By law AC machines have to use vacuum first to recover old gas, remove moisture and check for any major leaks.  Not sure how Halfords could have got that wrong.

it only took them few minutes to fill it then told me there are no leaks. 

i am guessing if they did the vacuum and other things then it would take at least 20 mins?

also was my theory correct on the contamintaed oil?

Halfords likely used one of the aerosol type cans to top up the gas. These often don't work properly. 

The garage would have run the full replacement cycle on the refilling machine. 

 

11 hours ago, froggy8 said:

it only took them few minutes to fill it then told me there are no leaks. 

i am guessing if they did the vacuum and other things then it would take at least 20 mins?

also was my theory correct on the contamintaed oil?

The oil is only there to lubricate the pump and keep the seals soft.  It doesn't get contaminated like engine oil and can't prevent AC from working.

Was this just done using a can from a Halfords shop as suggested above?  I now generally assume people means Halfords Autocentre (garage) whenever they say Halfords.

Yeah Tom, they only used a can and a gauge on the ac. 

2 hours ago, froggy8 said:

Yeah Tom, they only used a can and a gauge on the ac. 

Oh.  Those are a waste of time & money unfortunately.  I've tried them many times on various cars.

yeah i didnt realise at the time, i had forgotten about the vacuum and clean oil.

On 9/1/2025 at 10:15 AM, DaveT70 said:

Yes, sorry 6900 D-Max all the time

6400 as a one off, before you start using 6900

Once you're using 6900, all the time, you'll never need 6400 again anyway👍

I haven't used this at all yet, so to be clear I need to start with the 6400 then I can use the 6900 and wont need the 6400 again?

Thanks

 

40 minutes ago, sonic113 said:

I haven't used this at all yet, so to be clear I need to start with the 6400 then I can use the 6900 and wont need the 6400 again?

Thanks

 

I've never used the 6400 (although it could be beneficial) but yes, the 6900 is the regular use, 1ml/litre stuff.

On 9/27/2025 at 1:49 PM, Shearers said:

I've never used the 6400 (although it could be beneficial) but yes, the 6900 is the regular use, 1ml/litre stuff.

Same here.

Only use the 6400 if you have issues or know you want/need to do a clean up.

If the car is relatively new  just start using the 6900 and use it all the time👍

cambelt has been done now, i wont need to worry about that for awhile 🙂 

the mechanic even looked around to check if anything needs sorting and its all good 🙂 

3 minutes ago, froggy8 said:

 i wont need to worry about that for awhile

So sorry to hear that, but don't despair 🙁

Something will be along soon that you can fully worry about 🤣

isnt that always the case? 😄