Cab air conditioning service

[Conal]

I took my Three year old Auto Trail Delaware to Johns Cross today for its first MOT, a low mileage service (oil change and mechanical check), a habitat service, and a few minor issues they hope to fix. A few minutes after leaving they phoned me up about the air conditioning. It was due a service so I said go ahead.
I would never of thought about it - my morris minor doesn’t have it, but my wife’s Kia has and I have never thought about that either. I will now have to check if it is included in its annual services.
My question is: do most of the forum members include air conditioning services as normal maintenance? I assume they regass and check the system.

 

[Korgrocker]

My approach is to run the air-con fairly frequently winter and summer and if it stops working get it fixed. I find garages will try and convince you to "service the air conditioning" because it's more money for them for doing not a lot.

 

[Feltwell]

Not really - only if the aircon isn't working as well as it should. I had a few problems with the aircon in my van, previous owners didn't even know it had it fitted in the cab(*) so never used it, which doesn't do them any good. A pressure switch was faulty, even after that was changed it needed regassing every spring. Sorted now though.

Most system lose a bit of gas every year and need regassing periodically - but there can be exceptions, my 15 year old Audi has never been regassed and still has ice cold aircon.

(*) I asked them if it had aircon, they just laughed and said "Yes, open a window". Then I spotted a suspicious looking switch, looked underneath the engine and lo & behold there was a compressor...…….

 

[Conal]

Thanks for the comments. I feel a little better about having it done as Feltwell says it loses a little gas every year so once every three years seems reasonable, especially as we leave it store for months at a time.

 

[rosalan]

There seems to be mainly two things that go wrong with A/C in vehicles. They run out of gas and then do not work or bacteria develop in the vents and it starts to smell bad. This you can cure yourself with a spray from a motor factors. If they run out of gas, get it fixed.

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[gus-lopez]

They only 'run out of gas ' if you don't use them. These days most heating systems automatically use the air con in winter to remove internal windscreen moisture. Best thing to ensure not losing gas is to use them for 30 minutes at least once a week.
Climate control systems tend to work all the time in conjunction with the heating.

 

[Kannon Fodda]

Not necesarily just the air con itself but many vehicles also have pollen or other filters in the system that should periodically get swapped out.

 

[Richard n Ann]

I took my Three year old Auto Trail Delaware to Johns Cross today for its first MOT, a low mileage service (oil change and mechanical check), a habitat service, and a few minor issues they hope to fix. A few minutes after leaving they phoned me up about the air conditioning. It was due a service so I said go ahead.
I would never of thought about it - my morris minor doesn’t have it, but my wife’s Kia has and I have never thought about that either. I will now have to check if it is included in its annual services.
My question is: do most of the forum members include air conditioning services as normal maintenance? I assume they regass and check the system.

If it's working OK it doesn't need a 'regass'. If there is even a small leak the refrigerant will be gone in a matter of days or weeks and the AC won't work at all, also it's Illegal to put refrigerant into a system known to have a leak

Most AC services are scams by dealerships, but maybe the evaporator fumigation works, who knows?.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Also don't ever let anybody tell you, you need an AC gas or refrigerant 'top up' modern refrigerants are blends of 2 or more refrigerants and if there is a leak, they escape at different rates, leaving the remaining mix with a very wrong boiling temperature .

The system refrigerant would need reclaiming, then a pressure test, then leak repair, then pressure test, then evacuation, then a recharge

 

[Conal]

Gus
Does that mean that those of us that store motorhomes away from home, and don’t visit for months, are more likely to lose gas?

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[EuroTrotters]

Ive worked on Automotive A/C for over 30 years.

Not a lot to service really. Nothing that general maintenance does not cover (new serp / ancillary belts) etc. Condenser should be inspected for stone damage.

You can spray a deodorising cleanser into the system or use envirocoil.

The problem is usually that in the Uk, people do not use the system all-year round. A/C Systems should be run every week or two to circulate the refrigerant, that in-turn carries oil vapour with it. Another problem is that people try to do this during the winter on cold days. Very often, LP (Low pressure) Switches or the Climate control system will prevent the compressor/ Compressor clutch from kicking in as the outside temperature is too low. So try to run the A/C on a warm winters day.

We have an Audi that defaults to run the A/C every time you start the car, having to turn it off ourselves if we do not want it on. It has run for 16 years on the same refrigerant charge. Our Toyotas, where people do not run the A/C all year lose the refrigerant.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Gus
Does that mean that those of us that store motorhomes away from home, and don’t visit for months, are more likely to lose gas?

Nope, it's a myth. There is no evidence whatsoever to support it. If the compressor shaft seal is leaking it's come to the end of it's life.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Gus
Does that mean that those of us that store motorhomes away from home, and don’t visit for months, are more likely to lose gas?

Yes

 

[MyrtleGuru]

Last time ours was in for a base vehicle service (Renault Master) I asked them to service the A/C (it wasn't much extra in terms of cost). We were burning up in the cab last summer, but I don't know if that's because the A/C is faulty or just generally rubbish. In PVCs I suppose they are designed with a closed cab in mind rather than a cab that's open at the back. I guess we will find out when the weather warms up again.