Air con leak repair - how much?

Averaged

My 2008 Yaris came with air con, but it gradually stopped working and was dead after a couple of years - out of warranty of course. As it failed there were occasional strong smells of what I assume is air con gas in the car, I had it regassed last year and the garage said it showed no leaks - it then worked well for a week or two before stopping working again. So clearly there is a slow leak in there somewhere, as it works alright when regassed I assume everything else is basically ok

With the summer coming up, any idea how much i'd be looking at to get the fault found and fixed? Is it a big job, or something fairly straightforward? And main dealer only, or can an independent do it?

Will start phoning around later, but like to have a ballpark idea to know if i'm being taken for a ride :cool:

Nodding_Donkey

Aircon gas is very dangerous if breathed, be careful.

Make sure you take it to a specialist i.e. not quick fit or similar. You don't need to go to a main stealer but I'd be wary of anywhere that offers aircon service at a fixed price.

Kimberley

Do they not check Air Con during a service? The car has been serviced every year? I've not long bought a Yaris with Aircon that came with a full service history and in the invoices that came with the car Aircon was checked each year.

Red_Cat

An independent can do it, but make sure they are experienced in fixing leaks. A lot of garages do the gas and lube refill which is virtually automatic due to the kit used which does the analysis. A repair means looking for the leak, the air con gas has a ultra violet dye in it so a leak will leave a trace.
If it's a simple hose repair that will be relatively cheap, anything more complex will of course cost more.

Inch_High_2

Kimberley wrote: »

Do they not check Air Con during a service? The car has been serviced every year? I've not long bought a Yaris with Aircon that came with a full service history and in the invoices that came with the car Aircon was checked each year.

Not in a standard service.

tykesi

Kimberley wrote: »

Do they not check Air Con during a service? The car has been serviced every year? I've not long bought a Yaris with Aircon that came with a full service history and in the invoices that came with the car Aircon was checked each year.

I'd put money on that 'check' being a press of the button to make sure the light comes on. Quick tick in the box and move onto the next thing they can 'check' without actually doing anything.

Netwizard

These fast fit places that offer to gas it up for £29 and such like, do not check for leaks, they just chuck the gas in and that is it.

I used a very good mobile aircon guy. He checked for leaks using dye, fixed the leak, replaced a bit of aircon pipe that had corroded under the car, and gassed it back up again, all for around £150. Very good service and didn't even have to leave my house.

See if you have one of these in your area

Averaged

Kimberley wrote: »

Do they not check Air Con during a service? The car has been serviced every year? I've not long bought a Yaris with Aircon that came with a full service history and in the invoices that came with the car Aircon was checked each year.

Car has been serviced to schedule every year, I still use the dealer for service as i've found the fixed-price deal pretty competitive. Don't know if they check aircon each service though - guessing not, as it has had three or four since the aircon first failed and last year was the only time they called me to say that it wasn't working (or tykesi is right and they usually just make sure the light comes on!)

They then did anti-bacteria and regassed it - a rather pricey £75 IIRC though, but my fault for just saying 'go for it' on the phone rather than calling round - forgot that while the fixed-price stuff is ok, the rest isn't

I've just had a chat and they reckon they need to do another regas with UV dye and then get it up on a ramp with a UV light to find the leak, at which point they can quote for repair. Unfortunately they want £75 to regas and an hour labour to find the fault (two trips, a week apart), plus the repair (plus labour) and then another regas (and another £75) once the fix is done. So several hundred quid, minimum. Will look for one of Netwizard's independents...

gardner1

the seals will have shrunk/dried out hence the gas leaking out in a very short time
you have to keep air con turned on all year round to stop seals drying out

Red_Cat

I've been advised to run the air con for 10 mins a week in winter to keep the system lubricated.

Mankysteve

Most cars use r134 which isn't harmful but isheaver than air and cause burns if get in contact with its liquid form. Always check your manual to confirm the gas type and its safety requirements.

A proper diagnosis would be addeding a UV dye to the gas then running the system then checking all the pipework till the leak is found then replacing faulty part.
How To Find and Repair AC Leaks - EricTheCarGuy: http://youtu.be/95RdGLFIbL8

Most decent garages should be able do this for you.