Air-Con regass at 2 years ?

[st901]

Have booked my Corolla 1.2 manual  in for it's 2nd annual service , the Toyota garage service rep has said that the air con system needs regassing  and should be done every 2 years .

Not being  included in the service plan means an additional charge is required .

Air con is working fine and car has only clocked 8000 miles  from new so I am reluctant to pay extra  .

If I decline to pay for a recharge would this compromise the warrantee on the air con system should a fault occur in the future ?

Thanks for any help

[Stivino]

If it was mine and the air con is working fine and the car still under warranty, I wouldn’t disturb it.

 

[RUToyota]

I don't see the point of a re-gas if the system is doing what it should...2 years is nowt...my Estima hasn't had a re-gas in 6 years and still absolutely fine...and I use it alot Winter and Summer.

[Catlover]

Keep the money in your pocket when no necessity to spend it.

[TonyHSD]

Air conditioning check and regas every two years is recommended for all cars although it seems to me a bit too soon, I usually do every 3 to 4 and I only use ac in summer. Changing your cabin filter though is ultra important and best to do it every service or once a year if you do 5000 miles or more, dealer may not suggest to you to change it but you can do it yourself and filter is cheap. 👍 

[Catlover]

Cabin filter, probably one of the most neglected item in a car.

[TonyHSD]

7 minutes ago, Catlover said:

Cabin filter, probably one of the most neglected item in a car.

And it’s the most important filter, since it protects the driver and passengers from harmful emissions and particulate matter. I can even notice when my one starts to smell bad like I am seating next to older cars exhaust , smell of petrol and oil fumes. I never skip on that one. 👍 Here an interesting video about how Tesla does protect its occupants: 

 

[forkingabout]

13 minutes ago, Catlover said:

Cabin filter, probably one of the most neglected item in a car.

Some of them are also difficult to replace due to poor design.

Easiest cabin filter to replace is Peugeot 206 - no tools required either. 

[TonyHSD]

3 minutes ago, forkingabout said:

Some of them are also difficult to replace due to poor design.

Easiest cabin filter to replace is Peugeot 206 - no tools required either. 

Corolla is super easy. 😉👍

 

[forkingabout]

5 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Corolla is super easy. 😉👍

 

Still more difficult / involved compared to a Peugeot 206 😉

[RUToyota]

Cabin filter is generally such an easy and cheap item to replace....why would you not.?

 

[Red_Corolla]

They're upselling, just decline politely but firmly.

It doesn't need any recharging or service until it starts to lose efficiency, which could be several more years, as long as you remember to run it at least once a week all year round, to keep the seals lubricated.

[Mooly]

Perhaps you could ask them how they have come to the conclusion it needs regassing. What criteria are they using that they have based their recommendation on?

[AndrueC]

1 hour ago, forkingabout said:

Some of them are also difficult to replace due to poor design.

Easiest cabin filter to replace is Peugeot 206 - no tools required either. 

Honda Jazz didn't need tools either. It was behind the glove box as so many are but no fiddly catches or hinges to undo. Everything came out more or less just because you pulled it.

[Deano68]

If you switch your aircon on regularly especially in the winter months you will help maintain your aircon gas level, the system has oil in it which keeps the seals lubricated and air tight, gas can seep out over time especially if the system isn't used due to the seals drying out.

[Anthony Poli]

The gas in the system does leak through the rubber seals over time, so you might not have any issue and the pressure is slowly decreasing. When they do the recharge, lubricant is also in with the gas for the compressor.

If you don't use the AC much is more likely to fail before, a car that has the AC on most of the time. Since the gas and lubricant is pumped round the system and doesn't pool in the system.

Failing to have the system regularly serviced could be a warranty issue, just like not having the car serviced in general.

I am surprised the AC service isn't part of the service plan.

 

[Stivino]

The gas may well escape over time but, nothing like the rate of 10% which is one of the figures I've read on the internet by "experts".

I've never had to top-up a system due to seepage.  My current car is 14 years old and I didn't have to touch the air con until it was 13 years old , and that was due to a burst pipe.

We have a 16 year old Chevrolet Lacetti in the family and the air con is still perfect.

I believe seeepage to to dry seals etc is  scaremongering put about by air con companies to get us to part with our money.

[Stopeter44]

18 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Air conditioning check and regas every two years is recommended for all cars although it seems to me a bit too soon, I usually do every 3 to 4 and I only use ac in summer.

I had to do the regas every year on the 2006 Clio I had, but the 2015 208 didn't need anything over a 5 year period. I used the air con intermittently with the Clio, but all the time with the 208.

The Yaris IV is a different fish, because I do many short journeys I am currently experimenting with leaving heating off, but I still need ventilation. For the moment, I've limited myself to just turning off the automatic aircon, i.e. no ventilation. I can get way with it here, because it hasn't rained, or snowed in month here. The upside is that fuel used just to warm the engine is dramatically reduced, but I am concerned about the A/C not working correctly when I require it.

Having read through the rest of the posts, I see that if I run the A/C at least once a week I should be OK.

 

[Anthony Poli]

16 minutes ago, Stopeter44 said:

I had to do the regas every year on the 2006 Clio I had, but the 2015 didn't need anything over a 5 year period. I used the air con intermittently with the Clio, but all the time with the 208.

The Yaris IV is a different fish, because I do many short journeys I am currently experimenting with leaving heating off, but I still need ventilation. For the moment, I've limited myself to just turning off the automatic aircon, i.e. no ventilation. I can get way with it here, because it hasn't rained, or snowed in month here. The upside is that fuel used just to warm the engine is dramatically reduced, but I am concerned about the A/C not working correctly when I require it.

Having read through the rest of the posts, I see that if I run the A/C at least once a week I should be OK.

 

Once a week is what I was advised by my local Toyota service, just to keep the system lubricated and the seals in good condition. Just 10 minutes each week.

[haelewyn]

If you need extra gas , you will notice cause the aircon can not make enough cold air or not cold enough air.

Also a certain hissing sound is common if pressure of the gas gets too low.
You can find more on youtube about that.

Further more :  don't allow them to do upselling on you.
IMHO it's the same with the replacement of brake fluid after 2 years.
I don't say you have to keep it 14 or 20 years on the same fluid but 2 is overselling IMHO.

 

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, Stopeter44 said:

I had to do the regas every year on the 2006 Clio I had, but the 2015 didn't need anything over a 5 year period. I used the air con intermittently with the Clio, but all the time with the 208.

The Yaris IV is a different fish, because I do many short journeys I am currently experimenting with leaving heating off, but I still need ventilation. For the moment, I've limited myself to just turning off the automatic aircon, i.e. no ventilation. I can get way with it here, because it hasn't rained, or snowed in month here. The upside is that fuel used just to warm the engine is dramatically reduced, but I am concerned about the A/C not working correctly when I require it.

Having read through the rest of the posts, I see that if I run the A/C at least once a week I should be OK.

 

Hi Peter, 

running AC all the year around to keep seals lubricated is a myth like many more in the auto industry. You can literally only use once a year for 5-10 min and never regas for 5 years and still be fine. Also if there is a manufacturer defect in any of its components or poor fitting it will loose gas when new, happens sometimes even in Toyota cars. 
For the health of your car hvac system and interior condition the best is to keep fan working all the time to provide fresh air supply into the cabin and change pollen filter every year or max 10k miles. AC service once 3-4 years is sufficient enough and it will include automatic vacuum test of the system and gas and oil top up as necessary, that’s all for new and old cars. Also important in regions like uk with super salty roads in winter to give a good wash on the front of the car particularly area with radiators to clean any salt and grit accumulated there to prevent corrosion. Unnecessary use of air conditioning uses extra power from the Battery, reduces efficiency and may add extra moisture to the cabin and windscreen. Set and forget is pretty much all you need in modern cars hvac systems either with ac on or off. ,  the later will depend on your personal preferences the most., no need to worry about.  👍

[trashman1965]

Are they actually offering a "regass" or an "Aircon Service" which typically is the cabin filter and an aircon bomb, both of which you can easily (and more cheaply) do yourself (and I would recommend at least once a year, more if you are in bad air) and often the "aircon service" doesn't include cost of regass or top up if needed.

If interested, I use Bilt Hamber Aircon Bomb, usually about a tenner and gives a nice fresh citrus hint. Toyota official eBay store can provide the cabin filter and as above dead simple job to change.

[Red_Corolla]

I've never used a bomb, I've always thought of those as a cure for bacteria formation in the ducts rather than a preventative measure.

I try to stick to the habit of turning A/C off a few minutes before the end of the journey so that everything is purged with fresh air at ambient humidity. Never noticed any evidence of bacteria such as mouldy fridge smell. It might be a waste of time, along with turning it on every week during winter, but these little procedures don't cost anything much and have always worked out well for me, so I stick with them.

[TonyHSD]

9 minutes ago, Red_Corolla said:

I've never used a bomb, I've always thought of those as a cure for bacteria formation in the ducts rather than a preventative measure.

I try to stick to the habit of turning A/C off a few minutes before the end of the journey so that everything is purged with fresh air at ambient humidity. Never noticed any evidence of bacteria such as mouldy fridge smell. It might be a waste of time, along with turning it on every week during winter, but these little procedures don't cost anything much and have always worked out well for me, so I stick with them.

+ 1 for that 👍 

actually using stuff like the one mentioned can cause more harm than help. Best to kill bacteria and mould along the air ducts is to use the heating at max temperature for 20min and eventually spray few shoots dettol antibacterial spray into the sucking grill near the Wiper Blades and then change the pollen filter 

[trashman1965]

1 hour ago, Red_Corolla said:

I've never used a bomb, I've always thought of those as a cure for bacteria formation in the ducts rather than a preventative measure.

I try to stick to the habit of turning A/C off a few minutes before the end of the journey so that everything is purged with fresh air at ambient humidity. Never noticed any evidence of bacteria such as mouldy fridge smell. It might be a waste of time, along with turning it on every week during winter, but these little procedures don't cost anything much and have always worked out well for me, so I stick with them.

Each to their own...I've had company and private cars where this was the norm during a service and a several private where I've used a bomb once or twice a year. Definitely seems fresher to me and not had any problems.