Fact: The best refrigerant to use is R134a.

Why: Other gases can be harmful to the environment or make your air-conditioning system dangerous. All vehicle manufacturers recommend that you use R134a refrigerant in purpose built systems or as a replacement for ozone-depleting R12, when replacement is required.

Fact: If you own a car manufactured before 1993 and your air-conditioning has a fault or runs out of gas it will generraly be retrofitted to the new refrigerant R134a.

Why: The old gas (R12) wasn't environmentally friendly and has ceased production, although some stocks may be available at various sites. R134a is the only safe and ozone-friendly gas recommended for car air-conditioning. R134a is however, a 'green-house gas' and servicing to maintain system integrity as well as appropriate recovery by trained staff is essential to protect the environment, even though it is not mandated by law (at present).

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. As such, CoolCar Air-Conditioning Centres provide an inexpensive refrigerant recovery service for automotive repairers and retail consumers (conditions apply). In addition, 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: It is a major misconception of the motoring public that refrigerant is 'used up' by vehicle air-conditioning. However, 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 the A/C system ages, some parts can exhibit leaks resulting in loss of refrigerant and cooling ability. The proper process is to identify the leaking component(s) and repair or replace 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.