Air conditioning service
An air conditioning system loses refrigerant over the years even when nothing is broken — it is not hermetically sealed, and the seals move. Left undertopped, the compressor runs short of oil, because the oil circulates with the refrigerant. The compressor is the most expensive part of the system, and it fails from lack of refrigerant, not from use.
What it covers
- Recovering the refrigerant, measuring the amount, evacuating and refilling
- Leak testing — otherwise the new refrigerant is gone again within a year
- Replacing the cabin filter
- Disinfecting the evaporator if there is a musty smell on start-up
What tells you it is due
- The system cools noticeably worse than last year
- There is a musty smell when you switch it on
- The windows clear more slowly in winter than they used to
- The compressor audibly cycles on and off more often
Worth knowing
Ask which refrigerant before booking. Cars up to roughly 2017 mostly use R134a, newer ones R1234yf — each needs its own equipment, and a workshop with only one machine cannot serve your car. That is not a question of quality but of kit, and one phone call saves a wasted trip.
Find a workshopOther services
- Servicing and inspection
- Oil change
- Brake service
- Tyres and wheels
- Timing belt
- Timing chain
- Clutch
- Transmission service
- Fault diagnosis
- Electric and hybrid service
- Battery and starter
- Exhaust and emissions system
- Wheel alignment
- Bodywork and accident damage
- Paintwork
- Glass and windscreens
- Periodic roadworthiness test