Why is air con not covered by service or warranty in this day and age.

niktheguru

BOWFER said:

coffeehound said:

BOWFER said:

That's not 'topping up' 
Topping up is when a small amount is added to take it up to a required level.
That's what was suggested, that a small amount of gas is added at services so the cost is (example) £20 every service rather than waiting until it's not working and being charged £180 fior a whole refill.
That isn't possible with aircon, you have to completely empty it and completely fill it again..

The words in that link say

Please Note: The Recharge is able to top up 2-3 cars based on inadvertent refrigerant loss based on low refrigerant in car

Isn't the a/c connection a schrader valve, so it can be topped up and removed without (much) loss or contamination.

I've personally never heard of aircon being 'topped up'.
It's usually a case of the gas getting to point it stops working, then is just completely replaced (if there's even any left in it).
We tend to only keep cars 3 years at a time and have only had one car need any gas attention (Kia sportage)

again, that is entirely my point. Should a car need regassing in just over a year without a decent explanation.

BOWFER

niktheguru said:

again, that is entirely my point. Should a car need regassing in just over a year without a decent explanation.

Absolutely not.

niktheguru

BOWFER said:

niktheguru said:

again, that is entirely my point. Should a car need regassing in just over a year without a decent explanation.

Absolutely not.

sorry, that was a rhetorical question. I know thats the answer, hence why i'm so angry about the situation.

coffeehound

Worth asking Trading Standards what they think?

Grumpy_chap

daveyjp said:

They have found a poor weld on the corner of the condenser and it is leaking very slightly.  Despite the OPs original statement a new condenser will be fitted under warranty.

A "poor weld" is a manufacturing defect, hence why it is covered under warranty, whereas the OP had a worn rubber or impact damage so not warranty.

niktheguru

Grumpy_chap said:

daveyjp said:

They have found a poor weld on the corner of the condenser and it is leaking very slightly.  Despite the OPs original statement a new condenser will be fitted under warranty.

A "poor weld" is a manufacturing defect, hence why it is covered under warranty, whereas the OP had a worn rubber or impact damage so not warranty.

well we dont know that do we. All i was told is that "it needed a little gas"......what the actual fault if there is one is still unknown.

daveyjp

Grumpy_chap said:

daveyjp said:

They have found a poor weld on the corner of the condenser and it is leaking very slightly.  Despite the OPs original statement a new condenser will be fitted under warranty.

A "poor weld" is a manufacturing defect, hence why it is covered under warranty, whereas the OP had a worn rubber or impact damage so not warranty.

OP hasn't stated why their car needed a regas and that is their quite legitimate gripe.

My dealer could have simply said 'it needs a regas', but they didn't they investigated and found the problem.

Having just picked the car up they have showed me the area where the leak is and the staining is evident.  Unfortunately the condenser is on back order, so I have to wait for it to be fixed!

Ibrahim5

I have just topped mine up with a can from ebay and it's working well now. Nice and cold. It was nice seeing the compressor kick in as the pressure on the low side increased. It's the first time I have tried a can. The Americans seem to have been using them for years.

Ditzy_Mitzy

BOWFER said:

coffeehound said:

BOWFER said:

That's not 'topping up' 
Topping up is when a small amount is added to take it up to a required level.
That's what was suggested, that a small amount of gas is added at services so the cost is (example) £20 every service rather than waiting until it's not working and being charged £180 fior a whole refill.
That isn't possible with aircon, you have to completely empty it and completely fill it again..

The words in that link say

Please Note: The Recharge is able to top up 2-3 cars based on inadvertent refrigerant loss based on low refrigerant in car

Isn't the a/c connection a schrader valve, so it can be topped up and removed without (much) loss or contamination.

I've personally never heard of aircon being 'topped up'.
It's usually a case of the gas getting to point it stops working, then is just completely replaced (if there's even any left in it).
We tend to only keep cars 3 years at a time and have only had one car need any gas attention (Kia sportage)

I've always had old cars, present one being fifteen, and have had plenty of aircon gas issues.  The gas doesn't, generally, all disappear overnight.  Instead a normal or slow leak is evident as a diminishment in the performance of the system: less cooling overall, longer intervals between switching on and cool air being produced and emission of bad smells.  That process can go on for months, years even, before the aircon fully packs up.  Topping up prior to that would no doubt be a temporary fix.  It wouldn't solve the problem but would keep the aircon going for another summer or so.  I've never bothered to do it, however, as I'm not fussed about air conditioning.

Steve182

fred246 said:

I turn it off sometimes when I need loads of power 

The old sierra cosworths automatically shut down the A/C on wide open throttle. These days, surely you only need to do that if you are on a race track or have a tiny engine?