how to check A/c charge?

londonTiger

Yeah DIY route is out of the question, saw recharge bottles going for £20+ a professional is better as they'll be able to do it the job better, quicker and close to the price of a DIY kit.

facade

I used a recharge bottle on my Corsa once.

There is a pressure gauge on the refill bottle, and you squirt gas in until the needle is in the green sector with the aircon running, so that is what I did, and the aircon stopped working because of too much gas.

When I took it to kwikfit, there was about 50% too much gas in.

It still wouldn't work properly. Reading around, it was likely a blocked expansion valve that was the problem, but I took no notice, and traded in the car some time later.

vikingaero

Every car new or old will suffer condensation in the winter months. The combination of warm air/cold surfaces, wet feet, wet floor mats and wet coats exacerbates the problem.

You can make basic checks:

Lift the floor mats and check the footwells are dry.
Make sure the cabin air recirculation button/lever is off to allow fresh air to enter the car.
Angle the side vents slightly upwards and towards the door windows to help clear them.
Most manufacturers recommend the Windscreen/Floor icon setting for winter driving.
Buy a set of deep rubber floor mats as they don't absorb moisture. You can also lift them out and pour the water away.
When you get in your car get in the habit of sitting on the seat with your feet still outside and shake the water/snow off your shoes.

facade

vikingaero wrote: »

When you get in your car get in the habit of sitting on the seat with your feet still outside and shake the water/snow off your shoes.

I have a washing up brush (with a handle) in the door pocket to brush snow off my feet whilst I dangle them out of the car.

Also invested in 1Kg of silica gel off eBay to absorb moisture when parked.

londonTiger

facade wrote: »

I have a washing up brush (with a handle) in the door pocket to brush snow off my feet whilst I dangle them out of the car.

Also invested in 1Kg of silica gel off eBay to absorb moisture when parked.

I had this last year and worked very well. Did not have much of a condensation problem. This year it is out of the car. It grew to 1.6kg and I am now trying to dehyrdrate it on the radiator but it is circulating around 1.2-1.3kg

When I can get it to 1.1kg I'll be happy and just pop it back into the car.,

Not easy getting the water out - it absorbs it quite well though. 1kg car dehumidifer costs around £12 so not keen on spending that much on another.

facade

"They" reckon you can microwave them. I have a baby one in a nice bag with a little blue indicator that goes pink, so I microwaved it. At the end of the time it was steaming lovely, but surely all the steam goes straight back in?:o

I stuck it in the oven on gas mark 1 for a couple of hours and it seems to have done the trick.

I have just sent off for 2 of those in a plastic box with a dodgy electric heater in the back, to dry them out you plug them into the mains overnight, and they warm up (I'll plug it in at work, then if it sets on fire I get a holiday as long as no-one knows it is mine :cool:)

londonTiger

mines in a felt top with tarpauline type waterproof base so toasting it would not be appropriate. Maybe I'll give it a try by unstitching it,, removing contents and placing a zip on it for future use.