S40 (New) AC : Anyone had an A/C recharge done?

[iainmd]

The aircon in my S40 doesn't blow anywhere near as cold as it did some 6yrs ago. Has anyone had the A/C "re-charged" and if so where, how much and did it make a noticable difference?

I've never had this done before but you see all sorts of places advertising the service nowadays. I have no idea how it's done, what's involved or the best way to go about this.

All helpful hints appreciated.

Iain

[charliemopic]

Just had mine done this afternoon, 39.99 all in for the leak detection and full re-gassing. It was done at ATS Euromaster in Ely Cambridgeshire. Took about an hour and has made a huge difference, i don't think it had been done for several years :-)

[Welton]

It can make a big difference, quite a few people on forums like this moan about Kwik Fit's service but then some say if you get the right Kwik Fit with the right staff then then do a cracking job.

I had a mobile man do mine last year for £58.00, I stood and chatted with him through the process. Mine was a little down on gas but not much.

They will check the existing pressure with the system running and check the temperature at the face vent to see what the level of gas is and check overall status, then recover all the old gas, do a pressure test with Nitrogen to check for leaks (this is where it can all go tits up), vacuum the system to remove moisture and then re-fill with new gas, add/replace fridge oil if required, and a UV dye for future leak detection.

Be aware though of our weak condensers and the fact that it might fail the pressure test - leaving you with no air con until you replace the parts.

If you suspect the system to be low on gas it's a good idea not to use it so much as it strains the compressor (although it will cut off automatically when really low on gas). The compressor will sound rough/grumbly when low on gas.

As many as 90% of cars having a 'regas' will show that a leak is present requiring remedy first. The remainder of cars are likely to be low on gas but still functioning and can be treated easily at low cost (like mine was).

I work next-door to a reputable car body shop and simply asked them to recommend a mobile service (they would only use someone reliable because of warranty issues) it might be worth you asking someone similar? the guy that did mine was superb, had a nice kitted-out van and even printed me an invoice via his lap top there and then!