Aircon failed. Fault finding suggestions

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Wed 6 Aug 2008 23:18
Aircon failed. Fault finding suggestions - henry k
The A/C on my 98 Mondeo has now stopped supplying cool air.

Some general information on fault diagnostics on any car needed.

I had the system recharged a year ago ( after three years of ownership ).
It was done at an independant on an automatic machine.
I was told that it would not recharge unless a solid vacuum was retained for about 30 mins during the process.

Since this recharge the effectiveness has slowly reduced.

I am guessing I have a leak rather than a compressor or other fault.
I did not have any dye added to the gas as I had no indication of other than a very very slow loss of cool ( gas loss?)
If it is gas loss I suspect I need dye added ( plus some gas) to show up the leak and then proceed from there.

Is there any other things to check before I hand it over to.....?
Any recommendation re an A/C expert in the Esher / Kingston /Surrey area ?
I am reluctant to hand a blank cheque to a London main dealer.
My servicing garage is 60 miles away and I might need to make more than visit hence I need a local expert.

(From web info it seems that Mondeos are prone to the base of the condenser rotting.)
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Thu 7 Aug 2008 00:04
Aircon failed. Fault finding suggestions - FotheringtonThomas
Try "Technical matters"?
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Thu 7 Aug 2008 00:33
Aircon failed. Fault finding suggestions - spikeyhead {p}
If I'm away from home and need some motoring skill that I don't have then a quick trip onto a car lot when its quiet will provide this sort of info. They'll all have a phone number for a mobile a/c specialist.
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