Car Air Conditioning Recharge

Why do I need a Car Air Conditioning Recharge ?

If your car’s air vents are blowing out nicely chilled air when you turn the air conditioning on and if that happens without a strange smell and in a reasonably short space of time – then the answer is you don’t need a car air conditioning recharge.

However, when Polar Airconditioning get involved it’s normally because someone is experiencing one of the following aircon issues:

• Warm air from the air outlets
• A very long time delay before the car starts to cool down and then…
• It never really gets cool enough in the car on the warmest days
• There is an odd smell when you turn the car’s aircon on.

All of these are indications that your air conditioning is ready for a recharge at least and maybe an indication of a leak.

Is the system not sealed for life?

No, as any aircon operates a very small amount of the refrigerant gas will leak away and so over time the aircon system looses efficiency. We recommend a recharge every two years.

If your system requires a more frequent recharge than this then it is highly likely that there is a leak in a pipe or other part of the aircon system as they shouldn’t loose their refrigerant gas faster than this.

If the gas leaks past a certain point most car aircon systems will close down altogether to prevent damage to the main components.

R1234yf Refrigerant Gas

Are all the refrigerant gases the same?

No there are several different types, for example what some describe as the “new aircon gas” R1234yf is more difficult to find than the more widely available R134a but will become the norm over the next few years as it is being adopted by the EU as a refrigerant that has a lower global warming potential.

Polar can offer recharges with different gases including R1234yf.

Your car’s operating and maintenance manual should tell you what gas you have but if int doubt please fell free to give us a call. Newer cars are more likely to have R1234yf, older ones R134a.