a/c blows hot air from rear vents and front passenger

a/c blows hot air from rear vents and front passenger- is $375 steep for stepper motor? tough time starting up sometimes....$475 for ignition cassette and plugs...steep? I'm sure by the time I walk out of the place it will be $1k all in...and it's a 2001 9-5 wagon, so I'm trying to figure out if the charges are reasonable, on target, and any feedback if this is a good time to get rid of the Saab before it costs more than it's blue book to repair?

Already Tried: brought it to solid local repair shop this morning...quotes I shared are what they gave me based on problems: sometimes tough to start in morning: $475 for ignition cassette and plugs; a/c blows hot air from rear vents and front passenger: $375 for new stepper motor; before I call to set up appointment for tomorrow to lock this in wanted to get some feedback on if these are on target with solving the problem (big issue in the past with other repair shops), and if costs are reasonable, and to solicit thoughts on whether to keep car or move on. It only has 52k miles on it...but seems to be getting pretty expensive to maintain.

Answer:

The prices they quoted you seem reasonable. Make sure the quote is in writing and that they know you are only going to pay what they have quoted. Best way to make sure is to ask them the amount you need to write on the check, tax and all.

Blue Book Value : Excellent $6,060 Good $5,635 Fair $5,085

If you like the car and it drives well , go ahead and fix it. If you feel that it is starting to cost you too much, then trade it off before you fix it. I do not think you will get 1,000 more for it if you fixed vs. trying to sell it the way it is.

My low coolant light came on, What could it be ?

My son's 2000 Saab 95 SE said engine coolant low so he added coolant. Here it is 2 days later and it is saying it again. When he filled it the first time he saw that there was still some coolant in the reservoir but it was low.. Any ideas how serious it could be?

Answer:

I would check two things.

1. Is there enough coolant. If there is not enough coolant again you need to check if the coolant is leaking out. You can rent a pressure tester from Autozone to find leaks. It's very simple to use and very effective. It's a radiator cap with a hand held pump attached, you take your cap off and attach the pump. Then pump and listen for leaks (done with car off so leaks are easy to find).

2. Coolant level sensor. If you have enough coolant, yet the light is still coming on then the sensor is bad. The sensor should be located on the reservoir, if you have coolant then it's giving a false reading.