I have a 2012 Ford Focus 1.6d Zetec that I have owned from new and maintained on a service contract by the Ford dealer I bought it from. Although I use the dealer for nearly all maintenance and repairs I confess I don't for aircon regas as they want nearly twice the price of 'kwik fit' 

When 'kwik fit' checked the system prior to a potential regas they advised the system was faulty so there was no point in regasing. They advised that on my Focus the Aircon system is separate to rest of the car's system and as such no harm would be done if I didn't get it repaired; is that correct? 

Hi,

What do they mean by broken? Is it just leaking or has the compressor gone?

A couple of weeks ago my air con had stopped pumping out cold air.  I thought maybe the seals had gone as, like a lot of people, I havent been using the car much.  I booked it in at Kwik Fit for their regas service as they say they pressure check it first and only regas if its OK plus full refund it they cannot do it.  Ten mins after getting there, they tell me that its leaking and no point re-gassing it.  They asked if I wanted to book it in with their master technician to investigate.  I declined and took the full refund.

I booked it in the following week at a local garage (not Ford - used them plenty of times over the years and always given good service).  They pressure tested it and said they couldnt find a leak.  They re-gassed it and it has been fine since (that was about 6 weeks ago).

The AC system is separate in every car so that seems like a weird thing to say.  

The longer you leave it empty, the more damage is done to the AC system itself though.  Much better to replace one part now than leave it a couple of years and have to replace every seal in the system...  If you never intend to repair it or sell it then it doesn't matter.

In every car I ever had with A/C, I have never switched it off - really have no idea why anyone would not run it permanently (unless you are a micro MPG driver!), as it works at all temperatures, not just cooling, removing moisture from the air hence keeping your glass nice and condensation free in all weathers... It's a much misunderstood system.

I would never buy a car without a functioning A/C system, and anyone that tells you, 'it just needs a re-gas...', run, in the opposite direction, really fast! You'll either need a replacement condenser, a compressor, or a leak repaired.

20 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

I have never switched it off - really have no idea why anyone would not run it permanently

Totally agree, I have never turned mine off and only once did I need a regas which was on a 4 year old Transit Connect which brings me to my next point.

I once took a Transit Connect (which I had owned from new) to Kwik Fit and got the story that the A/C system had a leak and they couldn't regas it, but would I like to book it in to be looked at and given an estimate. I declined the offer and went to Halfords and bought a regas bottle for £40 (you get £10 back when you return the empty) and did the refill myself. Two years later the A/C was still working fine when I sold the van.

 

26 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

In every car I ever had with A/C, I have never switched it off - really have no idea why anyone would not run it permanently (unless you are a micro MPG driver!), as it works at all temperatures, not just cooling, removing moisture from the air hence keeping your glass nice and condensation free in all weathers... It's a much misunderstood system.

I would never buy a car without a functioning A/C system, and anyone that tells you, 'it just needs a re-gas...', run, in the opposite direction, really fast! You'll either need a replacement condenser, a compressor, or a leak repaired.

If the aircon works so well then why do they put in a separate heating system ( The old way) to begin with ? 

I've rarely used the aircon in any car I've had. I can't recall ever switching this one on in the MK4. The MK3 previous used to annoying though as the aircon always came on as default as soon as you turned the blower from 0 to 1. Perhaps I should start using it.

I rarely use mine either...mainly for the MPG.   But I also don't like the 'dry' feeling of AC air in a confined space, or the opposite feeling when you get out of the car into a hot environment and all the humidity condenses on your skin, eugh.  I only use it when the ambient temp is such that normal blowers or opening windows can't cool the car.  

Amazingly it still works in the Golf despite almost no use in the last couple of years (and being involved in a front end collision in 2016).  Smells rank though, so even in the heat I've not been using it...tried various cleaners to no effect.  This morning I've used about £15 worth of genuine Wurth AC cleaner...which didn't exactly go to plan, and mostly dribbled out of the AC drain and footwell vents.  As well as replacing the pollen filter which wasn't all that dirty but was about 18 months old.  Fingers crossed it no longer smells like death with the AC on...

On 6/14/2021 at 10:30 AM, AlanC2 said:

A couple of weeks ago my air con had stopped pumping out cold air.  I thought maybe the seals had gone as, like a lot of people, I havent been using the car much.  I booked it in at Kwik Fit for their regas service as they say they pressure check it first and only regas if its OK plus full refund it they cannot do it.  Ten mins after getting there, they tell me that its leaking and no point re-gassing it.  They asked if I wanted to book it in with their master technician to investigate.  I declined and took the full refund.

I booked it in the following week at a local garage (not Ford - used them plenty of times over the years and always given good service).  They pressure tested it and said they couldn't find a leak.  They re-gassed it and it has been fine since (that was about 6 weeks ago).

Kwik fit said something along the lines of they could not get any pressure in the system and as such there was no point in regasing; like with you they charged nothing to test the system.

It's interesting that you have had it pressure tested elsewhere and all was OK

 

On 6/15/2021 at 1:25 PM, TomsFocus said:

 

... As well as replacing the pollen filter which wasn't all that dirty but was about 18 months old.  Fingers crossed it no longer smells like death with the AC on...

So Tom, how's the smell now?

1 hour ago, Paul Surrey Ford Focus said:

Kwik fit said something along the lines of they could not get any pressure in the system and as such there was no point in regasing; like with you they charged nothing to test the system.

It's interesting that you have had it pressure tested elsewhere and all was OK

 

It's illegal to knowingly vent AC gas to atmosphere so they aren't allowed to fill it the system it doesn't pass the test.

1 hour ago, StephenFord said:

So Tom, how's the smell now?

Still smells like sweaty towels that have been festering in the washing bin for a week...  

It doesn't smell while it's running, but once it's been switched off for even just a few seconds the smell is utterly horrendous and then lasts for days after.  On Tuesday night I dumped a whole can of (highly flammable!) cheap AC cleaner in through the vents...haven't been able to drive since so no idea if that one will have made a difference yet, but I doubt it.  I have been worried about someone dropping a cig end near the car and the whole thing exploding ever since though...  

5 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

I have been worried about someone dropping a cig end near the car and the whole thing exploding ever since though...  

That'd solve your problem .

I have a 2013 Focus 1.0 econetic and the air con was charged last June, how long should a re-gas last about and is it normal that it should blow cold to the passenger and warm to the driver?

13 minutes ago, Slyder07 said:

 how long should a re-gas last about ...

Depends on the car, my last one, Celica GT4, had a replacement compressor, and after a recharge, it was still ice cold 10 years later when I sold it.

14 minutes ago, Slyder07 said:

...and is it normal that it should blow cold to the passenger and warm to the driver?

I have read about this fault before on your model car, and from memory, a re gas did fix it, but I could be wrong, better wait for someone knowledgeable to pop along! LOL

I've still not worked out how to use my A/C in my mk2. people rave about A/C and how cold it gets, i think mines working but cooler with the window down LOL

1 hour ago, JImpster said:

I've still not worked out how to use my A/C in my mk2. people rave about A/C and how cold it gets, i think mines working but cooler with the window down LOL

There is no way you'll be cooler with the windows down unless you drive in the Arctic LOL If dialed to the coldest temperature, with A/C on, you will feel genuine refrigerated air pouring out of the dash vents, if you don't, it's not working! (the A/C will only work if the blower is on at least position '1', and the LED on your A/.C switch is lit)

on position 1, light on, dial all the way left, how cold should it be, will it make ice cubes haha. will have a play once ive sorted some of the more important jobs.

2 minutes ago, JImpster said:

 how cold should it be,

Should be 3c - 5c at coldest...