Air con diy re charge

[winnie2457]

Hi all hope this is in the right section

my air con blows cold bit not as cold as it should so inassime it just needs a re gas being a 2006 I assume it's now low lol

Halfords do a diy refill for 16quid

The question is where do I connect it to recharge and do I need the air con on with engine running when recharging etc hope you can shed some light on this thanks guys

[spennny]

Personally I wouldn't use them things mate , spend the extra 20 quid and get it done at kwikfit, if they can't get it cooler then u don't pay ( that's the deal at mine )

[winnie2457]

Ok cheers but has any one used these or not

[Duncan]

Look at this post, and the rest of the thread, and make your decision from that. With those DIY cans you'll never be able to get the correct amount (weight) of refrigerant in - and that's crucial to having the system working properly.

[gokartin]

I did mine using the halfords regas can. i got the large one for £45.00 seems alot of money for a diy job, but you only use a bit so the one can will last you 3 or 4 years. the large can comes with the correct fitting and a gauge which shows you what the system is doing. it come with instructions. but the right way to do it is.- (1) have the engine running with the air con on full. (max cold & max fan speed) (2) shake can well, remove the black dust cover on the large pipe to the left of the radiator. (3) fit the valve to the large pipe and fill with gas until the gauge is in the blue section. its as easy as that. good luck and lets hope we have a hot July and August so you can enjoy it. all the best, Gokartin.

[Big Sig]

Just remember too much gas is worse than not enough as it means the compressor will or may be having liquid refridgerant rather than gas being taken too it. As it cannot compress a liquid any further it can damage and destroy the compressor.

[Big Dave]

I did mine using the halfords regas can. i got the large one for £45.00 seems alot of money for a diy job, but you only use a bit so the one can will last you 3 or 4 years.

Will your miracle diy can add the correct amount of oil to the system?

Will it tell you that you have a leak?

Will it leave you out of pocket? - hang on, I can answer that one - generally, yes.

[lesj]

As Big Dave says, the aircon is not just about refridgerent, there is also an oil.
Also ensure you do not connect to the high pressure side of the system as you will find the can cannot take the pressure and can explode.
AIr con systems loose up to 10% per year and can work on about 50% gas, but would not be so cold.
A trip to Kwik Fit with £50 every 2 years is good value and will ensure the correct level of gas and oil.
You could also push Masterfit for a price comparrison and pay KF rates at Vx. Its worked for me before.

In addition, under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the deliberate release of refrigerant into the atmosphere is illegal.
So just filling an empty system, without first leak cheking with an inert gas, is technically against the law.

[si_hoss]

AIr con systems loose up to 10% per year and can work on about 50% gas, but would not be so cold.
A trip to Kwik Fit with £50 every 2 years is good value and will ensure the correct level of gas and oil.

I agree with the Kwik-Fit re-gass every year/two years. However note, Kwik Fit do not use any form of dye so if you do develop a leak there's no way to see where from.

An independent garage near me does use dye when re-gassing and charge £50 so worth shopping about.

[sri andy]

Hi all hope this is in the right section

my air con blows cold bit not as cold as it should so inassime it just needs a re gas being a 2006 I assume it's now low lol

Halfords do a diy refill for 16quid

The question is where do I connect it to recharge and do I need the air con on with engine running when recharging etc hope you can shed some light on this thanks guys

Your car is what? 4 years old, shouldnt need a re-gas really.

I would be paying a bit more for one with the dye test. Lets say you have had a small stone through your air con rad or a leaky pipe you can throw as many £35 re-gassses at it as you want....it wont hold the re-gas.

Spend a bit more and it will cost you less in the long run.

Oh and personally i would forget the d.i.y route, A/C systems are finely tuned and potentialy dangerous bits of kit. Have you ever had a sniff of the fluid?.......

And the fluid can give you cold burns...not nice stuff!