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Stupid question - how often does this need doing?
In my experience, when the AC stops working, it needs doing. Though probably better not to let it get quite as bad as non-functional. Juat had mine done for the first time in 5 years.
When it stops working properly...
Just had mine done - van is 4 years old, and the a/c wasn't cold a few months back. Paid £135 at a main dealer which is about right for the newer gas. The van is under warranty, so if a component had failed, that would have been covered, hence the dealer trip.
The older 'gas' is about half the price. The van is now ice cold again, no leaks found and it's been "fixed" for a couple of months now.
Never needed to do MrsF's car and that's 13 years old. We do run A/C all year round though, so this helps keep the seals lubricated.
I have used a 'kit' on a cheap run about - these work well. Had it professionally re-gassed, but it soon stopped working - used a kit and found a leak where one of the sensors was connected to the ac pipes. Tightened it up (it was loose) and re-gassed with the kit. Worked fine.
If you've a newer car, I'd get it done properly.
I paid 60 quid for mine. Basically it was cooling very slightly but not enough. The coolant pressure had dropped too much for the compressor to work
3.5 years here. Don't massively want to pay Audi to do this, but by the sound of what @fossy says it might be best as it's got an extended warranty?
"No such thing as a stupid question"
"no, just stupid people"
But it's a question I've been pondering. The air-con in our car has never been brilliant, there have been times when setting it to 16 deg was ice-cold but 16.5 was like a heat gun. Travelling south during last week's heatwave was like driving a mobile sauna. Would re-gassing help this perhaps? BMW F31 318, 66 plate if that matters
@Fossy, you mention newer gas, that a thing? Our's (6 year old) isn't as awesome as it once was.
But it's a question I've been pondering. The air-con in our car has never been brilliant, there have been times when setting it to 16 deg was ice-cold but 16.5 was like a heat gun. Travelling south during last week's heatwave was like driving a mobile sauna. Would re-gassing help this perhaps? BMW F31 318, 66 plate if that matters
That will be a cabin temperature sensor issue. If it blows icy cold on the coldest setting, then the aircon bit works. Above that there's a sensor that tells the aircon how hard to work, and if that's failed its probably telling the car to go "full hot" instead of "mostly cold". (had it on my Boxster, but the other way round - blew frigid air unless you cranked it up to 30° - not great in January!)
20 year old BMW here - but climate control, which I just leave on all the time. Still works pretty well - although its struggling a little at the moment - and never been regassed.
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@sandwichcheater
R-134a (HFC-134a)
R134a refrigerant gas was the most commonly used refrigerant gas, until being phased out in 2017. Though it is not considered as harmful to the environment as R-12, the effects are still damaging. Vehicles manufactured after 1994 but before 2012 may still use R-134a.
R-1234yf (HFO-1234yf)
This is a new, environmentally-friendly air conditioning system refrigerant gas. Passenger vehicles purchased from 2014 onwards use R-1234, with all other cars and light goods vehicles switching to this refrigerant gas from January 2017.
Likely the newer gas - there will be a sticker on the panels under the bonnet. It's a bit more expensive than the old stuff. I checked the price with the dealer and they were within £10 of the usual 'quick' garages, but ran it through them due to extended warranty.
They do say cars lose gas over time, but that's not happened with my wife's Nissan, nor the Nissan I had 20 years - only had gas done twice and that's because of a holed radiator, and a cracked pipe.
For an old car I'd be tempted with a kit - Thompsons do them
THOMPSONSLTD.CO.UK I usually get the car done every three or four years.
Personally I avoid main dealers and other garages for sorting the air-con and use an air-con specialist.
The one I use is cheaper and actually understands repairing and diagnosing the system whereas my experience of garages is they just do a regas and struggle beyond that unless it’s a very obvious fault.
That will be a cabin temperature sensor issue. If it blows icy cold on the coldest setting, then the aircon bit works. Above that there's a sensor that tells the aircon how hard to work, and if that's failed its probably telling the car to go "full hot" instead of "mostly cold". (had it on my Boxster, but the other way round - blew frigid air unless you cranked it up to 30° - not great in January!)
20 year old BMW here - but climate control, which I just leave on all the time. Still works pretty well - although its struggling a little at the moment - and never been regassed.
Exactly, I've had a similar fault on a different brand (VW). On mine it was one of the dashboard sensors. You would get ice cold air out of one side of the car and warm air on the other side. But if you set it to red or blue (as opposed to a temperature) it would work fine on both sides (I assume because in that mode it ignores the temperature sensors)
How often do you change the gas in your domestic fridge/freezer? Exactly - never!
If it doesnt leak out then it doesn’t need changing. More often than not the system isn’t used in colder months and the compressor pump seal dries out and leaks.
My 21year old Cayenne doesn’t have any paperwork or evidence of the aircon ever being regassed and it’s still ice cold.
However! An internal temperature sensor failed and the car thought it was 2 degrees so wouldn’t operate the aircon compressor.
On my wife’s Cayenne the blower motor resister failed so the fan wouldn’t run at full speed despite the ‘bars’ showing full.
Both faults could be interpreted as ‘the aircon needs regassing’
Just had mine done. For first time in 10 years on my t5 van. Had basically stopped making cold air last summer.
Paid £50 to my mechanic for re-gas who had the van in for new alternator at same time.
If it needs regased get the leak repaired first.
Just as an update to this, I found a local place that regassed my BMW (modern gas) for £75 (thoug strangely they did need payment via bank transfer, or could take card payment for a 20% fee - exactly the same as VAT...)
anyway since then the aircon and temp control has been great, but I'v also noticed the engine stop / start has started working again. I hda not connected the dots on THAT bit...
Registering interest.
Our car is coming up to 12 years old and has never had a gas top up.
I've noticed it not being as cold as other more modern cars - its still cools just fine but lacks a little bite.
As everything appears to be working - temperature controls, zoning etc I presume it could benefit from a gas exchange?
I find comparing fridge and car AC service intervals quite strange, a fridge is subjected to much less extreme conditions both in temperatures (+35 to -35 here) and in bumps and knocks over varying road conditions.
Once on a Toyota Celica I was working under the bonnet and leant on an air con hose and heard a loud hiss of glass escaping. I made a mental note not to lean on it again the AC remained fine for years after.
Most old cars I've owned have needed just one re-gass, usually straight after I purchase as the last owner didn't bother, except for a Fiat that needed it doing once a year. First time just went to KwikFit but after that topped up with a bottle from Halfords which I did 3 times with same bottle until I sold.
As said when it stops being cold or when temperature reduced a lot.
Be careful though, I got a Groupon deal through one of the national chain of garages, can't remember which one.
I said did they do a leak test "yes", collected car. Aircon was a bit colder but not great, lasted all of a week max.
Took it to a trusted local garage, condenser had holes in.....obviously the other garage wanted their money because they should have diagnosed the leak and not charged for the regas....
Anyhow, new condenser fitted to the 2008 Jazz, regassed and it's better than a 24 plate car.
I usually get the car done every three or four years.
from new? really?
The old Caddy was 10 years old when we sold it. The current one is 8 years old now. Don't see why you'd possibly have it done unless there was an issue. Given it still seems to blow properly cold I don't see why I'd touch it.
Now it might be on an old car with failing hoses and connections it's cheaper just to get it regassed every few years than it is to fix the problem but there are ways to find leaks and fix them.
About the DIY kits mentioned above. Don't. How do you know how much refrigerant to put in? Too much and it'll ruin your compressor. How do you check for a leak? How do you get the old greenhouse gases out safely before you refill?
They are not particularly cheap either at £35, so just spend the £15-25 extra to get it done at a place that knows how to do it properly.
About the DIY kits mentioned above. Don't. How do you know how much refrigerant to put in? Too much and it'll ruin your compressor. How do you check for a leak? How do you get the old greenhouse gases out safely before you refill
I needed to re gas the aircon on our elderly Astra (2004 vintage). Nobody could squeeze it in, so we used a kit.
It lasted to an hour from our destination in Southern France, about 12 hours of fairly solid use.
To be fair the compressor was sounding pretty unhealthy before adding the gas. I think a bearing was on the way out.
Before it expired it sounded like whiny gearbox.
Maybe the clutch shit the bed.
Maybe too much gas or just reached the end of its life after 22 years/140000 miles.
There’s talk of getting rid of the car as the aircon is broken. Is that a thing now? Most cars I’ve owned haven’t had such luxury.
There’s talk of getting rid of the car as the aircon is broken. Is that a thing now? Most cars I’ve owned haven’t had such luxury
Depends how easy changing it is. We had two 06 plate Golfs have compressor failures out of warranty and it was an engine out job to sort, so I didn’t bother. Wife did change hers though.
Depends how easy changing it is. We had two 06 plate Golfs have compressor failures out of warranty and it was an engine out job to sort, so I didn’t bother. Wife did change hers though
It looks pretty bloody easy. It’s still pressurised though. Also it’d need the correct amount of oil etc, so will need to pay a person I think.
I find comparing fridge and car AC service intervals quite strange, a fridge is subjected to much less extreme conditions both in temperatures (+35 to -35 here) and in bumps and knocks over varying road conditions.
So unless there is a mechanical defect caused by the bumps and knocks then there is no need to ever ‘re-gas’ a car!
My oldest car with aircon is a 21year old Cayenne, its never had any aircon work (i have a file of paperwork from its previous 2 owners), Porsche dont have a service schedule for any aircon ‘re- gassing’. Its still ice cold (apart from when the internal temp probe failed then it wouldnt engage the compressor)
So unless there is a mechanical defect caused by the bumps and knocks then there is no need to ever ‘re-gas’ a car!
I agree on that, I haven’t ever had my car ACs serviced just for some claimed service intervals. It is just the comparison which I find silly.
Interestingly, I took my wife's company car for service couple of weeks ago at dealership and they said lease management company said that regassing the AC after three years is recommended so they would do it. For engine air filter guy at desk claimed that it would be 10 000km too early to change it now but it on service reportit was marked as changed. Oh well.
So unless there is a mechanical defect caused by the bumps and knocks then there is no need to ever ‘re-gas’ a car!
My oldest car with aircon is a 21year old Cayenne, its never had any aircon work (i have a file of paperwork from its previous 2 owners), Porsche dont have a service schedule for any aircon ‘re- gassing’. Its still ice cold (apart from when the internal temp probe failed then it wouldnt engage the compressor)
Well maybe you have been lucky or maybe they just didn't keep the paperwork for whatever reason.
Mahle for example who are air con OEM for Honda, BMW etc say that up to 10% loss refrigerant loss is expected per year, and that it should be re-gassed every 2 years.
I'm not saying I would ever bother doing it every 2 years but just that some degree of loss is normal (or 'within allowed tolerances' anyway 😉)
how many people change their brake fluid at the money making intervals also ?
I've only ever re-gassed if the system stops working, which I did a few months back. Bought the vehicle 3 years old, had it another year then it recently stopped chucking out cold air. Everything was working - had it re-gassed and tested and it's been fine. What you never know, is did the previous owner use it enough - I leave A/C on all the time, even in winter as it dries the air inside the vehicle, stopping misting (especially when you get a full car of damp passengers in the rain). Never touched MrsF's car as it still blows out cold and we leave the a/c on in that too.
The more I learn about Aircon the less I want it.
If it's not used it needs regassing.
You shouldn't use it for short periods of time (<30 mins).
You should turn it off 20-30 mins before you stop the engine. (Something to do with condensation and possible growth of mould).
I find the cold air less comfortable than having a window open.
Even in this heat (35°C in the French Alps) I prefer to have the windows down. On the motorway I can't be arsed to play a game of gun it past the trucks and pull in again.... Just sit at 90kmh behind the trucks and have a window open.
I have. A van without it.
I traveled in 40+ last year and it wasn't pleasant when on the move even with windows open* but for 94% of the year it's fine.
Would I buy one without.....probably not.
*Windows open is sensory over load and is rather sweat to death than have the window open at 60mph
My 'van' has it, but it's all glass with a huge sunroof and the rear windows don't open. It does have floor and overhead cabin vents for the a/c though, so it's 'essential'. I'm more bothered about having it as I get older - just so much more comfortable, and given I live in 'the once very rainy' Manchester, it's great for de-misting.
My Subaru was without AC for over a year. Useless main dealer couldn't find a replacement compressor, then a new condenser was needed, needing a full dashboard removal.
During that year, just got used to it.
However... When it started to seem a bit lacking in cooling, I called out local traveling AC Man, seems that Subaru use a different gas, and different fittings, so the traveling AC Man or non-Subaru dealers won't touch it.
