air con re gas - how often

[s7gpt]

air con is working fine in my car but its pushing 5 years old, should I re gas or not fix if not broken - any thoughts ?

[Guest 2]

don't fix if not broken, i would suggest getting it cleaned though just to freshen it up.

audi have a special offer on at the minute, £59 for regas and clean - at that price i'd get it done anyway while its on offer.

had my a3 done last week and you can certainly feel and smell the difference. the a6's wasn't done too long ago.

[s7gpt]

kwick fit will do it for £49, as its just attaching to a machine cant see any problems with them doing it ???

[Guest 2]

Shouldn't be a problem, I prefer getting Audi to do it as should anything go wrong, they will be have better knowledge diagnosing and fixing any faults.

Personal preference really.

[techfreak]

If its working fine no need for a regass.

You can buy a cleaner/deodoriser for between £10-20 pounds and DIY.

Very easy to do.

Halfords do a good job of regas and will tell you if there's a leak but cannot diagnose further problems beyond that. Also no charge if they can't get it to cool which is great.

Audi deal sounds good as it adds the cleaning in too but if you have problems and want them to start diagnosing you're looking at a lot more £££'s.

[mikeybutch]

Don't think I would trust Kwik Fit if recent reports are right.It needs a fair bit of care and if its done well in the recent heat I would leave well alone .Local inde did both ours last year for £60 at home which is handy

[Dieseldoos]

I had mine done about a month ago. Mine was working fine, but I thought my car is creeping to 4 years old so I will get it done. I did notice that allthough mine was working fine before, it definately gives even colder air now its re-gassed when its turned down to low.

I used a local family run tyre garage that I have used on and off for years.

incidently I never turn it off, just adjust it hot or cold depending.

[s7gpt]

cheers guys, I had the OH's mini done last month by kwick fit and whilst its working great now mine is still colder - its just i'm driving to Monaco & st tropez in 2 weeks and don't want it to suddenly stop working as well whilst down there, decisions decisions...

[techfreak]

It's highly unlikely to suddenly stop working unless your unlucky enough to have a something breakdown in the system whilst you're there.

As said sometimes a re gas can help in getting the system colder as it puts in the right amount of gas - the systems tend to leak very slowly over a long time therefore reducing cooling efficiency.

If it's already ice cold then I can't see why you'd want to get a re gas?

Either way enjoy your trip you lucky so n so, sounds like a nice place to be at the moment.

[s7gpt]

It's highly unlikely to suddenly stop working unless your unlucky enough to have a something breakdown in the system whilst you're there.

As said sometimes a re gas can help in getting the system colder as it puts in the right amount of gas - the systems tend to leak very slowly over a long time therefore reducing cooling efficiency.

If it's already ice cold then I can't see why you'd want to get a re gas?

Either way enjoy your trip you lucky so n so, sounds like a nice place to be at the moment. Cheers mate, ive heard the view on the beach is rather good :) although don't think the locals will be too impressed by me :(

[mikeybutch]

I have heard that Kwik Fit have a habit of overfilling the system which can cause damage

[eob]

I had our 6 year old Zafira done by Kwik Fit the other week prior to a family trip to Norfolk during the heatwave.
It was working but had became really weak.
I was aware of the bad reports about Kwik Fit but couldn't find anywhere else to do it at such short notice.
The guy was really friendly and talked me though all stages of the regas. The previous two he had done that day failed at the pressure test but mine was ok.
He checked the temp at the vents and it dropped from an ambient 24°C to 11°C which I was delighted with. The KF guy said he'd like to see it below 10°C so did the regas again, with a shorter vacuum time.
He still couldn't get it to drop below 11°C so there was no charge.
I was over the moon with it as it was definitely much better than before (I think that maybe his thermometer was a bit dodgy). Anyway, A/C performed great for the whole weekend and kept family of five cool during 7 hour trip, there and back.
No issues with Kwik Fit.

[mikeybutch]

Good to hear.Perhaps their fitters have be told to make an effort after the awful press lately.I think I will wait for a few more good reports before going there again

[Dieseldoos]

According to my local main dealer, they told me today it should be done every 2 years! They charge £79 for a clean and £115 for a clean and re-gas! Luckily I had mine done for less than that!