Air Con

[andywills]

I have a 04 1.6e VVT megane, and my question is...what is the service interval on the air con? I have a full service history for the engine, etc...but I don't think this covers the air con so I am wondering whether I need to get it serviced or not...

[IainMW]

You really need to get it checked and tested every 2 years to ensure it's hunky-dory. It will loose gas/pressure over the winter months when it's not used as much, so it's worth getting it checked out.

Dealers charge a lot for re-gassing aircon, ring aroung and get some quotes first

[WebCode]

Most A/C services advertised by garages consist of the following assuming the A/C is working.

1: Vacumning the refrigerant out. Checking for leaks (if it was leaking then the gas would have escaped and the system wouldn't work anyway.
2: Possibly replacing the Receiver/Dryer (will defo be at extra cost)
3: Refilling the system with the correct weight of gas. Most of which will be refilling with YOUR gas that has been removed in No 1! + UltraViolet dye then checking for leaks, (see No 1).
4: Applying an anti-bacterial spray to the Evaporator (possibly at extra cost)
5: Replacing the Pollen filter. (possibly at extra cost)

Down here I have seen A/C servicing costs as low as £29.99. That is only for a Degas/Regas using your own Gas and no extras as shown above.. Hmmmm, Cost effective if the system is working OK?

If you think that you need a service then ask exactly what the service entails and the costs of the extras.

Or do it yourself cheaper:-

Anti-Bacterial treatment is available from Ebay.. Search under "air conditioning treatment" or got to your local motor factors. Follow the instructions supplied, But put the ventilation system on "recycle" and you must Remove the pollen filter before applying the treatment.
NOTE: do not get the one that you spray down the centre air vent using a nozzle as you will short out the Heater Motor!!!!!!! The one that you need is like a grenade, (the Forte one is good but expensive) you press the button leaving the can spraying the mist into the vehicle with the doors closed and Fan on full.

Buy a Pollen filter and fit it yourself. 2 minute job..

Receiver/Dryer would only be necessary if the system was defective and moisture that got in and rendered the dryer useless. The drier is used to remove water from the refrigerant. It can only be replaced after the system has been Degased..

Forget using the "home refill" kits that are available from Halfords etc as you CANNOT know how much gas is in the system. Overfilling will shorten the life of the compressor, and at £1000 a pop aint cheap to replace..

[WebCode]

It will loose gas/pressure over the winter months when it's not used as much.

Which is why you should leave the A/C on all the time.
1: To eliminate the chance of seal failure and therefore Gas loss
2: To lubricate the Compressor. ("Pag" oil is circulated around the system to keep the seals etc in tip top working order)
3: The action of A/C is also as a dehumidifier, so in the winter it is useful for rapid windscreen clearance

[andywills]

I asked the local specialist renault garage last night and he will do a full service for £100 (inc. anti-bacterial spray, filter, etc). He is an ex Renault mechanic with a extremely good reputation. He went through how he does the service and showed me all the kit that is used.

He ran a diagnostics test on the car for me yesterday because I am getting poor performance on cold and only charged me £30 for it.

He used to work for the dealer that I had the car from and has now set up on his own...

Will do some ringing round but I think I will be getting him to do it

[IainMW]

It will loose gas/pressure over the winter months when it's not used as much.

Which is why you should leave the A/C on all the time.
1: To eliminate the chance of seal failure and therefore Gas loss
2: To lubricate the Compressor. ("Pag" oil is circulated around the system to keep the seals etc in tip top working order)
3: The action of A/C is also as a dehumidifier, so in the winter it is useful for rapid windscreen clearance

Do most of the time, but it really kills the fuel economy

[Gav]

A couple of weeks ago my air con stopped working. One day it was OK, the next nothing...

Anyway, the local Renault dealer took it in and found no leaks, and regassed etc for £89. What a difference. I'd got the car from them at 11 months (it's now 2 years old today!) and it had never worked that well (compared to previous 307 & my wife's Corsa), but now it's very good. The mechanic when I go the car back (on a Sat morning, no reception guys there) said to run it a minimum of twice 5-10 mins a week, so probably 15 mins in total, all year round. My wife runs hers almost all the time and it's as good as new on a 3.5 year old Corsa.