So today i did an Air Conditioning service on the Rangie (2013 HSE Black Edition) as i felt it wasnt performing as well as it did when i first got it.

After Vacuuming the system down the recovery only took out 200 grams. The total according to the sticker under the bonnet should be 600 grams + or - 10 grams so im suprised it performed at all!!

After a successful pressure test, all was well and filled back up with 600 grams of refrigerant and the difference is night and day, now super ice cold!!

I have no idea where the other 400 grams have disappeared to over the 4 years as there could be no leaks found, but all said and done it was a successful outcome.

If your aircon isn't performing as it should get it gassed as you may well be suprised at how little refrigerant is in your system  2003 BMW M5 - 5 Litres of V8 Optimax Slurping Goodness in Carbon Black

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Hi Buckster
This always worries me. If the air con needs regas I am told by my local garage that they always test for leaks before re-pressurising. However it seems this is supposedly part of the built in re-pressurising/regas system so I'm not convinced.

Sounds like you have the definitive solution. So, is this something you did yourself? Or is it that you have a tame Indie who knows what they're doing? Robin
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As a general rule I think it is recommended to have the aircon checked/serviced ever 2 years.

My idea of a proper "regas" would be system completely vacuumed down to remove gas and any possible moisture, pressure tested with nitrogen to ensure no leaks and then refill with correct amount of gas, there is also a very small drop of special lubricant used a well as the ultra violet dye.

Cheers
Col

My air con was re gassed in January this year, It was pressure tested and I was told it was fine. But the last few days although working it isn't very cold, so there has to be a slight leak somewhere but pressure testing hasn't shown it up. All the cars I have worked on have had a separate electric fan on the condenser, I went to check the fan but there isn't one on this car (unless I have missed something) so how can it cool as well, or run as cold as others.

These systems as col has said should be vacuumed completely and for at least 50 mins to make sure hey are completely empty/dry and nitrogen tested as a leak if it is small when you vacuum it can actually be sealed by the vacuum process i had a few issues with mine recently where the schrader valve did not fully close after the re-gas and we could find no other leaks so when you do a re-gas make sure the valves are either taken out in between the vacuum and re-gas or make sure they are not leaking at the end

Eaters wrote:

Hi Buckster
This always worries me. If the air con needs regas I am told by my local garage that they always test for leaks before re-pressurising. However it seems this is supposedly part of the built in re-pressurising/regas system so I'm not convinced.

Sounds like you have the definitive solution. So, is this something you did yourself? Or is it that you have a tame Indie who knows what they're doing?

I have a good friend that runs a car air conditioning company, he is the expert but talked me through the procedure and system as we went.

As Col has said a proper regas means the system should be vacuumed down for at least an hour to remove all the gas and moisture in the system. Nitrogen was used for the pressure test and also helps remove any remaining moisture in the system.

A small amount of lubricant oil is re-injected when the system was regassed which stops the oil seals around the system drying out.

He did say it is recommended to be done as a 2 year service and as a rule of thumb most systems will lose 15% of their refrigerant per year so working on those figures mine should have lost 360 grams in 4 years and the actual figure was 400 grams lost so the maths wasnt a million miles away  2003 BMW M5 - 5 Litres of V8 Optimax Slurping Goodness in Carbon Black

2013 SDV6 HSE Black Edition- Orkney Grey with Ebony & Ivory. LR Facelift RAI, Genuine G4 Expedition Rack, 4x Warn SBD-160 Spotlights, Warn 9.5XPS Winch, Mantec Underbody Protection and Sump Guard, Full Easy Lift Suspension Module, LR Light Guards, Light Force HTX230 Hybrid spotlights, 18” Compomotive PD1881 on 265/65/18 BF Goodrich KO2, ARB fridge, TuffTrek awning 😎

Can any aircon place do this?

Mine has become ineffective and wants looking at, but the local indy seems to be booked up weeks in advance every time I call for something.

Manchester/Stockport/Glossop if anyone knows anyone competent. Get a 2005-2009 RRS (FAH500210) sat nav/dash mat here - the one that wasn't there when you bought the car.

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Now this might sound a bit strange since Kwik-Fit and Halfords are two of the establishments we all love to hate but....

Both of them have an all singing all dancing fully automated machine that is (almost) idiot-proof. They just select the make and model on the screen, connect it up and press start. The machine then runs through the full process of emptying, testing and refilling with the right weight of refrigerant and oil.

The cost at Halfords is the least at £30 last time I checked. Lots of reports (even on the Porsche forums )
of successful regassing.

Should add that if your air con has a problem other than being short of refrigerant then you'd be better off at a specialist. 2008 MY Java Black TDV8 HSE

You can buy the kit from Halfords and do it yourself. Worked for me. Merc C220 estate Sport AMG
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Stuart wrote:

Can any aircon place do this?

Mine has become ineffective and wants looking at, but the local indy seems to be booked up weeks in advance every time I call for something.

Manchester/Stockport/Glossop if anyone knows anyone competent.