air con re-gas

G_M

Is this normal? If so it's a really good deal, but I thought a re-gas involved new gas being put in?

My aircon works, but not as cold as it used to be. Car is coming up to 4 ys old and aircon's never been touched.

Air Conditioning Service* - £16.00 (or £27 with an MOT)
- Remove Gas
- Clean System
- Clean Gas
- Re-insert Gas

*please note that if your system requires additional gas, it will be charged at £0.05p per gram.

edit: done a bit of googling:
* seems some places use 'fresh gas' - surely this is better?
* the place above includes 'clean system', others mention 'visual inspection for leaks'

As with so many things, the more you investigate the more you discover :eek:

so what should I be looking for?

vikingaero

Go to Kwik Fit! Seriously KF charge £50 for an a/c check/regas and there is no charge if they cannot fix it or get it colder.

You need to run a/c a few times a month all year round to lubricate the seals which allow refrigerant gas to escape.

facade

I'd go for the £16 + 5p a gram, there is only about 175g in the system in total, if it is working there must be over 100g still in.

All Kwickfit do is connect a machine that simply sucks all the gas out, collects the oil, does a vacuum leak test, then puts the oil back, and adds the correct amount of gas. Mostly your own gas plus a bit from the bottle in the machine.

No doubt the £18 people have the same type of machine.

yangptangkipperbang

G_M wrote: »

* seems some places use 'fresh gas' - surely this is better?

Who for ? If they re-use the old gas

1. you don't have to pay for new.

If they use new.

2. they can't just dump the old gas, so you will be charged for its correct "disposal"

Heads they win - tails you lose :cool:

Nodding_Donkey

vikingaero wrote: »

Go to Kwik Fit! Seriously

seriously?

KF is the last place I'd take a car for anything.

G_M

and the 'clean'? I see that F1 do this as a separate product. As I don't have the 'nasty smells' they talk about, is this unecessary? Is it done as standard at other places? (kwikfit website doen't say anything about what they do).

EdGasket

You can get a can of EZ Chill from Halfords. Plug it in and follow the instructions. I have used it on two cars with success. The cans are quite expensive; around £35, but you get £10 back on the empty can. The first time you use it, you'll also need a hose and gauge also available from Halfords but this is re-useable. Guess most people will think the saving is not worth it but hey, I am a dedicated DIY'er.

forgotmyname

Dedicated DIY but how do you know how much gas you have in your system?

Its put in by weight not pressure.

JustAnotherSaver

I wouldn't do it yourself.

I took mine to Kwik Fit. Yes they have a bad rep for other stuff but air con they were fine. Told me i had a leak, didn't charge. I took it to an air con specialist & £500 later i had it all sorted.


2 things:

1) Don't only use it in summer. It needs regular use. I'm not talking every journey but what viking said is true.
2) People say air con uses more fuel. I'm pretty religious with noting down my MPG & i do it accurately. I have never noticed any significant difference. I even ran a full tank with the a/c on & there was no noticeable difference at all.

gabitzul

One other thing to take into account is that something else might be faulty.

For example, on my MK2 Focus I have recharged it last year and it worked for a while (whilst whining quite badly) up until a few weeks ago, now the whining remains but no more cold air.

I have an EZ Chill gauge left since I recharged another car's aircon and checked the R134 liquid level and it's fine. Therefore I think the compressor is duff. Wallet busting moment...

PS Clutch also engages fine and light comes on.

Mankysteve

forgotmyname wrote: »

Dedicated DIY but how do you know how much gas you have in your system?

Its put in by weight not pressure.

You can roughly go off pressure but not as accurate as weight. Biggest issue with those cans is the risk of getting liquid into the system which will damage The compressor.

http://youtu.be/lglPJuBXVeE