Air dressing appointment

My LandRover dealer has sent me a letter offering to service the air conditioning of my Freelander, including replacement of filters and recharging the system, all for a special price of 140€ (£120 at today's rate). The car has done about 12k miles and is 18 months old. My last Freelander ran without aircon servicing for 6 years, and the Discovery before it for 4 years, and both were giving adequate cooling when they were traded in. How often should servicing be necessary, bearing in mind that the aircon is used for about six months every year, and is the price reasonable or should I get it done in the UK?

Asked on 29 August 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
If you use the a/c regularly, including for at least 10 minutes every week right through the winter, then the lubricants suspended in the refrigerant get pumped through the system and it self-lubricates. The biggest problem is refrigerant loss and that usually happens through dried out seals because the a/c has not been run right through the winter. You will still eventually suffer some loss, but a service every 4 years should be enough.
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