Is it worth the £100 quid my garage are asking?
Simply run it regularly and don’t bother unless it fails or regular 2 year services.

straw poll perhaps. Who’s had it serviced regularly and it failed and who doesn’t bother and it keeps ticking along nicely

i’ve had all my cars regassed, never cost as much as £100. I guess a service means more is done? The older the car (10 and 11 years old in my case) the less likely I was to have anything resembling cold air.

Employed open window mode instead.

I was once quoted from a specialty air con repair guy that cars tend to lose about 15% of their cooling ability a year. So after 2 or 3 years you might notice a drop off in performance but after 5 years it won’t be working well at all. That’s a rough guide.

When the system is regassed their is lubricant put in at the same time so I assume less gas = less lubricant (I suppose lubricant stops working as well over time anyway). I think the lubricant keeps the seals in good condition.

So it’s probably worth getting it regassed every few years and I know using it often does help it last longer.

I’ve only had air con serviced if it’s not blowing cold, usually on cars I’ve bought where first summer I find it isn’t working. After service they’ve never needed it again years later, so I don’t know what previous owners are doing to them! When I say serviced I mean re-gassed really. Never had to found a leak at least not one worth fixing.

When i was working in a main stealership, the manufacturer’ spec advice was to regas every 2 years. I tend to do it when i feel the air isnt as cool as it used to be. Price will also differ on the age of vehicle as the gas used for AC in more recent cars is considerably more than the older type

I’ve had mine done twice in 5 years – cost £50-60 at Kwikfit and it made a noticeable difference both times, but I’m not sure I’d bother until spring.

I took mine to Kwik Fit several times asking for a regas, they kept testing it and saying it didn’t need it. Well, I asked them to do it anyway and it made a big difference.

It’s not just for hot weather btw, makes a big difference keeping the car fog-free in cold damp weather.

First off when we say ‘service’ we mean re gas, nothing to service in an air con system beyond that.

I’m anal as with my car, I’d do it every 3-4 years, what’s the worst that could happen, the gas slowly escapes over time that’s it, the compressor oil stays in the compressor and system.

Usually IRO 55 quid for them to hook it up to the machine. Get yourself over to Groupon. They do a voucher to get it done at ATS Euromaster for half price.

I only do it if there’s a noticeable drop in performance, I never turn my AC off so in theory it’s always getting lubricated. The new gas is apparently much more expensive so £100 probably isn’t unreasonable

The extra in the “service “ might be anti bac for the pipes – whatever that means, to allegedly stop the smell you sometimes get.

When your A/C no longer blows cold air you have left it too long. The gas has lubricant and seal conditioners in it and when they run out you run the risk of a seal drying out and cracking leading to a big bill to replace. My mum switched hers off all last winter and come this spring it didn’t work as all the gas had leaked out due to dry seals. The bill to fix it (new condenser and pump) is £700, hence why it hasn’t been fixed.

It’s not just for hot weather btw, makes a big difference keeping the car fog-free in cold damp weather.

My A/C has never been switched off intentionally, it definitely helps with demisting in the winter. I get mine serviced (note that’s not just a regas) at an A/C specialist every 2-3 years. It involves adjusting the compressor clutch, cleaning the condenser and a fixture check, costs only a few quid more than the fast fit places charge for a regas.

First off when we say ‘service’ we mean re gas

There is a place near me that offer a service which includes replacing all the seals, it’s not much more money than just a regas.

I’ve never serviced Aircon unless it’s stopped working, and only once has a regas actually been all it needed. I’ve just replaced a pipe across the front of the engine on my current car, in the past I’ve replaced condensers, pressure switches and pumps.

My last car I never regassed it and I know the previous owners and they didnt re gas it, it still ran cold after over 10 years of use!

New car found out it was out of gas on one of those 30degree days when I was on the motorway, got it gassed and will from reading this thread maybe get it regassed every other year at service/MOT

Current car is the only one I’ve ever needed to get re-gassed, I had it done at the start of the summer because it wouldn’t blow cold. Cost about £120 I think, apparently because it’s a newer car (66 plate) it uses new gas which is more expensive.

The local garage that did it for me also added dye in case there is a leak – apparently a lot of places just re-gas, then if there is a leak they have to re-gas again and add dye so they can spot the leak, meaning you have to pay twice (3 times I guess once you get the leak fixed).

Yes its worth it.

You will think that its working fine on your 3 or 4 year old car until you get it serviced.

Serviced, being a pressure/vacuum test, and re-gas.

Remember that as it loses efficiency it has to work harder, and its being driven by the fuel you put in.

Its generally less than £100 though, I had mine done before Summer by Halfords/Tyres on the drive mobile guy and I think it was still only £60.

Oh and its most useful in Winter not summer – it dries the air, and demists your windows!

apparently a lot of places just re-gas, then if there is a leak they have to re-gas again and add dye so they can spot the leak

I doubt that’s true these days, the new machines remove and weigh any remaining refrigerant and check the system holds vacuum before they’ll proceed.

IMO it’s only worth doing if you notice a problem, but then I only run my a/c when I need it. My previous car just advised running it for half an hour a month to keep the seals lubricated.
Unless you’ve a particularly eco-friendly system they maintain a constant temp by hot/cold air mix with the compressor running all the time whether cooling’s required or not and it wastes fuel.