Please see our catalogued most frequently asked questions below, however if we haven’t covered your question below please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’ll help in any way we can.
Q: How often should a vehicle conditioning system be serviced?
A: Your air conditioning system should be serviced every 2 to 3 years or as required. An annual check is advised and would include, a check of refrigerant pressure and pipe temperature, refrigerant hoses, drive belts and changing the pollen filter, (if this hasn’t been done on a service).
Q: What happens if a system is not regularly serviced?
A: If an aircon system is not serviced, a build-up of moisture and acid can occur within the system. The built-in filter (receiver-drier or accumulator), is designed to store any moisture and contamination present in the system. If the system is not evacuated, deep vacuumed and recharged regularly, then the drier may eventually break down and acids may cause internal damage to the air conditioning system. It is also to important to ensure that the compressor has sufficient PAG oil to allow correct lubrication, otherwise a seized compressor is a strong possibility!
Q: I’ve noticed that some car accessory shops are selling ‘top up kits’, will they do the same as a service?
A: As stated elsewhere on the website, these cans of refrigerant are at best a con and at worst illegal. They can never work properly as you need to vacuum the system before recharging. There are a lot of other things to do on a service as well, which, if neglected can cause problems that are costly to repair.
Q: Why do I notice a ‘musty’ smell inside the car when I turn on the aircon?
A: This is probably due to a build-up of mould and microbacteria in the evaporator. It can be cured with a microbiological treatment of the evaporator unit during the annual health check.
Q: Is there anything I can do to keep the aircon working?
A: On a modern vehicle, the best advice is to run the air conditioning continuously. Modern systems are efficient and will not add greatly to the fuel consumption. Continuous running ensures that the refrigerant and oil are circulated throughout the system, keeping the seals lubricated and preventing them ‘drying out’. As a minimum, run the system for 15-20 minutes, at least once a week.
Q: What areas do you offer car air conditioning services?
A: We generally cover around a 20 mile radius of Swindon, but have many customers in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. To be honest it depends how busy we are and how far in advance you book. In the busy Summer months, workload generally reduces our work area due to travelling time issues.
Q: When should I call you out?
A: Without doubt, February – March – April as we are not as busy as in the Summer months and can travel a bit further. During June – July – August, it is best to book at least 2 weeks in advance, especially if you are going on holiday. We hate letting customers down, but as specialists, we don’t like to have to rush jobs as that’s when things go wrong!
Q: I’ve been told that the refrigerant in my new car is more expensive than in my old car. Why is that?
A: All new cars now use R1234yf, whilst older cars will use R134a. The difference in price is quite large, R1234yf costs around 4 times as much as R134a, plus a new, spark proof machine has to be used to recharge the system, making the whole operation more expensive.