Air con refresh/regas question....

terrydel

Generally speaking, how often should aircon get a refresh/regas?
I have my car over 7 years and havent done it. The pollen filter has been changed a few times in that period, but not recently.
The car carries my dogs a lot, and often when they are wet and dirty after running around in the woods or at a beach.
I feel the air con might not be working as efficiently as it should, makes a few funny noises when starting up.
Should I get it regased?

zilog_jones

You only need to regas it if it leaks really.

Get a thermometer and measure directly at one of the vents on full blast - it should be around 5-10 degrees C. If it's not that cold, it probably needs regassing.

If it smells bad, getting the evaporator coil cleaned out should help. Other than that and cleaning the vents, the dogs don't really have any impact.

I'd change the pollen filter annually, it's usually a dark grey after one year anyway.

Vittu

If you go to get it recharged use a pro company as I found out to my dismay. Halfords did the wife's car and f**cked it up. The pro fixed it in the end.