Air con regas already

[Cyker]

From what I've seen it has the least impact on diesels and hybrids, but the most impact on EVs (More in terms of range than performance) and petrols (Other way around).

I used to cycle it on and off manually, but like AndrueC now that I'm in a car with climate control I just leave everything on in auto mode with a set temperature and let it cycle the systems off and on as it sees fit!

1 hour ago, AndrueC said:

Does anyone know if the A/C compressor comes on to reduce humidity when defogging the windscreen?

And an other related question. I have three portable A/C units at home and two of them don't get used often even in summer (even this year!) yet they show no signs of problems. What's so special about car A/C systems?

If you hit the specific button to clear the windscreen it does seem to!

re. static AC units, they are not subject to vibration, potholes, birdstrikes, road debris, stones, rocks, sand, salt, grit, rodents, large temperature variations, chemical attack etc. so they have an easier time of it  

[TonyHSD]

2 hours ago, DaveST said:

Late in joining into this topic, but my Corolla Touring Sport 1.8 which is almost 2 years old (and hasn’t done 10k miles yet) seems to have aircon which doesn’t work properly, especially on the driver’s side. I phoned my dealer to see if it could be checked, since the car is still under warranty. The receptionist immediately said, “an air-conditioning check is chargeable, and you should have it on frequently”. I wasn’t happy about this at all, and there is no mention of this in the car handbook as far as I know, and I’ve never had a problem with my previous 5 Toyotas.

I’ve made an online booking to have the annual service next month, and requested a re-gas (although I don’t yet know the cost from the dealer). The default position with the Corolla is for the air-conditioning to be off, which is understandable as a fuel-saving measure. If it should be turned on regularly, as explained elsewhere in this chat, then surely it should be made clear to the owner at the time of purchase.

I’m expecting to have a serious (and potentially difficult) conversation with my dealer next month when my car is serviced.

For the regass they will charge you £130 + don’t remember exact price , this as periodic maintenance which its fine. From what you describe, your car is likely to be low on gas and re gas is the first step. When they connect the automated machine to the car the machine will perform a vacuum test for 20 min to double check the system for leaks, here it is important in an event of a failure to ask exactly what is wrong, what has caused it and push for warranty repair. If anything wrong and warranty repair is authorised you may get refund for the re gas too, or only been charged once for test and gas. 
If test pass ok then t(e system will fill up ten right amount of gas and oil and will complete your ac regas process. They have to manually test the temp of air blowing from air vents , which at lowest setting should be around 4-7C° 

[DaveST]

1 hour ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Often air con (especially as regards re-gassing) only carries a limited warranty within the new car warranty. 

An air conditioning check isn't included within the usual service schedule, and the owners manual doesn't mention specifics of the service schedules

Air con is useful in winter as, when used in conjunction with the heater, provides dehumidified air which helps demist the car more quickly.

My problem is that I bought my new car in Sept 2020, and hardly used it for ages because of lockdowns, etc.  I'm therefore going to find it very difficult to prove an inherent aircon fault, so I'm probably shafted.  But I'll try.  It'll be interesting to see if there's still such a thing as customer loyalty! 🙂

[DaveST]

48 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

For the regass they will charge you £130 + don’t remember exact price , this as periodic maintenance which its fine. From what you describe, your car is likely to be low on gas and re gas is the first step. When they connect the automated machine to the car the machine will perform a vacuum test for 20 min to double check the system for leaks, here it is important in an event of a failure to ask exactly what is wrong, what has caused it and push for warranty repair. If anything wrong and warranty repair is authorised you may get refund for the re gas too, or only been charged once for test and gas. 
If test pass ok then t(e system will fill up ten right amount of gas and oil and will complete your ac regas process. They have to manually test the temp of air blowing from air vents , which at lowest setting should be around 4-7C° 

Thanks Tony - that's very helpful info!  I'll certainly push hard for that.

[Stivino]

6 minutes ago, DaveST said:

My problem is that I bought my new car in Sept 2020, and hardly used it for ages because of lockdowns, etc.  I'm therefore going to find it very difficult to prove an inherent aircon fault, so I'm probably shafted.  But I'll try.  It'll be interesting to see if there's still such a thing as customer loyalty! 🙂

If it's a new car and the air con doesn't work, I can't see how they can charge you anything. 

[Cyker]

1 hour ago, TonyHSD said:

For the regass they will charge you £130 + don’t remember exact price , this as periodic maintenance which its fine. 

Last time I went to my dealer for a regas they wanted £190 or £260 for a full AC service  

I went to Kwikfit... £70 for regas and AC bomb!

That was with the Mk1 tho, which used R134 - I don't even want to know what it will cost with R1234... 

[Hornet3D]

I have never really understood why anyone would pay for air con in a car and never use it just to gain a slightly better MPG.  In the same way I cannot understand buying a car from a particular manufacturer and then saving a few pounds by buying third part parts on the cheap.   I can understand the subsequent owners on an older car although there is some really poor parts on sale so it is a real gamble.  

I purchased and Toyota because it has a reputation so why would I have a Toyota that has a percentage of non Toyota parts fitted a few years down the road.

[FROSTYBALLS]

1 hour ago, Stivino said:

If it's a new car and the air con doesn't work, I can't see how they can charge you anything. 

The car will be two years old and it depends how long the warranty on the air con is - seldom as long as the full manufacturers warranty - and what the fault is. If it is a manufacturing defect it will be covered. If a consumable such as the air con gas, it may not be.

[Stivino]

Why should gas be a consumable?  If it has leaked, the system is faulty.

[Kental]

Sorry if I’m missing something DaveST said it’s the drivers side that isn’t working properly. Not sure if one side works and one doesn’t how a regas can help.

[Derek.w]

If aircon not cycles on at regular intivals then seals dry out and gas presure is compromised.

After saying that its not unknown for piping to have caffed away against some obstical like chassi.

[FROSTYBALLS]

28 minutes ago, Stivino said:

Why should gas be a consumable?  If it has leaked, the system is faulty.

Depends why the system may have leaked. If though lack of use and a seal has dried out ......

Air con gas is a consumable in the same way that brake discs, brake pads, etc, are - which is why commonly air con has a limited warranty.

[Stivino]

There is no requirement for the system to be used to prevent leakage.  So, lack of use shouldn't be an issue.

[TonyHSD]

 

2 hours ago, Kental said:

Sorry if I’m missing something DaveST said it’s the drivers side that isn’t working properly. Not sure if one side works and one doesn’t how a regas can help.

If AC system has low gas pressure but remains still operational it may only blow cool ( not icy cold) air through central vents or one side only. Keep using like that and after a certain time the system will stop working completely. Also it is a normal occurrence the system to loose some gas over time and usually more you use the ac more often you have to regas. 

[Trewithy]

12 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

" usually more you use the ac more often you have to regas."

Sorry Tony I have to disagree with you there.  The less you use the AC the more likely it is that gas will be lost through seals drying out because they are not being lubricated by the gas passing through the system.

In the past 15 years I have used the AC a lot in all my cars, the benefits outweigh any disadvantages, and I have never paid to have any of those cars regassed.

[FROSTYBALLS]

12 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Also it is a normal occurrence the system to loose some gas over time and usually more you use the ac more often you have to regas. 

I also disagree with the above. We currently leave our air con on all the time and have done with cars we've had with climate control (three since 2001) and on cars with manual air con  since 2012 (four). Others since 1998 (seven) have had the air con run at least every week including in winter. Not had to have any these re-gassed.

[TonyHSD]

Everyone free to agree and disagree with everyone’s comments. 👍

AC system is always under pressure, working or not, pressurised gas and oil in no air closed environment , no need to run the compressor to keep seals lubricated. When compressor is operating create higher pressure and heat exchanges , here is where gas is lost a tiny bit., therefore more you use ac more gas will find its way out. Seals has no issues at all., just a myth like many more in auto industry. AC in cars no need to be ON all the times or at all., although in standard cars with compressor driven by auxiliary belt the compressor is always working at minimum capacity (3%) in Toyota hybrids all that is controlled by the ac ecu. If you car has no manufacturer defect or defective part fitted even you have never used your ac for years , once you press the button ac should start immediately and provide icy cold air. 
When ac not able to provide enough cold air is a first sign for low gas in the system, second is ac stop working at all, all that will be because of a gas loss. If the gas is lost in a two year old car driven or not used ac or not there is definitely only two options, accident damage or manufacturer defect which should be dealt via warranty repair. 
 

[DaveST]

2 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

I also disagree with the above. We currently leave our air con on all the time and have done with cars we've had with climate control (three since 2001) and on cars with manual air con  since 2012 (four). Others since 1998 (seven) have had the air con run at least every week including in winter. Not had to have any these re-gassed.

The default setting when turning on the ignition on my current Corolla is for the air-conditioning to be in the off position when the heating system is set to "Auto".  This is different to the settings in my previous Toyotas, where the aircon would need to be manually turned off.  There is nothing in the car handbook to show any particular recommendations either, so how is the average driver supposed to be aware of how the system works?  No car salesman or service person has ever said to me "oh, by the way, you should always run the aircon now and again",etc.  It's only thanks to you guys on this forum that I've learned anything at all, and for that I'm very grateful!  I didn't even know what "regassing" meant, until recently.  I'd bet many car owners don't either.  But now that I know a little, I'm better informed when arguing with my dealer... 😉 

[DaveST]

1 hour ago, TonyHSD said:

Everyone free to agree and disagree with everyone’s comments. 👍

AC system is always under pressure, working or not, pressurised gas and oil in no air closed environment , no need to run the compressor to keep seals lubricated. When compressor is operating create higher pressure and heat exchanges , here is where gas is lost a tiny bit., therefore more you use ac more gas will find its way out. Seals has no issues at all., just a myth like many more in auto industry. AC in cars no need to be ON all the times or at all., although in standard cars with compressor driven by auxiliary belt the compressor is always working at minimum capacity (3%) in Toyota hybrids all that is controlled by the ac ecu. If you car has no manufacturer defect or defective part fitted even you have never used your ac for years , once you press the button ac should start immediately and provide icy cold air. 
When ac not able to provide enough cold air is a first sign for low gas in the system, second is ac stop working at all, all that will be because of a gas loss. If the gas is lost in a two year old car driven or not used ac or not there is definitely only two options, accident damage or manufacturer defect which should be dealt via warranty repair. 
 

Thank you Tony!  Helpful comment. 

[Ian.S]

Mine has always defaulted to on in all recent Corollas that I’ve had. Never turn it off. 

[Trewithy]

52 minutes ago, DaveST said:

The default setting when turning on the ignition on my current Corolla is for the air-conditioning to be in the off position when the heating system is set to "Auto".  This is different to the settings in my previous Toyotas, where the aircon would need to be manually turned off.  

David,

Go into the Set Up menu and select Climate Control.  There are two lines here, one says Auto Ventilation which is set to On in my car.  The other is AC on in Auto, that should be On so when you press Auto on the control panel the AC will come on along with everything else.  I have written this from memory so the wording in the menus may not be exactly correct but I'm sure you will work it out.

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, DaveST said:

Thank you Tony!  Helpful comment. 

You are welcome 👍

[Cyker]

The AC system doesn't just pump the refrigerant gas, there is a lubricating oil in there too which gets circulated - That keeps the AC compressor lubricated and free from corrosion, and also helps stop any rubber seals from drying out and embrittling, which they would otherwise naturally do over time due to being exposed to so many heat-cycles.

I'm definitely in the use-it-or-lose-it camp!

[Derek.w]

I had a car first Toyota 1999 or 2000 reg it was over 10 years old without regassing system.

[frizzbee30]

I've had similar issues on my company car.

First big service the aircon had dropped off, they did a regas, and I figured lousy factory check.

Now,  a lot less than 12 months later same issue  (I do a LOT of company mileage).

Asked them to investigate as obviously there is a leak issue somewhere, asked if something was found..'oh,we just re-gassed it'.

So I'm guessing every summer until replaced, it will be a regas.

Nice quick easy earner though, if you're busy...

My wifes old 2006 VW was never re-gassed once, until it finally went in 2020, and was like a freezer when running. 

My portable home aircon is 21yrs old, and still kicks out the same every summer!