V50 Air Con Refill - should it do this???

[T5R92011]

I actually took my S60 to Kwikfit for an AC recharge, and they told me after 20 mintues that it was a main dealer job as they "couldn't connect their machine to the low pressure port".

So one evening on the way home from work, I popped into Halfords and bought the STP trigger + recharge cylinder and did it myself in 10 minutes on the driveway. Aircon is extremely cold and has remained that way. And of the three Volvos on my driveway right now, it has BY FAR the coldest aircon.

Ultimately, the goal is to produce ice cold air conditioning, so who cares how you achieve this as long as you aren't spewing tonnes of refrigerant into the atmosphere!

Stop calling things a 'waste of time' when they actually work!

[Welton]

Originally Posted by T5R92011

Ultimately, the goal is to produce ice cold air conditioning, so who cares how you achieve this as long as you aren't spewing tonnes of refrigerant into the atmosphere!

Stop calling things a 'waste of time' when they actually work!

One of the key elements to add to the system is the PAG oil required to lubricate the compressor, since the oil is what you mostly see in the event of a leak (as it leaves oil stains) then people attempting a refill out of a can may leave the system low on oil.

I had a 'mobile specialist' recommended to me who failed to address the oil side of things an it took out the compressor within a year with a £600.00 bill.

The main concern is people filling a/c systems without verifying that the system is sound and, for the majority, if the gas was very low or low enough to disable the compressor then there's a good chance there's a leak too (even if very small).

[Clan]

Originally Posted by T5R92011

I actually took my S60 to Kwikfit for an AC recharge, and they told me after 20 mintues that it was a main dealer job as they "couldn't connect their machine to the low pressure port".

So one evening on the way home from work, I popped into Halfords and bought the STP trigger + recharge cylinder and did it myself in 10 minutes on the driveway. Aircon is extremely cold and has remained that way. And of the three Volvos on my driveway right now, it has BY FAR the coldest aircon.

Ultimately, the goal is to produce ice cold air conditioning, so who cares how you achieve this as long as you aren't spewing tonnes of refrigerant into the atmosphere!

Stop calling things a 'waste of time' when they actually work!

Unfortunately that attitude is why there are so many sheds of volvos around for sale these days requiring so much work , they have been bodged as far as their lives will let them and on their 3rd and 4th owners so they are just fit for scrap as they are cars worth £700 requiring £2000 of work .

[Lion Heart]

Originally Posted by T5R92011

Ultimately, the goal is to produce ice cold air conditioning, so who cares how you achieve this as long as you aren't spewing tonnes of refrigerant into the atmosphere!

Stop calling things a 'waste of time' when they actually work!

Here here

[phil1968]

Fill yer boots, you know best Just giving my advice as a qualified refrigeration / air conditioning engineer. As I stated previously, your A/C will be undercharged so will not be as cool as it could be for as long. False economy IMO.

[andy_d]

i "love" the "well I know best even if it is illegal and doesnt work" types, it gives the forums "ignore" list something to do,, and its not like they are missing out on advice If they ask for it,, cos They know best and wouldnt listen anyway,,

[T5R92011]

I completely acknowledge what you're saying about the correct proceedure requiring the correct grade and weight of oil and not venting into the atmosphere etc. Those are perfectly legitimate concerns.

The only thing I dispute is when people say that recharge kits don't work, when they do. Obviously you may call into question the longevity of this type of 'fix', but if you've suddenly got an unexpected 4 hour car journey to make in the middle of a heatwave and your aircon isn't very effective, then you'll be glad of the kit if you don't have time to book into an AC specialist at last minute.

Sometimes you can't always do everything by the book, every time the situation calls for it. I'm sure you could always have the system professionally drained etc when you have time to do this.

[Tannaton]

Undoubtedly the kits do work in some (possibly most) circumstances.

But what I don't understand is why bother as the price of the kit from Halfords is the same if not more expensive than getting a garage to connnect your car to a proper A/C machine [last minute circumstances described by T5R excepted]? This will vacate the system ensuring no acid or moisture is left in, refill with the correct amount and ratio of lube and gas and then report the high and low pressures with the system running so you know all is okay or not? And Kwik Fit do it on a no fix no charge basis so if you do have a leak (as the OP had...) then you haven't wasted fifty quid finding that out.

It does amuse me how many cars you see advertised as "air con needs a re-gas". Would you buy a fridge freezer if it said "perfect working order but needs a re-gas" ?

[Lion Heart]

Originally Posted by andy_d

it gives the forums "ignore" list something to do

I think this is a little OTT. That basically saying unless your opinion 100% matches mine it must be incorrect, and if your opinion does not 100% match our own then you are not welcome on the Volvo forum.

It's a forum. For discussion. I would hope and expect that everyone's opinion is welcome and valid. Obviously some people will be right and other people will be wrong, but everyone's opinion should be welcome.

Just my thoughts. I'm not going to get drawn into an argument or conversation as it's just not worth it. Life's too short

On a more positive note, some people are mentioning that they do not understand why you'd spend the money buying these kits when it's not any/much cheaper than going to Kwik Fit etc...

Well, in my case we have three cars in our household and two of them needed regassing. I managed to get the kit and gauge set on a discounted special offer on Halford's so sub £50 for both...

The kit can regas three cars, so my mindset was I could regas both cars for £32 rather than going to Kwit Fit etc and spending £100-£120 for the same.

Additionally, I am rurally located and so our nearest Kwik Fit is over an hour away so far from practical. Our nearest small town is 30 minutes away and they likely have an independant garage that could do the air con, but that would mean two hours of driving (1 hour round trip x 2) for the regas, which adds to the cost and is actually a lot of hassle compared to just buying a kit online and doing it yourself in 5 minutes.

If you live in a city then absolutely it would be far more convenient, but not everyone is the same

So I think people (like me) buy those kits because they are cheaper (per regas), and more convenient for many (like myself).

It seems opinion is divided on how good they are, but online reviews seem very positive, especially for the STP EZ Chill kit.

Just my thoughts. Don't shoot me down or ban me from the forum if my thoughts are different from yours

[Welton]

Fair enough to say that the kits work, they will work, they will solve a problem either temporarily or maybe even the longer term. What bothers me is the lack of experience being used.

Proper lubrication is important and none of us have the correct oil or dosing equipment, systems that have been empty for ages will need a long vac-down to boil off any moisture in the system, the gas needs to be clean and not just a mixture of old recovered stuff.....

The list goes on but if you were unfortunate enough after a DIY regass for the compressor to seize and snap the aux belt then you could be looking at a snapped cambelt too.