W124 retrofit air con???

[purplebod]

Hello friends,

Not sure if this is the right forum for this post, but seemed the nearest, so apologies.

I am lucky owner of an M reg 300 t d. we have just driven to and from Latitude festival in the heat on the m25 with no air con. This is the first time I have thought about parting with my beloved car...grown ups and kids melting. Is it possible to retrofit air con, and can anyone give me an idea of what it would cost...

Ta

 

[GP801]

There was a retrofit kit from Daivia but I think its no longer available. Anything is possible but its going to be expensive. In addition to the aircon bits the models with it had different front bumpers, radiator, extra cooling fan etc. Perhaps feasible to remove working bits from a car being broken.

 

[Lxb3]

A lot - and I mean a lot - cheaper to sell your car and buy one with working air-con. However, bear in mind that any car from 1994 is unlikely to still have its air-con working, unless it's been really well looked after.

 

[hotrodder]

What they said and to put expensive into context here's a vid showing what needs to dismantled to reach the evaporator (turn sound OFF unless you like **** 'music')...

Evaporator core replacement Mercedes-BENZ W124?????????????????HD - YouTube

 

[grober]

I suggest you contact Readerair for a price Reader Air Conditioning - Diavia, Vehicle Air Conditioning, Car Air Conditioning, Air Con, A/C, Installations, Parts, Service, Air Conditioning Equipment, Gas up, Refrigeration, Heating
The other "lateral " possibility would be go for a rear roof mounted unit. This would of course mean removing a chunk of your roof !!! For the UK and its limited summer this would be a bit drastic! Might be a possible alternative strategy for a dedicated S124 owner in a tropical country though? People don't blink an eye at sticking a roof rack/box on them so----??
http://www.readerair.co.uk/pdf/RE50 Rooftop.pdf

 

[kingdave]

Vehvac | Vehicle Air Conditioning, Auto Clutch & Aftermarket Products based in Edenbridge sell retrofit air-con. They've done repairs to my S124 in the past and I've no complaints at all. They know their way round a 124.

I have no idea of likely cost or how 'factory' a retrofit solution would look.

 

[purplebod]

AH! It is all becoming clear now. What a nightmare... Anyone know if that magi cool stuff in a can works!?

 

[bolide]

It takes a fair amount of energy to cool the interior of an estate car. In my old blue 250TD I found the faster I went, the better it cooled. It would have been a lot easier to cool if it hadn't been dark blue with untinted windows...

Most new cars have tinted rear windows now - and all US-Market cars have had them for years. It reduces the heat gain inside considerably

But getting it cold inside - and demisting the front screen - requires proper aircon

Nick Froome

 

[grahamperrin]

What type of unit would have been fitted, originally, to a 1996 S124 – and would this type be OK to re-gas? OK as in, compliance with environmental regs.

For an E 300 Diesel auto that I test drove yesterday, I assume that something more than a re-gas will be required. Just … getting an idea of how much money I might set aside to either replace system components, or have the old system out and fit a compliant system.

TIA

 

[alabbasi]

forget it . You'll need a parts car with A/C and will have to remove the heater box and replace with a HVAC box. Big job.. But you have options

 

[grahamperrin]

you have options

Oh, great! Thanks. Look closely, to the left, one of the splashes of red to the left is not bunting:



Picture me filled with regret at £1.75 wasted when instead, I could have simply allowed the window to drop. A space perfectly suited to supplemental air con.

 

[GP801]

What type of unit would have been fitted, originally, to a 1996 S124 – and would this type be OK to re-gas? OK as in, compliance with environmental regs.

For an E 300 Diesel auto that I test drove yesterday, I assume that something more than a re-gas will be required. Just … getting an idea of how much money I might set aside to either replace system components, or have the old system out and fit a compliant system.

TIA

A late 124 will use R134 gas. Any AC person can top this up. Its perfectly legal to use. Earlier cars used R12 which was outlawed around 1994. R12 systems can be converted to R134. Assume that to get it working it may well need some new components. Ours oddly enough had a leak from the filling valves and cost about 60 euros to fix plus a refill.