Car Air Conditioning Service: All You Need to Know
Look after your car's air conditioning system
Car air-conditioning is a feature we've come to expect in most new cars on the market. However, you may not realise that air-conditioning requires regular maintenance just like the rest of the vehicle.
How does air-conditioning work?
Your car's air-conditioning system is comprised of five integral parts:
Refrigerant (the gas)
Compressor (which contains the refrigerant)
Condenser
Receiver
Thermal expansion valve
Evaporation coils
When the air-conditioning system is activated, the refrigerant (gas) travels to the condenser. Fresh air from the atmosphere passes over the condenser, which causes the gas to drop in temperature and become a liquid.
That liquid passes through a receiver, which removes impurities, before reaching a thermal expansion valve. The valve allows you to control the temperature by adjusting the flow of the liquid. The liquid is then turned into a vapour as it passes through the evaporation coils, which subsequently gets blown into the cabin as cool air. The refrigerant has become a gas again by this point, and returns to the compressor ready for the process to start all over again.
How often does my car's air-conditioning need re-gassing?
The general rule of thumb is that your vehicle's air-conditioning needs re-gassing every two years. The reason for this is because it's estimated that your car permeates between 10 - 15% of gas from the system every year; and that's before you've even used it!
An air-con service also presents a good time to get the system de-bugged, which essentially decontaminates the whole system. This is recommended because aspects of the air-conditioning system are a breeding ground for bacteria, which in turn leads to bad odours.
Note: Ignoring a bacteria build up in your air-conditioning system can potentially have an adverse affect on allergies.
How much does it cost to re-gas my car's air-conditioning?
Maintaining your vehicle's air-conditioning system is actually very reasonable:
R134a gas from €113inc vat R134yf gas from €190inc vat We also recommend replacing your pollen filter starting from €40 supplied and fitted
Unsure what gas is for your car? Get in touch now to find which refill is for you 01 6911281