DIY Air-con recharge

UncleZen

Has anybody used a DIY aircon recharge kit, you can get them off eBay, what were the results? How easy is it?

Weird_Nev

It's easy, your milage may vary, and if your car is losing Air con refirgerant over time then there may be something more fundamental wrong such as perished gaskets or split hoses.
FOr the £60 it costs at a decent independant garage, Vs these kits at £35-£40, I'd say go to a garage and get it hooked up to a proper machine. they will be able to tell you how much gas they took out, how much they put in, and it uses a dye to tell them if there are any leaks. It also talls them how much lubricant is put into the system which is vital for the systems continued operation.

(I might consider one of these cans if I was tarting up a car for sale)

Premier_2

Very easy to overcharge if you don't know what you are doing.

For £29, why not let a garage do it properly using the correct equipment that will also check to ensure you have no leaks.

waynedance

Do not do it, get a proper air con service.

A proper machine removes all old gases, oils, moisture and check for leaks. New oil is added to keep compressor happy and the re gassed with the correct amount.

Others will tell you different, up to you.

patman99

If you get a garage to do it, you will at least, have some come-back if it fails a couple of months later.

UncleZen

The point in asking was that we know we have a pinhole leak in the condensor (recharge with dye shows us this) but its £600 to replace because the condensor on a 7yr old Renault Modus is part of the main radiator so both have to be changed at one hence the high cost.
We know from previous recharges that it takes about 7 months to deplete. So I figured, get a cheap kit and re-gas enough for it to last the summer the do again the following year. - Thoughts?

s_b

UncleZen wrote: »

The point in asking was that we know we have a pinhole leak in the condensor (recharge with dye shows us this) but its £600 to replace because the condensor on a 7yr old Renault Modus is part of the main radiator so both have to be changed at one hence the high cost.
We know from previous recharges that it takes about 7 months to deplete. So I figured, get a cheap kit and re-gas enough for it to last the summer the do again the following year. - Thoughts?

never seen both radiators being one
a quick ebay look says not too
your idea is madness and also illegal

Wig

Buy a car without air con - saves the hassle and get better mpg.

Premier_2

Wig wrote: »

Buy a car without air con - saves the hassle and get better mpg.

It sounds like the OP already has a car without air con! ...

UncleZen

ever seen both radiators being one a quick ebay look says not too
Well, Im assured by the specialists that this is the case, but I will take a look for myself.

your idea is madness and also illegal
Why exactly?

In fact I know of several people (ironically with french cars) that do this every year.

Gordon_Hose

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 it's against the law to knowingly release refrigerant into the atmosphere.