recharge/regas aircon

voxpop

Anyone recommend a place to get aircon checked and regassed in Dublin. Mobile guy would be preferable.

vibe666

there's a mobile guy who does it who's in between dunshaughlin and the county club on the n3, but i'm pretty sure he does dublin call outs.

http://www.autoair.ie/contact.php

ring the mobile as he's usually out and about.

Anan1

I've used John Kenealy a good few times over the years, he's cheap enough and he knows his stuff. Tends to talk a lot, and i've always had the impression that his price is based on how much he likes you. http://www.carairconditioning.ie/

voxpop

Cheers guys - ill give them a buzz and see how it goes.


Heard of John Kenealy before actually on some of the other forums from around 2006 - must be doing something right if he is still going.

mondeoman2

voxpop wrote: »

Cheers guys - ill give them a buzz and see how it goes.


Heard of John Kenealy before actually on some of the other forums from around 2006 - must be doing something right if he is still going.

Yeah,
I would recommend John Kenealy also,used him a few times with no problems at all,he is based in Tallaght but does offer a mobile service too;)
ph-087 2559706

emul

Dragging up an oldish post.

What sort of money does it cost to recharge the aircon? and is it worth it. I've a 05 Avensis that the air con is useless in, very little power / ability. I assume that this would resolve it?

Big Nasty

Must get mine gassed up too - it ain't hardly gonna gimme brain chill atm!

Henry Ford III

Can't you DIY this? Much cheaper surely if nothing is broken/split/perished.

Anan1

You probably could, but John only charges €60ish to call out and do it and an a/c refill canister is €40 in Halfords.

*Kol*

The problem with recharging it yourself is that you may pump a €40 can of refrigerant into a system with a leak and be back to square one. A pro should/will check for leaks before he starts.

vibe666

*Kol* wrote: »

The problem with recharging it yourself is that you may pump a €40 can of refrigerant into a system with a leak and be back to square one. A pro should/will check for leaks before he starts.

indeedy. i did exactly that myself the first time thinking i'd save some money.

get it done by a pro and save yourself the headache for a few extra quid.

Hellrazer

Anan1 wrote: »

You probably could, but John only charges €60ish to call out and do it and an a/c refill canister is €40 in Halfords.

I get the refills for 26 euro.Have done quite a few myself.The cannisters come with a guage on them which will give you a good idea of whether you have a leak or not--well they tell you the pressure before you start--if its totally empty there could be a leak--if it has some pressure remaining then more than likely not..

But definately a +1 for John Kinealy especially if youre apprehensive about doing it yourself.

MetzgerMeister

Anyone know someone who does this in the Tipperary area? Preferably someone who does callouts.

daRobot

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Must get mine gassed up too - it ain't hardly gonna gimme brain chill atm!

You're lucky it's working!!

My Aircon Blower has failed on my E38. Pray it doesn't happen to you. Dash out job to replace. Nightmare.

turbodiesel

Hellrazer wrote: »

I get the refills for 26 euro.Have done quite a few myself.The cannisters come with a guage on them which will give you a good idea of whether you have a leak or not--well they tell you the pressure before you start--if its totally empty there could be a leak--if it has some pressure remaining then more than likely not..

But definately a +1 for John Kinealy especially if youre apprehensive about doing it yourself.

Hiya Hellraiser,

Can you tell me is there anywhere in the Dublin area that i can get refills that price....?

Thanks

Chris

Damokc

Dunno if this will help but i've seen a DIY ReGas pack in Halfrauds.i'll look for a link

this is the kit : http://reviews.halfords.com/4028/195354/reviews.htm

And this is a guy on another forum saying not to use it!! HAHA!! : http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=184552

turbodiesel

I just got it regassed with John Kenealy . All it needed was a top up but he checked the pressure and that the pump was working correctly. Says he does all the work for Windsor amongst others.

90 quid.

Ice cold air sorted now.

Skatedude

Yep, tried the halfords kit. worked for a week or so, so used the sealant that you get from halfords and now my aircon is totaly ruined:(

vibe666

for the small difference in price between the halfords kit and getting a proper aircon guy to take a look at it for you, its just not worth risking the DIY option, considering how much it's going to cost to fix it if you make a hames of it yourself.

The Guvnor

I agree with Vibe on this.

Once re-gassed assuming no leak - how long should it last?

I've heard of people regassing every year - seems a lot when some cars go 5-7 years or more from new without needing a regas.

vibe666

that's the thing, if you have a leak, the first thing you know about it after a DIY re-gassing is your aircon not working a week later and you're back to square one having contributed to global warming slightly more.

if you get a pro to do it, he'll re-gas you and check for leaks, repair if needed and re-gas you again there and then and you're all sorted.

i'm also fairly confident those halfords gas cannisters are a rip off too.

voxpop

holy thread revive batman

Pilsen auto(skoda dealer) in Dublin(ballymount) were doing a full aircon service ( suck out gas,put in uv dye, refill) for 65 inc vat. Very good value - considering halfords regas is 50 or so

whowantstwoknow

Hi,

Recently purchased a second hand galaxy for the other half. When inspecting the car, checked the aircon (ie cold to hot) and seemed fine. Though reading this thread I wonder is it working to full capacity, ie the cold air isn't as cold on my own car. Would a regas do the trick? Do the pro's check that's your aircon is in working order or do they "blindly" just do a regas regardless. I guess what I'm asking is how/can they measure the efficiency of the aircon unit?

Thanks

W.

The Guvnor

IIRC they measure by simply noting the temperature before and after they regas it.

I've had it done twice in kwik-fit and the lads said they were not able to check for leaks which does seem odd given what the lads have said in this post about dye etc.

vibe666

the guy that did mine re-gassed and checked for leaks and then replaced a leaking pipe and re-gassed and re-checked pressure again.

mistress_gi

Well, I just got a call back from John Kenealy and am thoroughly disappointed!
I called earlier to find out prices to get my air con refilled and checked, I called a few places and the cheapest (and nearest, to be honest) is fastfit, so I got a call back from this guy and I told him that fastfit do it for 40 euro he then turned all like "well people who go there then come to me" in a nasty enough tone and I said, well, I am only looking at prices and I will consider yours (about 80 euro) and if I decide to go with you I will call you back. Then your man turns and says "No don't, go to them instead" and hangs up the phone.
Now, am I crazy for feeling insulted? How does he get any customers with that attitude!
Just for this I would never ever go to him for air con repairs or otherwise!

maidhc

mistress_gi wrote: »

Well, I just got a call back from John Kenealy and am thoroughly disappointed!
I called earlier to find out prices to get my air con refilled and checked, I called a few places and the cheapest (and nearest, to be honest) is fastfit, so I got a call back from this guy and I told him that fastfit do it for 40 euro he then turned all like "well people who go there then come to me" in a nasty enough tone and I said, well, I am only looking at prices and I will consider yours (about 80 euro) and if I decide to go with you I will call you back. Then your man turns and says "No don't, go to them instead" and hangs up the phone.
Now, am I crazy for feeling insulted? How does he get any customers with that attitude!
Just for this I would never ever go to him for air con repairs or otherwise!

I think you are probably crazy for feeling insulted. Why must everything come down to price? Maybe he spends longer and does a better job?

TBH I despise when all people look at is the price. Sure it is important, but it is just one factor to consider.

Anan1

mistress_gi wrote: »

Well, I just got a call back from John Kenealy and am thoroughly disappointed!
I called earlier to find out prices to get my air con refilled and checked, I called a few places and the cheapest (and nearest, to be honest) is fastfit, so I got a call back from this guy and I told him that fastfit do it for 40 euro he then turned all like "well people who go there then come to me" in a nasty enough tone and I said, well, I am only looking at prices and I will consider yours (about 80 euro) and if I decide to go with you I will call you back. Then your man turns and says "No don't, go to them instead" and hangs up the phone.
Now, am I crazy for feeling insulted? How does he get any customers with that attitude!
Just for this I would never ever go to him for air con repairs or otherwise!

I always found him very friendly, but I haven't used him in a few years. Anyway, that's not on at all.

mistress_gi

maidhc wrote: »

I think you are probably crazy for feeling insulted. Why must everything come down to price? Maybe he spends longer and does a better job?

TBH I despise when all people look at is the price. Sure it is important, but it is just one factor to consider.

Well, I have never used either service and, as a student in a struggling economy, of course I look at price as should everyone!
I was not rude, I simply asked for a quote and disclosed a competing price. At the time I hadn't even made up my mind! But, after calling fastfit they were super nice, said they would extend a promotion they have on now and even advising me to ask a mechanic to check if the compressor was running. I sure have made my mind up!
And tbh, after spending a lot of money in my car and got pretty much nothing for all that money (go figure the mechanics had no idea what they were doing). Sometimes MORE EXPENSIVE DOES NOT MEAN BETTER!!! (big letters so everyone knows )

Anan1

maidhc wrote: »

I think you are probably crazy for feeling insulted. Why must everything come down to price? Maybe he spends longer and does a better job?

TBH I despise when all people look at is the price. Sure it is important, but it is just one factor to consider.

Is this about price? I think it's about courtesy.

maidhc

Anan1 wrote: »

Is this about price? I think it's about courtesy.

Agreed his reaction was probably not in order, but I will say though it gets disheartening at times when all people care about is the price and will always go with the cheapest... i.e. like all those tyre threads.

Anan1

maidhc wrote: »

Agreed his reaction was probably not in order, but I will say though it gets disheartening at times when all people care about is the price and will always go with the cheapest... i.e. like all those tyre threads.

Ah, come on now. If he spends longer and does a better job then let him explain that. You can't get all huffy every time a customer asks a question you don't like. A few minutes on the phone and a bit of flexibility on price and he could have had a shot at that business.

vibe666

as an example of a similar experience (although online and unrelated to aircon), i have a BA thread going about wireless IP camera's and what i initially thought was a good deal at a uk based online supplier (http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk) turned out to be cheaper from amazon.

i asked if they'd price match and they apologised and said they couldn't as they didn't have the buying power of amazon and their margins were tight as they were. we exchanged a couple of emails and i ended up cancelling my order with them and they were surprisingly nice about it, apologising again for not being able to compete and processing my refund via paypal immediately.

i'm actually half tempted to buy off them anyway after that, it's not that often you get a good great customer service experience when you cancel a sale and whip £130 out from under someone's nose.

Anan1

vibe666 wrote: »

as an example of a similar experience (although online and unrelated to aircon), i have a BA thread going about wireless IP camera's and what i initially thought was a good deal at a uk based online supplier (http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk) turned out to be cheaper from amazon.

i asked if they'd price match and they apologised and said they couldn't as they didn't have the buying power of amazon and their margins were tight as they were. we exchanged a couple of emails and i ended up cancelling my order with them and they were surprisingly nice about it, apologising again for not being able to compete and processing my refund via paypal immediately.

i'm actually half tempted to buy off them anyway after that, it's not that often you get a good great customer service experience when you cancel a sale and whip £130 out from under someone's nose.

If there's not too much in it then I actually would go with them, for Karma, principle, or whatever you want to call it.

vibe666

Anan1 wrote: »

If there's not too much in it then I actually would go with them, for Karma, principle, or whatever you want to call it.

if i'd known how nice they were going to be about it, i wouldn't have cencelled in the first place, but i've already ordered with amazon now anyway.

i WILL definitely be finding a reason to use them again though, and they will be top of my list of suppliers to check any time i buy anything geeky in the future.

BronsonTB

Anyone recommend someone in the Sligo/Mayo area to do a check/regas on my air con? Blows hot air only no cold air.

08Kerryc5

Just been reading through some of the posts here and I feel like outlining a few small details.
Ac systems use a gas refered to as R134a or freon. an inert gas thats non flammable, highly compressable and is capable of good heat transfer properties. In order for it to work to best efficency there are some simple requirements it needs
1. System integrity and 0 moisture ingress: Halfords and other motor outlets offer self refill kits. They are ok, but use with caution tolerences between vehicles are more exacting. 1-2grams over/under can set fault codes. In my opinion aerosol cans like these contain moisture and should never be used as a total refill.
2. System oils: Pag/esther take your pick. But compressors do need oil and the obove is not an exacting standard for a 2009 passat or a C class
3. expansion valve and orofice tube: used within the system at the evaporator core and now computer controlled for efficency. These do need periodic changing 5-7 years.
4. Reciver dryer, helps keep contaminents out of compressor. Moisture etc. Some 2009 cars have 14grams of refrigerant within their systems. In a few years these dryers will contain moisture and if not serviced and a vacum generated within the system; moisture will stall the compressor.
5. leak detection and dye additive is a method used when servicing an ac system be it plant, agri, bus, truck, car. Using a service unit the main operations are: removal of gas and recycle. Generate vacum to test integrity, Pressureize if necessary with nitrogen ONLY after a repair to prove system integrity. replacement of correct oil and verify quantity (overcharge is worse than under) and recharge with correct volume/weight of gas.

I charge €100. Modern AC systems are down to a fine art, Toyotas Prius....wont even go there. Now we have a new R1234-yf. Flammable as F:pac::pk and at €300 a kg no one will want it!

zero_cool

Hey folks just signed up to this forum after reading this thread
Im looking for someone who will check my aircon in the Castlebar area.
Been to cathal duffy and they told me a recharge would be around 140€ what I find is pretty expensive as autolusso (I drive an alfa romeo) charges 30£ for a refill and for a complete service (including change of pollen filter, cleaning out all gas from system, check for leaks, remove all lubricants from compressor, refill with PAG oil decontamination of system for only 65£.
Is there anywhere in the west of ireland someone who will offer same for a similar price?


P.s here is link to autolusso
http://autolusso.co.uk/servicing/air-con-service.html