Anyone had any luck replacing an a/c cool?

[FrugalSaver]

Coil not cool ( mods can you edit title?)

Tenant called saying no cold air. A/c is about beyond its life. On my home I've always replaced the whole unit. This time I opted to replace the coil only.

A/c is working great now. Question is how long will the other old parts last. I spent about 1/3 of what it would cost to replace the whole unit.

Your thoughts and experiences?  Bad idea?  Terrible idea?  Decent crap shoot?

Regardless, what's done is done.

[YttriumNitrate]

With air conditioners, my opinion on repairing depends on the type of refrigerant used. In general, if the air conditioner is using the older expensive (and continually getting more expensive) refrigerant, I am more likely to just replace the whole system. If the newer refrigerant is used, I am more likely to repair.

For what it's worth, I replaced the compressor on my older AC system about 5 years ago, and the system is still going strong.

[NoNonsenseLandlord]

If the coil is the compressor unit, that is fine.  There are no moving parts in the rest of the system.  A furnace fan maybe, not really part of the A/C.

[FrugalSaver]

What would one expect to pay for the older R22 coil replacement?