[Mustard3]

My car is coming up to 5 years old now and it's never been done. The air is still coming out cold but It's hard to tell how it compares to how it was from new.

I might get it done when it's in for a brake fluid change next month but don't want to spend £90 and not be able to notice the difference.

[AndyCKent]

When it stops coming out cold.

We got a 5 series done last year at Kwik Fit of all places, £60. Fixed the issue

[PeakyJ]

Originally Posted by Mustard3

My car is coming up to 5 years old now and it's never been done. The air is still coming out cold but It's hard to tell how it compares to how it was from new.

I might get it done when it's in for a brake fluid change next month but don't want to spend £90 and not be able to notice the difference.

If it blows cold when the weather is 30c I would save your money.

[SkyJawa]

VW recommend every 2 years, I’m on the fence if it’s money making or they have a point…

Why does it need to be serviced?
Your air conditioning system can lose up to 10 percent of its gas each year. Unless it's replaced the system will be less able to keep you cool and refreshed.
What happens if it's not serviced?
The system will continue to lose gas, become less efficient and lead to increased fuel consumption. It will eventually fail and need replacement parts.
What do we do?
We drain and recharge the system; check hoses, filters, belts and connections; and make sure the compressor and condenser are working correctly.
How often does it need to be serviced?
Volkswagen recommends every 2 years.

[Rich76]

Most manufacturer recommend first service to be done at three years then every two .

When we do them at work we also run a sanitizer bomb through the system at the same time

[Mustard3]

I suppose I need to know how cold it should be blowing and what it's achieving now.

It does cool the cabin down but I suspect it's taking a bit longer on a higher fan setting.

[sunjas]

Every two years is the recommendation from most manufacturers.

Check what temp your getting out of the vents with the AC on vs. manufacturer data. May just need a top-up of gas.

I went to have mine down recently after two years at ATS, as it wasn't blowing that cold, but they couldn't re-gas due to a leak (suspected the condenser had stone damage).

ATS were doing good deals via Groupon for AC re-gas.

[BBri89]

The gas contains the lubricants that keep the seals supple and sealed.

Don't wait for the air to stop being cold, it's too late then, once the gas is gone (and therefore the oils) the damage starts to be done.


I get mine done every 2-3 years and never had problems since I did. Old car I left it 5 years once and the rubber seals perished and even after re-gassing it kept leaking and was quoted a ridiculous fortune to replace the pipes and fittings.

[stefan4]

Just had our '18 Renault Scenic done. They recommend every 2.5 years, this has been dodgy for a while so that would seem to hold true.

[Mustard3]

Originally Posted by BBri89

The gas contains the lubricants that keep the seals supple and sealed.

Don't wait for the air to stop being cold, it's too late then, once the gas is gone (and therefore the oils) the damage starts to be done.


I get mine done every 2-3 years and never had problems since I did. Old car I left it 5 years once and the rubber seals perished and even after re-gassing it kept leaking and was quoted a ridiculous fortune to replace the pipes and fittings.

Good point.

[335dX]

Originally Posted by BBri89

The gas contains the lubricants that keep the seals supple and sealed.

Don't wait for the air to stop being cold, it's too late then, once the gas is gone (and therefore the oils) the damage starts to be done.


I get mine done every 2-3 years and never had problems since I did. Old car I left it 5 years once and the rubber seals perished and even after re-gassing it kept leaking and was quoted a ridiculous fortune to replace the pipes and fittings.

Spot on.

But sometimes these forum dwellers that say it’s a money spinner or it doesn’t need doing unless it isn’t cold think they know best, they don’t.

It’s good practice to run it once a week to keep everything lubricated.

[Pentland]

Had my E46 for 11 years and my F36 is 5 years old. I keep the ac on all the time and every time the clocks change, I open the car windows and run the ac full hot for 10 mins then full cold for 10 mins.
Never had a problem with the ac.

[PeakyJ]

Originally Posted by Mustard3

I suppose I need to know how cold it should be blowing and what it's achieving now.

It does cool the cabin down but I suspect it's taking a bit longer on a higher fan setting.

Easy to find out.

The way to test this is to put a probe thermometer in the centre vents with the climate control on its coldest setting (16c) and fan speed on low. Obviously the centre wheel has to be set to cold as well.

As an example mine which had a new condenser fitter a couple of years ago blows around 3c at the vent when the ambient temperature is around 25c. Most manufactures say it should be below 5c if working currently at those ambient temps.

I’ve had 12 year old cars that have never been re-gassed and the A/C was still ice cold. It’s a sealed system and the need to re-gas every 2 years is completely unnecessary unless you have a very slow leak somewhere, often caused by the seals going bad because you don’t run the A/C all year round like you should.

[Kal101]

Had mine done by Halfords a few weeks back for £50 on the drive.

Made a massive difference to mine a 2015 model.

Fairly simple and painless process that took about 40mins to do.

Cost does depend on the gas used. Later cars have to have a more eco friendly expensive version fitted.

[Kermit]

It comes down to how often you use it. If you leave it off most of the time, then the seals dry out, loses pressure and things fail. If you use it all the time it likely won't need doing for years.

Ask yourself how many times you've regassed your fridge freezer.

[Mustard3]

Good info, thanks all. I don't think it's as strong as it was, the car is 5 years old and I plan to keep it another 4, so will get get it done.

[PeakyJ]

Originally Posted by Mustard3

Good info, thanks all. I don't think it's as strong as it was, the car is 5 years old and I plan to keep it another 4, so will get get it done.

That’s fair enough ..but in reality if it really does need a re-gassing at only 5 years old it could already have slightly leaky seals in the system. Food for thought.

[PixelVogue]

Was on BMW booking my car in for MOT and saw this...

[Mustard3]

Originally Posted by PixelVogue

Was on BMW booking my car in for MOT and saw this...

That's interesting, do you have a link?

[PixelVogue]

Originally Posted by Mustard3

That's interesting, do you have a link?

You have to login to book online to see what is there.

[335dX]

Originally Posted by Kermit

It comes down to how often you use it. If you leave it off most of the time, then the seals dry out, loses pressure and things fail. If you use it all the time it likely won't need doing for years.

Ask yourself how many times you've regassed your fridge freezer.

A fridge freezer, fridge, air conditioning units at home don;t have any seals they are a sealed unit without any rubber seals in the circuit.

A cars a/c system has rubber seals in it which as has been said if it isn’t used dry out and then the gas leaks.

[HighlandPete]

I can see the wisdom of getting a regas, if the performance has dropped off, or you suspect it has deteriorated.

My experience, more folks have issues, who don't use the A/C all the time.

My F11 was still doing well, coming up to 10 years old, until the condenser sprung a leak a few weeks ago. Been on virtually all it's life, and could still chill the car very quickly with low vent temperatures.

I'm aware of users having A/C still working well after say 12 years. Whether the performance had dropped off very much, I don't know.