Car Air Conditioning Service

When carrying out an Air Con Recharge (regas), our staff will perform the following tasks:

• Check the operation of air conditioning system - visual, temperature, leak checks
• Recovery of refrigerant, evacuation of air and moisture from system
• Inject fresh system lubricant
• Regas refrigerant to recommended levels
• Add ultra-violet dye to aid future leak detection
• Provide A/C report and print out on request

In the case that an Air Con Regas is unsuccessful on your vehicle, because the system has developed a leak or there is a fault with the compressor or condenser, then there will be no charge. Our staff will be happy to advise you as to the best course of action if this is the case.

*Disclaimer: Online air con bookings are only available for vehicles using R134A refrigerant and not hybrid vehicles. These are usually vehicles dated before 2014.

At PTA Garages, we offer our air con recharge services from £69 online and air con purification from £20 online.

Recharging your cars air conditioning system can usually take around 45 minutes.

For a fresh smelling car, purification is vital! Air conditioning systems are prone to a build-up of bacteria. In modern cars, condensation gathers on the evaporator coils and this, combined with the warm temperatures of the engine, provides an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Therefore, the unpleasant smells coming from your air conditioning system will be down to mould, fungi, and micro-organisms growing behind your car's dashboard.

It’s important to use your air conditioning system all year round to ensure that it operates at optimum efficiency. An efficient air conditioning system can also be used to demist your windscreen faster in cold, wet weather by using warm, dry air. Additionally, regular air con use should stop bacteria build up and keep your car smelling fresh for longer.

There are two refrigerants used in car air conditioning systems; R1234yf and R134a. You can check which coolant your car uses by checking under the bonnet. There should be a sticker which highlights which gas your car uses.

It is worth noting that if your car was made after 1st January 2017, it will be using R1234yf as a standard – however, some vehicles made the move before 2017 so if your car is any older, it is worth checking.

Although you can buy regas kits, we would caution against using them. The kits are not that much cheaper and the cost that you could incur if something goes wrong is significantly more than a typical air con regas.

You will know when your air con needs re-gassing when the air blowing out is no longer as cool or turning on the AC makes no difference.

Most manufacturers recommend having your air conditioning recharged or re-gassed every two years. This is because the refrigerant, or gas, used in the system is slowly lost over time at a rate of approximately 10% per year.

A significant drop in the pressure of air con gas will result in a loss of cooling efficiency. This means that your engine must work harder, and you will use more fuel as a result. If the system is made to run very low on gas, the compressor then must work twice as hard - and will wear out very quickly. That’s where an air con recharge comes into play – and why it’s so important for the health of your vehicle.