Air-con loses about 10% of its gas every year, even when nothing's wrong. If yours is blowing cool rather than cold, or smells a bit musty, a re-gas and check puts it right — with a before-and-after reading so you can see the difference.
Older systems — most cars built before about 2017.
The newer gas — most cars from around 2017 on. Costs more because the gas does.
Not sure it needs a re-gas? We'll check the vent temperature, the compressor and the pressures, free.
Not sure which gas your car uses? Book either — we check the label under the bonnet before we connect anything and only charge for the right one.
Air conditioning does more than cool the car. It dries the air, which is how it clears a fogged windscreen in seconds on a wet winter morning — a safety feature as much as a comfort one. It also filters pollen and dust, which anyone with hay fever will appreciate.
The catch is that the gas seeps slowly through the seals — around 10% a year — and the less gas there is, the harder the compressor works and the less cold you get. Manufacturers recommend a recharge at least every two years, and running it for ten minutes a week in winter keeps the seals lubricated and stops them drying out.
We connect the machine, recover whatever gas is left, pull a vacuum on the system and hold it — if the vacuum drops, there's a leak and we tell you before spending your money on gas. Then we recharge to the exact weight your car specifies, add the correct lubricant, and check the vent temperature. If it's cold, you're done. If it isn't, something else is wrong and we quote for it.
Every two years. Systems lose around 10% of their gas a year through the seals even when nothing's wrong, so after two years it's working noticeably harder for less cold.
Most cars built before about 2017 use R134a (£84). Most from 2017 on use R1234yf (£144). We check the label before we start so you only pay for the right one.
Bacteria and mould on the evaporator behind the dashboard. An anti-bacterial clean kills it and clears the smell; a new pollen filter helps too.
Then the gas wasn't the problem: it may be the compressor, a pressure switch, the condenser or an electrical fault. Our free check finds out before you spend anything on gas.
