Hello,
Can anyone talk me through charging my air-con
where the charge point is - where to buy charge unit (what type) ...............
It a Vectra estate 2.2 petrol Y-reg (51)
thanks Graham.
s
|
just take it to a decent specialist.
unless you have the correct oil, the gauges, vacuum pumps, dye, uv kit, etc all to hand?
|
|
|
Save yourself the time, bother & money and pop down to your local Kwik Fit and let them do it for £45.
Recent comments about their service:-
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=53007
And on another forum I look at, it's been mentioned that if they find a leak or can't make it 10% cooler than before they started, they won't charge you a penny.
|
>>>And on another forum I look at, it's been mentioned that if they find a leak or can't make it 10% cooler than before they started, they won't charge you a penny.
The reason being that they dont have a clue about AC. They connect it to an automated box that tries to suck out and renew. If it doesnt work they cant diagnose or fix.
|
|
Personally I'd take it to an air-con/refrigeration specialist - they usually do it for less than £45 (in my area at least), and they'll be able to diagnose/fix any leaks in the system.
|
|
Regas for £45;repairs will be a lot more!!!
|
Regas for £45;repairs will be a lot more!!!
Good point, but if a non-specialist place were to top up a leaking system for £45, that's £45 wasted.
|
From what I understand from the staff where I recently had my A/C re-gassed.
Your vehicle is linked up to a a clever bit of kit.
Details of your vehicle /model are dialed into it and it is then left to do its job.
The contents of your A/C are sucked out and then the vacuum is monitored automatically for about 30 mins to see if there are any leaks.
The correct amount of gas and lubricating oil is then automatically fed into your vehicle A/C.
Kit is then disconnected and you pay the required £££s.
So I would not be interested in any "topping up" as I cannot see how it will ever be correct.
|
So I would not be interested in any "topping up" as I cannot see how it will ever be correct.
Aircon works the same as the fridge in your kitchen, in fact it probably uses the same refrigerant. I'm no expert, but I suspect that a refrigeration engineer (i.e. not a computer) will use a pressure gauge and fill the system up until until a given pressure is reached. Just a wild, crazy thought than maybe an experienced engineer will have more knowledge than Kwik-fit's magic air-con computer?!
|
Just a wild crazy thought than maybe an experienced engineer will have more knowledge than Kwik-fit's magic air-con computer?!
>>
The auto machines must work within the regulations.
In my case (not knowing the detailed history of my car) I assume the loss of A/C performance was due to the common slight leakage over the years (1998 model) as the auto system testing advanced to the recharge phase.
An example of experienced engineer charges and the various services available.
This includes the regulations around the processes and a lot of other detail.
www.gocool.co.uk/16003.html
These prices are "considerably" higher than the £45 I paid at a decent sized modern independant garage just off J9 of the M25..
|
|
Most dealerships have "special" offers on at the moment.
|
GregSwain has got it about right.
We use automatic charging machines at work to charge our products and, to be honest, they are suitable for use by non-refrigeration trained operatives. Charging the products is seen as just another production process. The machines used by Quick Fit? are probably a modern version of our equipment with a higher capacity and much larger memory.
The problem will arise when the system being charged has a fault of some sort (a leak, usually) and the machine refuses to charge it. Unless there are skilled operatives available for diagnosis and repair then the process is at a standstill.
The amount of gas and oil to inject can be found from manufacturers specifications.
At a guess, if the OP wants to buy a simple charging unit to do his own system, it will probably cost him about £2000 to do so.
I think he will also need an "F gas" handling certificate to buy the refrigerant, and be aware of the heavy fines imposed for releasing refrigerant either accidentaly or willingly to atmosphere.
|
I was thinking along these lines ???????
tinyurl.com/2eh8mv (Link to www.halfords.com shortened to restore page width to normality - DD)
|
Re: the DIY kits in the link.
Does the AC in your Vectra just require a top up, or a complete fill? The contents of one of these DIY cans isn't enough to refill an empty system - so maybe you'll have to buy two cans which will work out the same price as paying an expert to do the job for you. Also, if the sytem is empty, chances are there is a leak. Will a DIY can tell you that - NO. What the contents of the can will do is to swell the rubber components of the AC system and stop leaks, but for how long?
IMHO, it's ok for a 5 minute bodge if you're going to sell the car to an unsuspecting buyer, but if you're planning on keeping it a while it's a false economy.
Don't just take my word for it though. Here are a few previous posts from our resident AC expert.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=29...6
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=22...1
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=17...6
The choice is yours. Do you buy a DIY miracle can, and then find in a couple of weeks time the AC has stopped working again because it's leaked out?
or
do you go to somewhere like Kwik Fit to have it refilled and if they find a leak you pay nothing?
|
Thanks for all the replys, this was what I was looking for, It has helped me make my mind -up.
I wiil try Kwik-Fit.
Thanks again, Graham.
|
|
