I would like to know the shelf life, if any, of an uncapped (unsealed) automotive a/c filter/drier unit.

My assistant picked up a new filter/drier unit from a local Dodge dealer. While my assistant was at the cashiers window the parts person opened the box and removed the factory installed temporary port plugs. The parts person did not reinstall the port plugs.

I did not see the drier unit until 7 hours later at which time I reinstalled the plastic port plugs. The relative humidity was 90-100% all day.

I learned today that the parts person removed the plugs to install the gaskets as he normally does for the on-site car mechanics.

I am relatively new to servicing A/C (auto only) but everything I have read indicates that a dessicant drier cannot effectively be regenerated by evacuation methods. I have always made sure that the last task performed (just prior to evacuation) during a/c service is to remove the drier port plugs and make the last 2 hose connections to minimize the amount of exposure time to atmospheric moisture.

It irks me a bit to find out the pains I go through to minimize the system exposure to atmospheric air just to find out the dealer often leaves their driers open to atmosphere for minutes to hours.

Am I being too concerned? I just want ot be sure that there will be enough drying capacity left in the drier to handle the inevitable moisture that will be in the system when it is closed. I don't want to find out 2 years down the road that I have slowly corroded my system internals.

Thank you in advance.