Air Con service/refresh

melbury

Is it absolutely essential to have air conditioning serviced if it is working okay?

Just wondered what peoples view is on this.

Also, what is the actual difference between a service and a refresh? Is a refresh sufficient to kill off any bugs?

The air con is OH's car hasn't been done since he bought it 4 years ago and may not have been done for years before that.

worried_jim

If it's working fine and they use it regularly (mine is never off) I wouldn't bother. You can buy the cans to clean the system yourself, just run the air con, crack the can and leave in the car for about ten mins.

melbury

worried_jim wrote: »

If it's working fine and they use it regularly (mine is never off) I wouldn't bother. You can buy the cans to clean the system yourself, just run the air con, crack the can and leave in the car for about ten mins.

It isn't used every day by any means. Sometimes the car sits in the garage for a few weeks.

nickcc

Pollen filters need changing every few years which can be difficult on some cars. As long as the pressure is up and the air con is used every month or so, including during the winter, then you shouldn't have a problem.

melbury

Have read things about bacteria getting in the car via air con and making people ill. Is that true?

worried_jim

melbury wrote: »

It isn't used every day by any means. Sometimes the car sits in the garage for a few weeks.

I mean every time you use the car.

nickcc

melbury wrote: »

Have read things about bacteria getting in the car via air con and making people ill. Is that true?

Just about the same risk as any aircon wether fixed or mobile. Changing the pollen filter on a regular basis should help but there's not much else you can do. There's no way you can reach the heat exchangers/evaporator anyway so using an antibacterial spray seems a bit pointless to me. I've had cars with aircon for the last 20 years and to my knowledge neither I or my family have been ill due to bacteria from the aircon.

I suppose if you had the aircon on recirculate when you discharge the can of cleaner then this may set your mind at ease, if it's not on recirculate then your not putting the cleaner through the heat exchanger as the airs being drawn in from outside.

tacpot12

Servicing the aircon normally involves checking the system for leaks by sucking all the refrigerant gas out of the system and leaving the system with a vacuum for 10 minutes or so. If there are no leaks, the system is recharges with the correct amount of gas and the correct amount of lubricating oil.

All vehicle a/c systems lose a little gas and oil over time, perhaps 5% per year. Eventually there is not enough oil in the system and the compressor will experience excessive wear. If the system is not serviced regularly, the compressor will fail prematurely. Servicing the a/c system every four years or so is a good investment if you expect to keep the car for another 10 years.

Mutton_Geoff

I’d run the a/c (you’ll need the engine running) and spray a whole can of Neutradol into the fresh air intake (usually just in front of the windscreen) so it passes through the heat exchanger. If you can change the pollen filter (easy on some cars, one or two screws on a cover in the footwell) so much the better.

mobileron

Have a look on woucher,costs £40 for check and refill

melbury

nickcc wrote: »

Just about the same risk as any aircon wether fixed or mobile. Changing the pollen filter on a regular basis should help but there's not much else you can do. There's no way you can reach the heat exchangers/evaporator anyway so using an antibacterial spray seems a bit pointless to me. I've had cars with aircon for the last 20 years and to my knowledge neither I or my family have been ill due to bacteria from the aircon.

I suppose if you had the aircon on recirculate when you discharge the can of cleaner then this may set your mind at ease, if it's not on recirculate then your not putting the cleaner through the heat exchanger as the airs being drawn in from outside.

Thanks for the reassurance.

There are so many scare stories about now on just about everything:eek: