AC not as cold as it used to be...2006 Elantra...

As an A/C Owner and Tech, I strongly encourage you to not do what you want to do in order to save a few dollars. The cans of freon sold on the shelf of Walmart are very dangerous in the inexperienced hands plus you dont just 'fill er up' ... a recharge has to be carefully added and only in the correct amount . The chances of you adding air and moisture in the a/c system thru recharging is very high if you dont take the proper precautions., and that will ruin your system in time. Get a shot of freon in your eyes and its all over for your sight either in full, or partially. Please stay away from doing it yourself...this is something that should never be done by an inexperienced person who wants to save some money. If your a/c system is delivering some cooling, then, chances are youve lost some freon and wont cost much to have a proper Tech solve the issue.

THat sounds like very good advice, but if it is so dangerous to do this why is the Freon sold over the counter?

Many chemicals sold in Wal-Mart and elsewhere are dangerous in the hands of someone stupid.

The real reason not to do a self recharge is that this does not fix the problem. Low refrigerant isn't a problem, it is a symptom of a leak somewhere. The air conditioner doesn't consume the refrigerant. If it is low, it is indicative of a leak that needs to be fixed. You need to take the car to someone who can place dye in the system and find and fix the leak. Only then does adding refrigerant make sense.

Because there was a time when people in the US were smart enough to read and follow directions on a product label.

"Irwell" wrote

It is profitable and legal.

First step should be to look for a leak. When refrigerant was cheap and no one cared about the ozone layer, it was common to keep dumping more into the system. Last time I bought R-12, it was on sale for 50¢ a can. Every once in a while though, someone did not know what connector to use, or had no idea how to tell if the system was fully charged, and they would have damage to themselves or to the car they were working on.

I have no idea of your skills or knowledge so I'm not going to day yes or no, but some care and knowledge is needed. Do you have gauges? How will you know if the system is fully charged?

In addition to which, most companies don't mind if a few hundred of us blow ourselves up if it improes their profit picture.

Yes, everything is somebody else's fault. Nobody takes any personal responsibility anymore. This is a good part of what is wrong with America today.

Matt

Very simply....for the Merchant and MFR. to make alot of money from the unqualified Consumer. Corporate America is all about profit...pure and simple.

Further, A/C Techs have to carry a Refrigerant EPA Card showing theyve gone thru a dedicated Training Program to use residential and commercial Refrigerants , so that should tell you the dangers behind Freon ; for EPA not to require the same training for R134A auto freon , is absolutley absurd because its just as dangerous especially in the hands of inexperienced Consumers who want to save a few dollars and do it themselves. They dont know how much freon to put in, they dont know how to be sure no moisture and air are accidentally put in the system during a recharge, they have no pressure gauges to examine how the rest of the a/c system is functioning, they have no idea that the 12 oz. cans of R134A are a potential bomb under pressure, and the polyana instructions on the freon dont make up for going to Trade School so you know what youre doing. Realize your limitations which youve already indicated by your original post question ... and take it in to a professional a/c repair shop . GIve some thought to your wife and kids and maybe that will help change your mind .... even if your wallet says otherwise. Peace.

You are showing your ignorance. The EPA cares not a wit about dangers to the user. You have the wrong bureaucracy.

" snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com" wrote

EPS does not care about danger, only poking holes in the ozone layer.