A/C Top-up kits

Well kwik fit et al will actually vacuum all the old crap out 1st & the amount they put back in would cost more than the top up kits. pkus they replace the lubricant. It's your call.

Have a look over in uk.rec.cars.modifications for a thread titled "It's going to rain" by Bob Sherunkle on 19/6/10 for info on why you don't want to do this.

Exactly.

Can't argue with what's been said so far if you want to pay someone else to do it. But 2 year ago I bought a diy kit off ebay for =A334 which included a hose with gauge, a can of leak stop/lubricant and a can of refridgerant. This sorted my sons car and it's still working. See ebay item 180519572765 as they still sell them. The hose and gauge have been used a few times since then to check family and friends cars.

Bob

It is a better job to get it recharged properly, with it vaccumed out and refilled with the right amount. 35 - 70 quid depending where you go.

A proper recharge is the ideal I agree, but in general those that have used a top-up kit seemed pleased with the result. Local to me, the price for a recharge appears to be 60-80 quid, whereas a top-up kit can be as cheap as £30. I think I'll try one as it's quite a saving when money is tight, and no one has given a good reason for not using one. Mike.

interesting,because as from today July 04th 2010 you must hold an F-gas certificate to handle & buy the refrigerant.

the reason to not use one is that there will be some moisture in the system, proper recharge removes the moisture, adding some gas on top does not. Often the cause of serious failure of a/c systems is internal moisture..

+AD4- It is a better job to get it recharged properly, with it vaccumed out and +AD4- refilled with the right amount. 35 - 70 quid depending where you go.

Kwik-fit have regular offers of half-price recharges, from +AKM-50 to +AKM-25. If you ring your local branch and ask to speak to the +ACI-AC bloke+ACI- and tell him you've seen an ad for half-price recharge, rather than losing a customer they'll do it for +AKM-25.

At least in my (and a couple of mates) experience..

the kit they use creates a vacuum - this boils off any moisture - it also checks for leaks.

seems a good process - it is also programmed to suit the model of car.

Boggles at people on this NG recommending Kwik Fit

It's a sufficiently automated machine that it's rather harder for them t= o =

c*ck it up than it is for a mobile aircon guy to do it in too much of a = =

hurry & if they tell you to buy new brakes whilst fixing your aircon the= n =

it's obvious thhey've made it up.

mind you one of my customers went to kwik fit for an aircon recharge, after about an hour they said they did not know why it would not work. I look forward to seeing the car in a month or so for its mot, I'll check out the aircon then and see what is really up.

In your earlier post you said there will be some moisture in the system. I can understand how that can occur if all the gas escapes, but if the A/C system is still working, allbeit at reduced efficiency, how does moisture enter a system that must still contains pressure? Appears illogical. Mike

not actually, when the air con runs with a reduced charge it can go into negative pressure on the suction side of the pump, it then draws in air/moisture anywhere it can, through joints and even through the rubber hose itself.

I stumped up =A370 to get mine re-charged but ended up with a new condensor and no additional charge for 2nd re-gas. Mine didn't seem to work at all though, and had been ok with out a charge for at least 4 years before then.

I can understand how negative pressure could allow moisture to be drawn in, but would the system still work if that were the case?. If one accepts that the performance of auto A/C systems usually deteriorate over years because of gradual gas loss, it would seem logical that if one adds gas before negative pressure allows moisture into the system, that a full purge of the system and refill can be avoided without detriment to the system. Mike.

For maximum effeciency the evaporator nearly always works under less than

1 atm of pressure, adding more fluid (short of massively overfilling it) won't stop that.