Air con

[steve333]

When I viewed the wife's slk and test drove it the air on wasn't blowing cold so when agreeing a deal the dealer agreed to have it re-gassed,we've now had the car 9 days and the air on is still blowing cold as it did the day we collected it,question is how long would it be before the air stopped blowing cold if the regassed refrigerant had leaked out if there was a problem in the system somewhere(leaking seals/faulty condenser etc),many thanks for any help!

 

[Tiim533]

I had the same thing in my old Saab. Air went warm in a day or so....

 

[kid-jensen]

The original "how long is a piece of string" question....

Depends entirely on the size of the hole the original refrigerant leaked out of....

 

[steve333]

The original "how long is a piece of string" question....

Depends entirely on the size of the hole the original refrigerant leaked out of....

Hi Paul,was looking at the longest it would take to not blow air con cold if there was a problem.

 

[kid-jensen]

It literally could take a few minutes or the life of the car.

Depends on how well the dealer fixed the leak. If they didn't fix anything, (just did a recharge) the refrigerant will last aproximately as long as it did before.

 

[steve333]

It literally could take a few minutes or the life of the car.

Depends on how well the dealer fixed the leak. If they didn't fix anything, (just did a recharge) the refrigerant will last aproximately as long as it did before.

Dealer wasn't aware of / didn't have the car checked for a leak so just had the car re-charged/gassed which is why I was looking for a rough idea on how long it would take to stop blowing cold if there was a leak-the car is only just 7 years old and don't know if this is the first time it has been re-gassed or not.

 

[kid-jensen]

If the refrigerant came out, there must be a leak.

Systems in good condition usually work for years without a recharge if properly looked after.

Might be worth checking with the previous owner how long ago it was last recharged, you will then know that it is likely to last slightly less than that (all things being equal).

 

[Flackadder]

Dealer wasn't aware of / didn't have the car checked for a leak so just had the car re-charged/gassed which is why I was looking for a rough idea on how long it would take to stop blowing cold if there was a leak-the car is only just 7 years old and don't know if this is the first time it has been re-gassed or not.

Thought a re-gas had to have some sort of Nitrogen check thingy wotsit before actual re-gas to check for pressure stability......maybe.

 

[st13phil]

Thought a re-gas had to have some sort of Nitrogen check thingy wotsit before actual re-gas to check for pressure stability......maybe.

It should, as it's illegal to discharge refrigerant to atmosphere, so whoever is doing the job needs to ensure there are no leaks before they re-gas the system - but many do not.

As PaulG has said, the refrigerant doesn't wear out and become ineffective. If a system is low on gas then some has leaked out and unless the leak is fixed it will leak out again.

 

[brucemillar]

My C55 has an AC leak!! It takes about three months for the AC to lose enough pressure so that it stops blowing cold.

We can't find the leak despite using a sniffer, dye etc. The thinking is that it is the pipe that runs up behind the engine - well it would be that one would it not? So possibly an engine out.

I suffer the £30 every summer.

 

[markjay]

Before re-gassing they are supposed to check for leaks, and fixed any if found

If there's a leak, then as other said it depends how big it is....


Sold my previous car when it was 7 years old, aircon never re-gagsed, and it was still blowing cold.


Just had my AC re-gassed first time after 10 years of service.

There was no loss of gas, so yes the system can last for many years.

Cooling has improved and I understand that this is due to debris and moisture collecting in the refrigerant gas over time which reduces the cooling efficiency.

 

[brucemillar]

Before re-gassing they are supposed to check for leaks, and fixed any if found

If there's a leak, then as other said it depends how big it is....

Just had my AC re-gassed first time after 10 years of service.

There was no loss of gas, so yes the system can last for many years.

Cooling has improved and I understand that this is due to debris and moisture collecting in the refrigerant gas over time which reduces the cooling efficiency.

Last pressure test in mine lasted 45 minutes with no loss of pressure or visible (dye) signs of a leak. But leak it does.

 

[steve333]

Will keep an eye on it but all ok at the moment-was thinking,my current A45amg is blowing at the same minimum temperature as the wife's slk(it's 9 months old the A45),however the wife's previous r170 slk (2003) was never re-gassed in our 3 year ownership and never caused a problem and blew the coldest air in any car with air on I've ever been in!

 

[Major774]

Before re-gassing they are supposed to check for leaks, and fixed any if found

If there's a leak, then as other said it depends how big it is....


Sold my previous car when it was 7 years old, aircon never re-gagsed, and it was still blowing cold.


Just had my AC re-gassed first time after 10 years of service.

There was no loss of gas, so yes the system can last for many years.

Cooling has improved and I understand that this is due to debris and moisture collecting in the refrigerant gas over time which reduces the cooling efficiency.

My father's W210 (V reg, owned from new) has never had a re-gas... Still icy cold. Air con is used every time the fan is on, so I guess the this has helped with keeping the seals lubricated over all these years.

 

[Flackadder]

After MB assured me there were no leaks from my air con a fortnight ago....it stopped cooling over the weekend. I shall be letting them know that I am just a little upset and my weekend away in Devon was a wash-out.....I mean 'a sauna' and I expect it to be sorted ASAP and lend me a car whilst they work out the difference between leak and no leak. Grrr!!

I hall word it a littl;e different then that, though. This was the abridged version.

 

[Tiim533]

After MB assured me there were no leaks from my air con a fortnight ago....it stopped cooling over the weekend. I shall be letting them know that I am just a little upset and my weekend away in Devon was a wash-out.....I mean 'a sauna' and I expect it to be sorted ASAP and lend me a car whilst they work out the difference between leak and no leak. Grrr!!

I hall word it a littl;e different then that, though. This was the abridged version.

Well in those 2 weeks, a stone could well have hit the system and made a hole in it. That's what happened to me, and it was pretty immediate.

However, in my old Saab, 2 weeks after having a B service, and having the front tyres changes, one of the front springs snapped and went right through the tyre wall... I was not a happy chappy.....

 

[DSM10000]

Just had my AC re-gassed first time after 10 years of service.

There was no loss of gas, so yes the system can last for many years.

Cooling has improved and I understand that this is due to debris and moisture collecting in the refrigerant gas over time which reduces the cooling efficiency.

The refrigerant gas is held in a sealed system, how could debris and moisture enter a sealed system? (unless of course it was no longer sealed)

 

[Flackadder]

If that was all it was. Had the thing re-gassed a couple of months earlier at Kwik-Fit......that leaked so went to MB to get a decent job done. But that appears to not have happened. Until they prove otherwise I am NOT giving them the benefit of any doubt.

Spoilt my weekend and more importantly (I am told) my wife's weekend !

 

[Flackadder]

So, MB are going to have another look with thwe understanding that it is a leak (of some sort) on the 5th August...and lend me a car as well. Could have been a 'little' before without a loan car. Have spoke to AA Warrnety who assure me I am covered, though I will not believe it until they pay up.

Cirencester seems to be 'out in the sticks' when it comes down to auto air con experts. And would they be better then the local MB who have a list of what bolt to undo and when, when it comes down to fixing stuffs ? Never know what is the best thing to do.

 

[Haven't a clue!]

Had a/c on other car(mx5) cease after 6 yrs, most likely lack of use as mainly driven top down, when needed in Italy, it chucked out warm air! Once back, mechanic could see some dye stain, so part topped system to see how long to leak, now run very regularly and still going strong in current weather, so there seem to be variables at work, just run it regularly to lubricate seals and it may stay good.