Loss of cooling air or dehumidification? The chances are there has either been a natural loss through component connections over time, a rapid discharge of refrigerant due to component damage or a system fault exists. Roughly a 10% loss of refrigerant from a healthy system each year is considered to be normal. This is because the molecules of refrigerant are very small and the refrigerant connections on vehicles are semi-permanent, unlike a fridge which are permanent, therefore the refrigerant has a means of gradual escape past rubber seals at joints. So best case, a recharge may be all that is required to get back up and running efficiently. The system cannot be 'topped up' as the only way to establish the quantity of refrigerant remaining in the system is to 'weigh' it on removal from the car which then makes it waste. Therefore, a fault-free system will require a full system charge of the vehicle manufacturer's specified quantity of refrigerant.
In any of these scenarios, we need to carry out some initial testing to establish if your system is suitable for recharging. These test are charged at half an hour labour regardless of whether the system can be recharged or not. This is to account for time spent diagnosing and consumables used in the testing process. By law it is an offence to recharge a system that is known to be leaking and we cannot recharge the system if a leak of any size is evident.
If it becomes apparent that the air-conditioning system requires a repair or component replacement, we would have to assess whether or not we are able to carry out the work required as certain repairs can be very time-consuming and may not be viable for us to carry out due to current workload and bookings.
All possible effort is made to establish that the air-conditioning system is fault/leak free prior to recharging however, if the system develops a fault or loses pressure during use at any stage following a recharge, further investgation will be required which may lead to futher repairs being required. Refunds for the initial recharge are not given in such cases.
We are City & Guilds F-Gas and Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) Level 2 (2079-11 category 1) and City & Guilds Level 2 Hydrocarbons (flammable refrigerants 6187-21) qualified.
What's more, we are members of REFCOM and can be found on their F-Gas register. In 2009, REFCOM Certification Limited was appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to operate a certification body under the stationary equipment provisions of the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulations.
Subsequently, we operate to the highest industry standards in all of our air-conditioning service and repair operations and can be audited by REFCOM at any time to ensure we are complying with not only their standards but the law.
We use only virgin (fresh) refrigerant sourced from reputable local suppliers rather than reclaimed refrigerants from other vehicles.
We work on R134A and R1234YF air-conditioning systems in both Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and hybrid/electric vehicles.
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DO NOT FIT CUSTOMER SUPPLIED PARTS OR CONSUMABLES FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES.