Air con recharge dilemma

DominicH

ruggedtoast wrote: »

I have just seen Halfords do a free check and charge for £30 so will prolly try that instead. I guess it'll either work or it wont.

What I don't understand is that Halfords charge £30 for a recharge, but £40 for a can of EZ-Chill where you have to do it yourself and what's more you need another gizmo to do it. Seems like a no-brainer?

straighttalker

EdGasket wrote: »

Two or three years is reasonable for a charge to last on an old car. That's all I get out of mine. Then just top up again (I use the EZ-Chill cans and do my own). What is the alternative? Spend £400 on a new compressor or condensor? No thanks.

What if your compressor or condensor is actually broken? Cans of EZ-Chill won't work then.

molerat

If your air con needs recharging after a couple of years it has leaked and needs fixing. I have just got rid of my 10.5 yo car which I got a 5 mths old. The air con has never been touched and it still blows freezing.

captainawsome

If you leave your ac on through the winter aswel IE never switch it off, it would probably never need re-gassing and your car would be steam/moisture free in the colder months (Unless the car has a leak). But Besides that point...

...you can buy sealing additives (like K-seal etc for cooling systems) that will seal small leaks in the ac system. You inject it into the system when gassing it. I've used this 2 times with good results from leaking condensers.

EdGasket

DominicH wrote: »

What I don't understand is that Halfords charge £30 for a recharge, but £40 for a can of EZ-Chill where you have to do it yourself and what's more you need another gizmo to do it. Seems like a no-brainer?

Yes you are right; the cans are expensive and contrary to the marketing info, a can will generally only refill 1 car so if you can get a refill for £30 then for most people that makes sense. When I needed a refill, I could only find places that charges £50 upwards.

However I like to DIY as much as I can. I can refill when I want to without having to travel anywhere plus the cans do contain some 'sealers' which help plug small leaks which you won't get with a standard refill from Halfords or Quick-Fit where it is pure R134a refrigerant. I can check the pressure anytime I want with the attachment hose. I also managed to get a 3 for 2 offer on the cans so I am actually saving a small amount of cash too.

EdGasket

straighttalker wrote: »

What if your compressor or condensor is actually broken? Cans of EZ-Chill won't work then.

No it won't. However most of the time leaking of refrigerant on an old car is simply due to general deterioration of seals and pipes and in that case a top up is fine for getting another year or two of cool air.