Air Conditioning
Frequently Asked Questions
When the Announcements?
Can I Apply After Rejection?
Where to Interview?
Air Conditioning
Not just for keeping the inside of your car cool during the summer, your car’s air conditioning helps to improve the air quality inside your vehicle. Manufacturers recommend
carrying out an air conditioning servicing every two years to keep it working at an optimum level, 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! so book your car
for an air conditioning service with our experts today.
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 odors.
Before we can carry out your Full Air Con Service (including an Air Con Regas/Recharge), as a legal requirement, we will need to check the system for any faults or leaks with a Diagnostic Check.
The Pre-Service Inspection:
- A temperature check
- A refrigerant check
- An inspection of key components, including the compressor, condenser, drive belts, and hoses
What happens next?
Once the above checks have been completed, our team will then give you the option of the
following service, during which we will replace and recharge lubricant and refrigerant levels in line with your manufacturer’s recommendation:
- Full Air Con Service including an Air Con Regas/Recharge – R134a refrigerant – £59
- Full Air Con Service including an Air Con Regas/Recharge – newer R1234yf
refrigerant – £129 - Air-conditioning Anti-bacterial clean – £20
It usually takes around 45 minutes to complete a re-gas on your vehicle’s air-conditioning
system if it is fault-free.
There’s a list of reasons your car’s air-con may not be working, but the most likely cause is
that there is no gas in the system. Alternatively, there is a leak somewhere and the system
needs to be checked over by a trained technician.
No – a mandatory qualification is required by anyone wishing to service the air-conditioning
on a car, this is because of the potential hazards involved with the refrigerant, which needs
disposing of properly.
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.
