Hi there my sisters air on has run out of gas on her corsa which I knew about, but have always told her if you don't use it, it doesn't matter, so save your money!
However she had a puncture repair done at ATS and the guy reckoned that because it runs off the belts that the bearings or something run dry and that what they would do would stop future problems wether she uses the air con or not!
I told my sister it's probably another way of them making a little bit more money and to leave it
But just thought I'd check by asking on here just incase I'm wrong but I wouldn't have thought that re-gassing the system would make any difference?
Thanks in advance
Greg

I was told (not by ATS I might add!) that you should routinely run your air con problem for exactly that reason, and the fact that the pipe work tends to crack/fail if is is not run periodically....

Correct - if you don't run the aircon occasionally it will lead to problems but whether that could lead to belt/bearing failure is debatable.
However in my experience aircon cars clear steamed up windows faster so worth keeping it functioning.
Somewhere on here there was a discount code last year for half price aircon re-gass at ATS but don't know if it would still be valid.
No suprise they did try to sell an aircon sterilsation treatment at the same time and at full price.
I subsequently bought a three treatment kit by Wynns for much less than they were quoting!
HTH.
Cheers, Pewe10

The A/C compressor is lubricated by the oil added to the refrigerant but if the A/C is switched off the clutch on the A/C compressor isn't engaged so the pump won't wear, so if the A/C stops working either get it investigated immediately or leave it permanently switched off.

Once a month you should run heating and AC the fully hot for 10 minutes then fully fully cold for 5 minutes then fully hot for 10 minutes this will Pasteurise the heat exchanger get rid of bad smells. You should also check the scuttle drains are clear at the start of every winter --- ( for MG ZT/Rover 75 owners twice a year )

Just turning with the AC working or not on can cost a couple of MPG or more .....

I have recently switched from a Rover with the full BMW automated climate control to one with just basic manually controlled heating and A/C and boy do miss the fully automatic climate control.

You should run AC occasionaly to keep shaft seal lubed to help protect against gas leak, but if you dont run it it wont cause any other problems.
Cheers,
Bob

Sounds like the ATS 'man' was a Numpty .. assuming that actually ..was.. what he said :-).
One can easily DIY Recharge their AC with inexpensive kits. A 5 min diy exercise... true.
Typically these use Propane as refrigerant.. and Work Fine.. being both benign to the AC system and the Ozone layer, unlike R12 and that Horrid R134a... (which incidentally has a far lower flash point temp than R134A) .despite all babblings/dire predictions to the contrary.
Do your Due Diligence and go for it :-)

Before you get her to re-gas it, find the cause of the leak first please.

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Originally posted by Bare One can easily DIY Recharge their AC with inexpensive kits. A 5 min diy exercise... true.
Typically these use Propane as refrigerant.. and Work Fine.. being both benign to the AC system and the Ozone layer, unlike R12 and that Horrid R134a...

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quote:

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One can easily DIY Recharge their AC with inexpensive kits. A 5 min diy exercise... true.

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