Hi guys,

Thiking about buying this kit from ebay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-FOCUS-2-2-0-145hp-Car-Air-Con-Recharge-Refill-Regas-Aircon-Topup-Kit-/230964051195?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item35c687bcfb

to top up my aircon as its not feeling as cold as it should. Most garages around by me charge at least £45+VAT and ford want £79.99

I would rather buy the kit and buy cans when needed to refill when needed and i presume i can also use the kit to top up my dads ford mondeo st220? and other cars ?

Where is the valve that i use to refill the gas? From what i can see under the bonnet there are 2.

One at the front by the bumper and one at the back below the wipers.

Ford Focus 55' 2.0 Titanium Petrol

Alec

It is the smaller of the two valves. This should be the Low Pressure Valve. Remember to switch the aircon on and run the engine whilst refilling.

I would use this stuff instead as it has PAG oil and sealant in it:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Interdynamics-EZ-Chill-Air-Conditioning-Measure-Charge-/330950169840?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4d0e2ad4f0

You need the PAG Oil to keep the compressor lubricated and the sealant to refresh the deals and stop the stuff leaking out.

it works out cheaper to get it regassed properly by a garage... kwik fit and halford auto centers only charge £49 inc VAT

It is the smaller of the two valves. This should be the Low Pressure Valve. Remember to switch the aircon on and run the engine whilst refilling.

I would use this stuff instead as it has PAG oil and sealant in it:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Interdynamics-EZ-Chill-Air-Conditioning-Measure-Charge-/330950169840?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4d0e2ad4f0

You need the PAG Oil to keep the compressor lubricated and the sealant to refresh the deals and stop the stuff leaking out.

Tbh looking at them the both valves look identical with the same caps, would looking under the cap be noticble smaller?

Yes, take the caps off. They are only dust caps. I was going to add, the future refills will be much cheaper as you wont need to purchase the kit with the pressure gauge and refill connection. You will probably get the cans for £15 to £20 a time.

it works out cheaper to get it regassed properly by a garage... kwik fit and halford auto centers only charge £49 inc VAT

I would of thought buying the kit once would work out cheaper in the long run?

The aircon gas refil cans are only £34.99 which can then use the pipe and gauge to refill cheaper than any garage.

Local ford £30 wouldnt use those cans very easy to put too much in kwik fit £35.00 and you get a pressure tezt done and the system drained as it should be to remove any moisture

It's not just a case of topping up the gas.

The system should be drained, lubricated, leak tested and filled to the manufacturers specs.

Without pag oil the aircon clutch and compressor could fail costing a damn sight more to repair.

A dry or leaking seal could mean the gas just leaks off.

The job should be done professionally so as to avoid releasing refrigerants into the atmosphere which is illegal if done on purpose.

my vw passat needed £1200 quid of repairs to the aircon from me using the above method to top up the aircon i was naive at the time the aircon pro said that those cans dhould be banned as its not a cheap fix in the long run he agreed that it was lack of oil in the system and that the moisture had been allowed to build up so it was my fault hence my warning that its not worth the £5 or so it saves

_{£49 at your local kwikfit. if the temp doesnt drop by 10 degrees C or they cant refil due to leak...its free!}

_{There are plently of smaller garages who will do this cheaper. one round the corner from myself, uses same box as kwikfit and charges £20 a regas.}

_{£49 at your local kwikfit. if the temp doesnt drop by 10 degrees C or they cant refil due to leak...its free!}

_{There are plently of smaller garages who will do this cheaper. one round the corner from myself, uses same box as kwikfit and charges £20 a regas.}

Yeah found a company called the aircon shop down by me. £24.99 for a gas refill and free aircon system check and dye.

Shop is purely for aircon and my girlfriends dad had his aircon fixed there and seems fine.

i took mine to get re-gassed and was quickly told it couldnt be done due to the condensor leaking fluid from 2 pop rivets on the left hand side of the radiator, he said he seen a few of these on the focus range, he quoted me £290 +vat to have new rad and re-gas :(

if i bought the kit to re-gas it myself does it include a leak test? or any type of testing at all?

_{nope it will only have the gas no UV die and you will need a UV torch to see if it is leaking}

_{nope it will only have the gas no UV die and you will need a UV torch to see if it is leaking}

ah ok thanks

Had mine refilled today at an independent garage, darn system was nearly empty but in full working order now.

I'll need to fit heated seats just to defrost my nadgers though ;)

I'll need to fit heated seats just to defrost my nadgers though ;)

wait till you get a car with heated AND cooled seats ;)

Had my car topped up yet to me i dont think it feels any colder?

Was only a cheap £24.99 refill yet your meant to have the whole system drained? Using a thermometer in the car while it was warm outside showed the cool air blowing in was cooled to about 16C.

What temp should the aircon achieve on full power?

10 degrees c below the outside temp

Never had a problem with the cans on numerous cars. If there was a leak it re-sealed.

My old Mans just had his system buggered up by Halfords. They drained it, pressure tested it and wanted to do a load of work which my Dad didn't want doing , so he left without any gas in the system. Trouble is he has recently suffered from heart failure and is suffering in this heat so I had to go around and fill his up with a spare can I had. It only needed the pollen filter replacing so I did that to and its working beautifully again.

I would not allow Kwik Fit or Halfords cowboys anywhere near my cars. Kwik Fit especially as they employ criminals around here. I caught them rifling through my car once looking for anything they could knick. A few weeks later they decided to take a customers 911 for a test run when it wasn't required and they had no permission to do so, and managed to kill an 8 year old child because they were driving like idiots.