Air conditioning
Refrigerant isn’t consumed — it lives in a sealed loop. So if your air con needs filling every summer, it doesn’t need a regas, it needs a leak finding. We test first and quote both together.
What’s actually wrong
- Cool but not cold — low on refrigerant, which means a leak somewhere
- Cold moving, warm at a standstill — condenser fan or blocked airflow
- Compressor won’t engage — pressure switch, clutch or an electrical fault
- Musty smell on start-up — evaporator and an old pollen filter
- Noise when you press the A/C button — compressor bearing or clutch
- Windows take ages to demist — the air con is part of your demister, so a dead system costs you in winter too
We don’t do “just top it up”. Filling a leaking system vents refrigerant to atmosphere, which is both an environmental problem and a waste of your money, since you’ll be back next year. £49 of leak testing usually saves more than it costs.
What it costs
| Job | Price inc. VAT |
|---|---|
| Performance check — vent temperatures and pressures | £29 |
| Regas, R134a (most cars pre-2017) | £79 |
| Regas, R1234yf (most cars from 2017) | £169 |
| Nitrogen and UV dye leak test | £49 |
| Evaporator clean and deodorise | £49 |
| Pollen filter fitted | from £29 |
| Condenser | from £395 |
| Compressor | quoted |
R1234yf costs more because the gas itself costs several times as much and needs separate equipment. It isn’t a mark-up, and the two refrigerants can’t be mixed.
How often should it be regassed?
A healthy sealed system barely loses anything. Manufacturers often say every two years. If yours needs doing every summer, that’s a leak, not a service interval.
Why does it smell?
Damp and bacteria on the evaporator, usually with a pollen filter that hasn’t been changed in years. Clean plus filter sorts it — £78 for both together.
R134a or R1234yf — which have I got?
There’s a label under the bonnet, and we’ll check it by registration when you book. Roughly: pre-2017 is usually R134a, after that usually R1234yf.
Should I run it in winter?
Yes, briefly, once a month. It circulates oil through the compressor seals so they don’t dry out — and it’s what your demist setting does automatically anyway.