how to regas a w203????

[merc man]

Hi there all i think its time to regas my w203 c-class after a long trip home i think that my a/c is not cooling the cabin enough, i went to the stealership and they wanted too much money for a regas they said that they want to check for leaks lubricate and give the a/c system a genral service and regas, but i have been told by others that its just a simple case of a regasing with the right gas as it contains the nessacary oil and other ingredients along with the refrigerant, and a local place is asking £70, to re-gas but i have been told to look on ebay where they sell diy kit for about £30-£40, what is the best option and is regassing stright forward and can it be done diy? or does it need to be taken to a specialist? and what type of gas do i need to use or make sure is used thanks for your help in advance merc man!!

 

[wongl]

Local air-con specialist replaced dryer and regas for £110 (not included the dryer which I sourced from local stealer).

I believe Kwik Fit offers a £44.95*regas.

*If your coolest air-con vent temperature doesn't improve by 10% or more – you pay nothing. Contact your nearest centre for details.

 

[Satch]

These may be the easiest option:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...y=31345&topCategoryId=33958&crumb=33958-31345

But if you want to do it properly:

http://www.primalec.co.uk/newhome/primalec_2005.pdf

 

[marcos]

A re-gas is only really needed if you have a leak, hence the dealers wanting to check for leaks.
Personally I dont like all these DIY systems as you really cant do the job properly without finding the leak, recovering the gas inside and weighing it, repairing the leak and then vaccing the system of all air and weighing refrigerant back in. It's not as simple as just throwing a bit more refrigerant in unfortunately.
Also do you know what type of gas you need, should actually say it on the system somewhere.

 

[Satch]

A re-gas is only really needed if you have a leak, hence the dealers wanting to check for leaks.
Personally I dont like all these DIY systems as you really cant do the job properly without finding the leak, recovering the gas inside and weighing it, repairing the leak and then vaccing the system of all air and weighing refrigerant back in. It's not as simple as just throwing a bit more refrigerant in unfortunately.
Also do you know what type of gas you need, should actually say it on the system somewhere.

True. But if you have a system running off R134a with a minor seepage past a seal then one of those gives a cheap, quick if perhaps only temporary fix. I am told that they are popular with used car traders for some reason I cannot possibly imagine.........

 

[fuzzer]

took me a moment to realise what a regas was I knew you werent talking about those offices you can rent by the hour and couldnt understand why someone would want a turntable in their car

Ahh well , im off back to bed.

 

[merc man]

so gassed up

ok so i re-gassed the car but now i find out that the passengerside vents are blowing nice and cold but driver side is warm even the centre vent is split cold and warm but when i read off the gauge in the engine where the gas goes it says that the gas pressure is fine and theres no leaks this seems strange as the centre passenger side and the one nearer to the passenger window seem to be fine any suggestions?​

 

[jasohal]

how much gas did you put in the system ?

thers should be a green sticker somewhere in the engine bay with the required amount in kg ...

the reason i ask is I had exactly the same issue a few weeks back with the S class - blowing cold from passenger side and warm from driver's...a regas fixed the problem.

 

[merc man]

how much gas did you put in the system ?

thers should be a green sticker somewhere in the engine bay with the required amount in kg ...

the reason i ask is I had exactly the same issue a few weeks back with the S class - blowing cold from passenger side and warm from driver's...a regas fixed the problem.

hi there i got the kit from halfords and it has a gauge where when the gas is between the blue area then its 'topped up' and then you disconnect the hose and then check the pressure again and it all seems to be fine but the system still blows out a split of cold and warm air and the cold air is not as cold as i would haved liked! so i might have to take it to the stealers but im not looking forward to paying their prices is there anywhere you could reccomend or is kwik-fit still the best option? regards merc man

 

[jasohal]

I got mine done from an independant I know - £50 and I get to watch him work on my car ( reassurring !! )

From the posts regarding Kwik-Fit the procedure described is exactly what the independant did so would give them a go -

IMO the stealers would be last option as they'd prob want around £180 ???

 

[Shude]

IMO the stealers would be last option as they'd prob want around £180 ???

The stealership would almost definitely outsource the work anyway, as I know for a fact that most of them have no equipment for this. They would do as much work as they can regarding repairs or parts and then get a little bloke with a van to re-gas the system.

How much they like you or want you as a customer is directly proportional to the amount they will add onto the price of the 3rd party work. In my case on two occaisions I have been given the business card of the 3rd party, although I am mostly a scruffy guy driving around in a beaten-up old W202 and they don't really want my business.