About your A/C
Fact: The best refrigerant to use is R134a.
Why: All car manufacturers recommend you use R134a refrigerant in purpose built systems or as a replacement for ozone-depleting R12, when replacement is required. Other gases, such as hydrocarbons can make your air-conditioning system dangerous.
Fact: If you own a car manufactured before 1993 and your air-conditioning has a fault or runs out of gas it will generally be retrofitted to the new refrigerant R134a.
Why: The old gas (R12) wasn’t environmentally friendly and is no longer produced, although some stocks may be available at various sites. R134a is the only refrigerant recommended for car air-conditioning known to be safe for passengers and service technicans as well as being ozone-friendly. R134a is, however, a ‘greenhouse gas’. This means that servicing to maintain the system’s integrity, and appropriate removal by trained staff, is essential to protect the environment. This is not required by law at present, but we believe it is best practice.
Fact: It is illegal to knowingly (or without lawful justification or excuse) release R12 to the atmosphere. This is subject to fines of up to $150,000.
Why: The environmental impact of R12 can be minimised by appropriate recovery and recycling or destruction of the refrigerant by trained and appropriately equipped technicians. CoolCar Air-Conditioning Centres are trained and appropriately equipped. We provide an inexpensive refrigerant recovery service for automotive repairers and retail consumers (conditions apply). CoolCar Air-Conditioning Centres will not charge R12 systems which are known to be leaking.
Fact: If your air-conditioning stops working or loses efficiency, it doesn’t just need gassing up.
Why: Some people believe that refrigerant is ‘used up’ by vehicle air-conditioning. This is a misconception. In fact, the air-conditioning unit in your car is a sealed system and the refrigerant circulates indefinitely. If your air-conditioning runs out of gas, there is a leak in the system. Gassing up the system without repairing the leak will eventually cause greater damage to your system, as well as being potentially harmful to the environment.
Fact: If your air-conditioning loses efficiency, get it checked immediately.
Why: If the system has lost gas it has also lost oil and the compressor may overheat, causing damage and possible failure.
Fact: According to the Mobile Air Conditioning Society, adding any chemical other than the correct refrigerant and lubricant to your air-conditioning system can create a chemical problem resulting in system damage, even if some initial system performance improvement is noted. Of particular concern at present is the advent of ‘A/C system sealers’ which seek out leaks in the refrigerant circuit and seal them.
Why: As an air-conditioning system ages, some parts can develop leaks resulting in loss of refrigerant and cooling ability. The proper steps your service centre should take is to identify the leaking components and repair or replace them with a quality part, restoring optimum performance and minimising the environmental impact of leaking refrigerant. Use of system sealers may lead to irreparable damage to system components. In addition, the as yet unknown action of these substances on the specialist recovery equipment used in the industry, is of concern to specialists in the field.
Can I know how much does it cost to recharge a 1997 Toyota Caldina 1800cc Station Wagon? Thank you.
Hi Eugene, thanks for your enquiry. When you car air-conditioning stops working, a common reason is that it’s low or has run out of refrigerant gas. However, the system is not like a petrol tank. The gas doesn’t get used up. Nor is it correct that it will lose enough refrigerant during normal operation or by sitting unused for ages, for you you notice a loss of cooling, without there being a place in the system it leaked out from that needs some attention. So the price really depends on why your vehicle needs refrigerant. The CoolCar businesses offer a free check of your car AC to tell you what’s going on and what needs to be done. Our estimate usually includes our recommendation on what fix is required as well as servicing the system to help keep it is good working order for the future. If you would like to book and evaluation of your car, please contact the CoolCar branch nearest you. Anything else I can help you with, please let me know.
Hi
Have just been informed my evaporator in my Merc is leaking.. quote is $4000.00 to fix … FOUR, the actual evaporator is only $500
Reading alot of good reviews on a/c sealers, inc sealing evaporatorsm some still ok 3 – 4 years down the track, not all succsessful but with a minimal outlay and a stuffed system, what do I have to loose?
Professional air-conditioning specialists will always indicate the only option is to remove the dash and change the evaporator and fit a new drier to:
a) fix the problem
b) reduce the liklihood of the system dumping more refrigerant into the atmosphere (if the sealer doesn’t work) and
c) reduce the liklihood of further system failure such as a seized compressor brought about by repeated loss of refrigerant and lubricant, especially if the system been re-gassed a few times before the diagnosis of a leaking evaporator could no longer be ignored! Also, if the sealer combines with moisture inside the system to form clumps these can seize the compressor. This may be more likely if the drier is not changed or the system is not properly evacuated or contaminated refrigerant is used, all of which are more likley when dealing with a party offering system sealers.
We are also concerned about the affect these sealers can have on our equipment. While this may not be a concern for the vehicle owner we have never yet seen a system that containes sealer that has been clearly identified as such.
Below are two links to articles written about system sealers by Mobile Air-Conditioning Society Worldwide which may provide you with some food for thought. CoolCar Air-Conditioning Centres Ltd belongs to this American industry organisation.
MACS Service Reports A/C leak sealers October 2002
MACS Service Reports Update on Sealers March 2003