Air con regas!
Discussion
I went to a local (friend recommended) specialist. He sounded all enthusiastic on the phone, so I trusted the job with him.
Air-con rarely just needs a re-gass, if the gas has escaped there is probably a problem somewhere. Your compressor has done well to last 8 years, it's probably that which needs changing.
The system needs to be correctly drained, pressure tested and then re-filled with the correct weight/amount of gas. Even if nothing is wrong with your system, just pumping in an arbitrary amount of gas isn't the answer. the drier should also be changed and, bizarrely, I found changing my cabin filter made a big difference to the air con on my E36.
Air-con rarely just needs a re-gass, if the gas has escaped there is probably a problem somewhere. Your compressor has done well to last 8 years, it's probably that which needs changing.
The system needs to be correctly drained, pressure tested and then re-filled with the correct weight/amount of gas. Even if nothing is wrong with your system, just pumping in an arbitrary amount of gas isn't the answer. the drier should also be changed and, bizarrely, I found changing my cabin filter made a big difference to the air con on my E36.
No reason to change the drier unless it is failing...we work on air con systems daily, compressor failure would only be on about 1 in 60 cars we work on, usual thing is the air con rad which is holed and leaking, or a leak in the pipework...if the compressor isnt kicking in, that is usually due to lack of gas in the system or an electrical fault.
POORCARDEALER said:
No reason to change the drier unless it is failing...we work on air con systems daily, compressor failure would only be on about 1 in 60 cars we work on, usual thing is the air con rad which is holed and leaking, or a leak in the pipework...if the compressor isnt kicking in, that is usually due to lack of gas in the system or an electrical fault.
Oh, just repeating what I had been told. The guy I used had a big pile of compressors in a skip (it fixed mine). He did also say the drier didn't need changing, but I wouldn't get a warranty on the compressor unless it was.dooosuk said:
Anyone used Kwik Fit with their guarantee to make it cooler or no charge?
Kwik Fit will be as good as Halfords on that count - they just use one of those R134a cans, connect up, press button, wait for the gauge to come into the green zone ....Not quite what you'd count as proper air conditioning service.
dooosuk said:
Anyone used Kwik Fit with their guarantee to make it cooler or no charge?
Sounds like a con, 10%? breath from a cup of tea could effect the result!Kwik Fit Website said:
Recharge or No Charge
Let Kwik Fit recharge your Air Con while-u-wait. We will replace and recharge lubricant and refrigerant levels in line with your manufacturer’s recommendation. If we cannot improve the coolest vent temperature from your car by more than 10% when measured in degrees Celsius - then you pay nothing at all.*
If you have pre-paid by booking your appointment online, we will arrange for your credit or debit card to be refunded.
Let Kwik Fit recharge your Air Con while-u-wait. We will replace and recharge lubricant and refrigerant levels in line with your manufacturer’s recommendation. If we cannot improve the coolest vent temperature from your car by more than 10% when measured in degrees Celsius - then you pay nothing at all.*
If you have pre-paid by booking your appointment online, we will arrange for your credit or debit card to be refunded.
- Please note if the ambient temperature around the car is less than 9 degrees Celsius it may affect the results of the AirCon recharge test results. In these circumstances, it is at the managers discretion whether to offer a refund with results less than 10%.
Elroy Blue said:
Took the missus Focus into a Ford dealer for a regas a few weeks ago(£39). Turned out to have a hole in the condensor. They wanted £488 to fix it. Told her to open the window.
Get one for much less than that & easy to fit yourself! I replaced the drier in my old Mondeo, got a genuine part off eBay for £30(seller getting rid of old stock), fitted it myself and icey cold again 
clonmult said:
Kwik Fit will be as good as Halfords on that count - they just use one of those R134a cans, connect up, press button, wait for the gauge to come into the green zone ....
Not quite what you'd count as proper air conditioning service.
No, they don't. Don't say things that are plainly wrong.Not quite what you'd count as proper air conditioning service.
They have a hulking big machine that pumps out the old gas, cleans out the system, puts new lube in, and then regasses. It takes just over an hour.
I had mine done last week at Kwik-Fit, but paid nothing because the aircon wouldn't work after the regas.
Turns out Ford in their wisdom share the aircon fuse with the heated washer jets which had shorted, so I disconnected those, put a new fuse in, and got icy cold aircon for the price of a 7.5A fuse.
crolandc said:
Hi, my car E46 is 8 now and never been regassed! where would be the best place to get this done? Mains dealer or where? thanks for any advice.Cliff.
Why the exclamation that it hasn't been regassed! ?Does it need re-gassed, is it working?
Re-gassing is not a service item that needs done every few years.
dooosuk said:
Anyone used Kwik Fit with their guarantee to make it cooler or no charge?
Yep - I was about 75% sure that the Audi's air con was shot, rather than just needing regassing, so I took it to them. They had more far professional kit than we use at Halfords, rather than just a can of R134a and a pressure gauge, they could look up the precise weight my car should have had, pull all the old refrigerant out, lubricate and then regas the system. Before this they also did a full pressure/leak test on the car. They could then tell me it had about a gram left in it 
Filled it up, there were no leaks, but it still didn't work properly and so I wasn't charged a penny. This makes air con regassing the one and only thing I'll recommend Kwik Fit for.
clonmult said:
Kwik Fit will be as good as Halfords on that count - they just use one of those R134a cans, connect up, press button, wait for the gauge to come into the green zone ....
Not quite what you'd count as proper air conditioning service.
No they don't! They just did my Tuscan, they do a leak check and used a machine (on wheels) to pump out any old gas, and then replace with new until the correct pressure is reachedNot quite what you'd count as proper air conditioning service.
dooosuk said:
Cheers..I've got a similar concern with the air con on my E46 and was thinking it'll be a cheap way to get it working again or find out it is knackered and I just need to open the window
Can you hear a whistling type noise come in through the vents a few seconds after you press the a/c button on?If so, on an e46 this means its just low on gas and that the condensor is working ok (in most cases)
JM said:
crolandc said:
Hi, my car E46 is 8 now and never been regassed! where would be the best place to get this done? Mains dealer or where? thanks for any advice.Cliff.
Why the exclamation that it hasn't been regassed! ?Does it need re-gassed, is it working?
Re-gassing is not a service item that needs done every few years.
as the people in the dealership (that get a bonus for every AC Service they sell) will tell you
varsas said:
I went to a local (friend recommended) specialist. He sounded all enthusiastic on the phone, so I trusted the job with him.
Air-con rarely just needs a re-gass, if the gas has escaped there is probably a problem somewhere. Your compressor has done well to last 8 years, it's probably that which needs changing.
The system needs to be correctly drained, pressure tested and then re-filled with the correct weight/amount of gas. Even if nothing is wrong with your system, just pumping in an arbitrary amount of gas isn't the answer. the drier should also be changed and, bizarrely, I found changing my cabin filter made a big difference to the air con on my E36.
I took my E36 for a regass a few weeks ago. Guy rang me back an hour later saying there's a leak in the system and recommend I take it to a specialist. Didn't get charged though.Air-con rarely just needs a re-gass, if the gas has escaped there is probably a problem somewhere. Your compressor has done well to last 8 years, it's probably that which needs changing.
The system needs to be correctly drained, pressure tested and then re-filled with the correct weight/amount of gas. Even if nothing is wrong with your system, just pumping in an arbitrary amount of gas isn't the answer. the drier should also be changed and, bizarrely, I found changing my cabin filter made a big difference to the air con on my E36.
I've never had cold air since I bought it and the fan doesn't seem to blow much air into the cabin even on full. Putting to demist helps but it only blasts to windscreen.
Any idea what the problem is? Its getting a little warm with the full black leather.
Cheers
GreatGranny said:
I took my E36 for a regass a few weeks ago. Guy rang me back an hour later saying there's a leak in the system and recommend I take it to a specialist. Didn't get charged though.
I've never had cold air since I bought it and the fan doesn't seem to blow much air into the cabin even on full. Putting to demist helps but it only blasts to windscreen.
Any idea what the problem is? Its getting a little warm with the full black leather.
Cheers
Yeah, the HVAC system on these cars is pretty poor TBH and the amount of air isn't great, the fan makes plenty of noise but the amount of air flow isn't great. It could be a badly fitted or blocked cabin filter, blocking the tubes. Does the car steam up? If so change the filter first. As to the fault with the air con, someone needs to put that colored fluid through to check for leaks, it'll need a specialist. Changing the compressor cost about £200-£300 but it's probably not something you want to mess with yourself. The gas you waste will end up costing more then getting someone else to do it. Even after fixing the air-con it isn't great, mates M3 is the same.I've never had cold air since I bought it and the fan doesn't seem to blow much air into the cabin even on full. Putting to demist helps but it only blasts to windscreen.
Any idea what the problem is? Its getting a little warm with the full black leather.
Cheers
varsas said:
I went to a local (friend recommended) specialist. He sounded all enthusiastic on the phone, so I trusted the job with him.
Air-con rarely just needs a re-gass, if the gas has escaped there is probably a problem somewhere. Your compressor has done well to last 8 years, it's probably that which needs changing.
The system needs to be correctly drained, pressure tested and then re-filled with the correct weight/amount of gas. Even if nothing is wrong with your system, just pumping in an arbitrary amount of gas isn't the answer. the drier should also be changed and, bizarrely, I found changing my cabin filter made a big difference to the air con on my E36.
You've been ripped off by a cowboy.Air-con rarely just needs a re-gass, if the gas has escaped there is probably a problem somewhere. Your compressor has done well to last 8 years, it's probably that which needs changing.
The system needs to be correctly drained, pressure tested and then re-filled with the correct weight/amount of gas. Even if nothing is wrong with your system, just pumping in an arbitrary amount of gas isn't the answer. the drier should also be changed and, bizarrely, I found changing my cabin filter made a big difference to the air con on my E36.
The compressor is the most reliable component of an AC system. So much so that honest experts would recommend getting one from a breakers if yours fails, because they are so reliable that they rarely fail.
A compressor would likely last the entire life of the vehicle.
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