Air conditioner servicing

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Sun 3 Jun 2001 09:27
Air conditioner servicing - David Lacey
Our dealership has recently become an Air conditioning service centre. I was fairly sceptical about the viability of this but having run for a couple of months, I can now see the benefits. Air con is a creature comfort, taken for granted as long as it works. Performance drops off over the months and the driver gets used to it. Gas naturally depletes and escapes - more so if the system is not used reguarly. I thought the a/c was fairly strong on my '97 A4, but after a recharge (The system was found the be some 200g down on gas) the system is much more efficient, probably saving me fuel. So, if we do a recharge, the customer has a direct benefit from the work by the means of better a/c operation. I would suggest a service interval of 24-36 months for the a/c system.
Just out of interest, I thought it might be an interesting exercise to couple the machine up to a NEW car and see what amount of gas we could get out, compared to the data label placed under the bonnet. Again, no names but it was some 175g short! (And before any smart-arses say it , the car make didn't begin with an 'R'!) Was this just an oversight on the production line or is it the manufacturer cutting costs? So customers may not be realising the FULL potential of their a/c systems from day one!
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Mon 4 Jun 2001 12:45
Re: Air conditioner servicing - Dave N
It's always been a bit of a problem, as I've even seen some overcharged cars that the main dealer hasn't been able to correct as it only cuts out on high pressure on hot days, but the condenser fan runs at high speed all other days. I did an '94 LS400 the other day and got exactly the correct amount. Was it a good leak tight system? Or did it have too much to start with?
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