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DIY aircon regas
number-1 - 9/4/24 at 07:36 PM

Can anyone link me into a diy air con regas bottle and gauge? Its for a Hyundai I30

Cheers

N1


Mr Whippy - 10/4/24 at 06:41 AM

You local Halford sells them, I used it on my volvo and it actually worked just fine. Oddly enough aircon regas companies warn of the dangers of using such methods, I wonder why? The type used is usually written on the cap for filling but google says it's R1234yf for yours.


Slimy38 - 10/4/24 at 07:34 AM

I've seen people use the Halfords option quite successfully, even without using the gauge which just fills me with horror and dread. Ebay also sell gas plus gauge, as does Amazon.

Normally I would say check out somewhere like Groupon or Wowcher for some regas offer, but you'll be working with people like Kwik sh*t who I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy.


Mr Whippy - 10/4/24 at 08:17 AM

Realistically, what's the worst that can happen? it's not going to explode, it may just come right back out if there is a leak in which case do a leak test with the die which you can buy for about £20. There's plenty of Youtube how too vids covering all this. My volvo was empty for years (I just turned off the aircon) and it refilled no bother and is still working just fine, for all that I actually use it since I prefer the windows open in the summer. DIY.


Slimy38 - 10/4/24 at 09:24 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
Realistically, what's the worst that can happen?


Good point, I guess I'm just imagining the average motorist thinking their system isn't as cold as normal so emptying an entire can and causing something to go pop when it had been working perfectly fine up to then.


SteveWalker - 10/4/24 at 09:32 AM

It is perhaps worth having it done properly. I had a problem years ago and the technician emptied and refilled it, but he noticed that it was still not right, so he emptied and refilled it again and it worked great for the rest of the years that I owned that car. They put it down to a blockage that had cleared with the second vacuuming down.


MikeR - 10/4/24 at 09:43 AM

The advantage of doing it properly is they vacuum out the contents and measure it so they have an idea of any issues then refill with the correct quantities (unless its a qashqai as they just break and you have to pay a small fortune for replacement parts - between me and the brother in law we've had 2 different models with the same issue and learnt my lesson).

If its a newer car i'd pay to get it done, if its an old banger i'd probably try myself.


craig1410 - 10/4/24 at 01:32 PM

I would also recommend just paying an aircon shop to do it properly for the reasons that MikeR already stated, plus it's better for the environment not to leak refrigerant gas into the atmosphere unnecessarily.

If you are doing the job yourself then I'd recommend buying a set of aircon compatible o-rings (usually green) and replacing all the o-rings that are easily accessible. I would also recommend replacing the dryer cartridge which is often inside the condenser as this is likely to be contaminated if the system has been opened for any reason. The dryer is also often used as a filter so if you find it full of metal fragments then you probably have compressor problems. It can also be worthwhile replacing the condenser itself if the fins are badly beaten up because it will greatly improve the efficiency of the system. However, when replacing any lines or components, especially the compressor, you will need to work out how much aircon oil to add. The car's workshop manual should give guidance on this and it's pretty important to not add too much or too little.

Last time I had my car regassed it was at an independent auto parts store and only cost £49. That was for R134a refrigerant and R1234yf is quite a bit more expensive if your car needs that. Don't be tempted to use the wrong refrigerant just because of the cost.


nick205 - 10/4/24 at 01:39 PM

I had a 9 year old car re-gassed by an A/C specialist a few years back. At the time they had a deal on (£70 IIRC).

It included:

Extracting whatever's left in there.
Measuring it
Regassing with the manufacturer's specified volume.
A/C function checking (measuring the air temperature)

As it happened they detected a leak and did a pretty good repair deal price on it, including the 2 re-gass. Ice cold A/C afterwards for the remaing time I had the car.


coyoteboy - 10/4/24 at 07:20 PM

quote:
Originally posted by nick205
I had a 9 year old car re-gassed by an A/C specialist a few years back. At the time they had a deal on (£70 IIRC).

It included:

Extracting whatever's left in there.
Measuring it
Regassing with the manufacturer's specified volume.
A/C function checking (measuring the air temperature)

As it happened they detected a leak and did a pretty good repair deal price on it, including the 2 re-gass. Ice cold A/C afterwards for the remaing time I had the car.


Definitely worth it if you has a leak leak. Otherwise my experience with them is.....mediocre. even ones who claim to measure and re oil etc ice asked and they blow it off as not needed so they didn't bother. Best thing they do is the vacuum down.

However I've now fixed both my cars air con with a single.lowside gauge and gas from these guys:

https://www.multitanks.com/fr/50-fluides-frigorigenes-ecologique

Last order was 2 170g cans for 50 euros shipped.


number-1 - 12/4/24 at 05:55 PM

Thanks for the replies chaps.

As its the older I30 it uses the cheaper gas. Ive had the car a year and its never worked, In fact, on checking today, when i turn the air con on,the compressor doesn't activate. Ive checked the fuses and tested for continuity so hoping that as the gas is so low, there's a safety mechanism stopping the compressor from working.


rusty nuts - 12/4/24 at 06:59 PM

There is a pressure switch somewhere in the AC circuit that will only operate when the AC gas pressure is within limits , this switch effectively makes or breaks the power to the compressor, they can play up


coyoteboy - 13/4/24 at 05:22 PM

quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
There is a pressure switch somewhere in the AC circuit that will only operate when the AC gas pressure is within limits , this switch effectively makes or breaks the power to the compressor, they can play up


Indeed they can, but they can also be momentarily shorted to check if it is a low gas issue, which is helpful.