas around this?

Since it's 12 yo and isn't that efficient wrt power consumption, I'm also considering replacing it. As my room is a small ~200sqft bedroom and I don't stay here on most days, I'm looking to replace it with a 0.8/1 ton window AC costing 20-25k. As per the discussions above, I think I will check out LG ACs at Croma/Vijay Sales. While the Hitachi and Voltas ACs in other bedrooms have failed multiple times, the Carrier hasn't. So I don't mind considering Carrier too. Any other brands to look at in this range?

[neo_narender]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

This is a suggestion. Call Samsung and ask them to quote for a new evaporator coil and a new indoor unit.

Will do.

The issue though, I gotta replace either the whole indoor unit or just the coil thing that has the leaks, then refill the refrigerant.
One more issue that may crop up in the future according to technicians from UC is the outdoor condenser or coil which is made up of aluminum & not copper.
It's been 6k in repairs already, just to realize that there is a leak in the indoor coil. Expecting another 10k for this (coil & refrigerant). I was told the copper coil for the outdoor unit is ₹4,200 from UC.

I realize this may be a fraction of what I would pay for the new unit, but I am unable to decide if it's a drain or would workout.

Neo

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by prateekm

My Carrier AC stopped working after 12 years of trouble-free cooling. Called up a technician via Urbanclap and the guy told me that the motor had conked off. As per him, they don't make new motors anymore for old ACs and finding a used one will be very tough. Any ideas around this?

It is possible. My Samsung window Ac ran trouble free for nine years and then had problem with the fan motor. The technician brought a new motor but it could not be installed. The Ac models had changed in nine years, and there was a difference in the mountings of the new motor. Finally they rewound the coils of the old fan and the Ac worked but I still had to replace the Ac in another three years. I spent about 4k for it. Might as well have replaced the Ac then and saved the 4k.

[deathwalkr]

Just wanted to mention a bad experience with Lloyd A/C installation. The call was registered with the authorized service center and they sent two boys to fix it. Fixing was done, AC was found to work and they left.

Couple of days later, i started using the AC and lo behold a waterfall! Yeah, water started dripping real bad from the indoor unit.

Registered a complaint, they sent a boy over. He checked everything and said there's a bush which has been damaged and that's why it's leaking...asked how it can be damaged in just a few days and he had no reply.

Anyway, he did not have the bush, said will bring it the next day and rectify it.

No one turned up. Registered complaint again and they sent two new boys who fixed some M-Seal and left!

Made a ruckus with the company and their service manager calls and then sends a senior technician to inspect the work. Now this is the first time a direct staff from the company service center is coming. All this while they were sending third party people!

Lesson learnt, when installers come ensure they are direct staff.

[suzuki san]

Originally Posted by neo_narender

Considerations:

Samsung - Yes & ruled out.

LG, Daikin, General - Yes.

Mitsubishi - Yes.
RR among current ac brands it seems & I feel ₹55,000 is way too expensive for my puny 100 sq.ft bedroom. A 0.8 Ton unit (38k) falls into my budget (45k - preferably with extended warranty, considering I had purchased a brand new ac in 2018 for 33k which am replacing with a very minimal resale) but I feel I may be cutting it way too close.

Hitachi, Carrier, Voltas, Bluestar - Not yet.
These are within my budget too. I will look into them as well.
Voltas & Carrier have intrigued me before, as I have heard good reviews from some friends who use them, but with R22 refrigerant.

P.S. I realise that a 1 Ton ac will do the job just fine for the room size, but I decided to stick with a 1.5 Ton this time around.

Neo

Hi Neo,

I have had a couple of bad experiences with Voltas window units. The cooling is superb and 1.0T is more than enough for your room size. The problem is the front panel which gives a lot of trouble. Usually after the warranty has expired!! 2 Voltas window A.C's - both with same panel problem. I have finally sent the panel to Lamington Road (from Andheri) for repairs and ow they seem O.K. But I will never touch a Voltas A.C. again!!

Regards,
SS

[prateekm]

Originally Posted by prateekm

My Carrier AC stopped working after 12 years of trouble-free cooling. Called up a technician via Urbanclap and the guy told me that the motor had conked off. As per him, they don't make new motors anymore for old ACs and finding a used one will be very tough. Any ideas around this?

Since it's 12 yo and isn't that efficient wrt power consumption, I'm also considering replacing it. As my room is a small ~200sqft bedroom and I don't stay here on most days, I'm looking to replace it with a 0.8/1 ton window AC costing 20-25k. As per the discussions above, I think I will check out LG ACs at Croma/Vijay Sales. While the Hitachi and Voltas ACs in other bedrooms have failed multiple times, the Carrier hasn't. So I don't mind considering Carrier too. Any other brands to look at in this range?

Went to Vijay Sales today. Not many options when it came to 1T ACs. Got a 3* Carrier 1T for 20k (label price was 25k, 2k vijay sales discount, 2k for the old AC and bargained another 1k).

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Gansan

I also bought a three year additional warranty from Croma which they offer in partnership with Onsitego.

I have read some bad reviews about this Onsitego on the internet, but
I need to contact only the Croma store for any warranty or service issues during the four years, not even the manufacturer. Let us see how it goes!

It goes superbly . I got my air-cons with a 5-year warranty from Vijay Sales, who in turn outsource it to OnSiteGo. One of the Hitachi a/cs had a problem where it would sometimes not recognise the remote control's inputs.

Thursday: Lodged complaint.

Sat morning: OnSiteGo technician arrived & took the PCB for repairs.

This morning: Repaired PCB was installed & air-con is working perfectly.

Am assured of fuss-free service for 5 years! This warranty even covers gas leakage!

[JithinR]

Hi All,

I need to get a 1 ton AC for my parents bedroom. The salesman at the local outlet was pushing us for a Voltas 3 star unit saying that it's the only brand that gives a five year warranty on all parts. The MRP for this was listed at Rs. 51,990. He offered it to us for Rs. 26,990.

The other option that I liked was a LG dual inverter 4 star unit that would come around the same price (didn't confirm this). From the earlier posts on this thread, I can see that LG 5 year extended warranty includes quite a lot of components under coverage. It also had the expected 10 year compressor warranty and 5 year PCB warranty (not sure if Voltas has this).

From what I can understand, the 5 year warranty for Voltas is a limited time thing till 30 Sept https://www.myvoltas.com/offers/. But while i am pressed for time, I am unsure of Voltas after sales service in Kerala.

Appreciate any help in deciding between these two (especially if someone has feedback on their service quality in Kannur, Kerala that would be great). We do have a 1.5 Ton LG unit in the other bedroom that is no longer working but the service from what I remember was Ok.

If there are better options in this price range ~30k then please let me know.

Edit: Thanks to everyone who posted info on the R410 refrigerant. I never noticed stuff like this before and it helped me eliminate a bunch of options. Both the Voltas and LG units are R32, which from what I can understand are easier to maintain and service. Hopefully, they are more reliable too.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by JithinR

Hi All,

I need to get a 1 ton AC for my parents bedroom. The salesman at the local outlet was pushing us for a Voltas 3 star unit saying that it's the only brand that gives a five year warranty on all parts. The MRP for this was listed at Rs. 51,990. He offered it to us for Rs. 26,990.

The other option that I liked was a LG dual inverter 4 star unit that would come around the same price (didn't confirm this). From the earlier posts on this thread, I can see that LG 5 year extended warranty includes quite a lot of components under coverage. It also had the expected 10 year compressor warranty and 5 year PCB warranty (not sure if Voltas has this).

.......................

I would suggest that you get the LG AC. Buy the 4 year extended warranty within a month of billing and you get a discount of around 1K.

[akg7091]

Originally Posted by neo_narender

Will do.

The issue though, I gotta replace either the whole indoor unit or just the coil thing that has the leaks, then refill the refrigerant.
One more issue that may crop up in the future according to technicians from UC is the outdoor condenser or coil which is made up of aluminum & not copper.
It's been 6k in repairs already, just to realize that there is a leak in the indoor coil. Expecting another 10k for this (coil & refrigerant). I was told the copper coil for the outdoor unit is ₹4,200 from UC.

I realize this may be a fraction of what I would pay for the new unit, but I am unable to decide if it's a drain or would workout.

Neo

Go for a new coil. I have done it a few times and new coils last for 3-4 years. A lot cheaper than replacing the entire AC