Could anyone recommend a place in Brissy for an A/C regas?

[supershifty]

Hi all, the A/C in my XH is struggling to get cold.

The fellow I used to use is mobile but no longer services cars - just earthmoving equipment nowadays.

I want the full service including receiver/drier. I have no idea when the system was last looked at as I've only had the XH for a year. I'm at a loss to figure out who to go to. I'm northside of Brisbane and not looking for the cheapest, but will travel anywhere to get good honest service. I travel an hour to the southside to get my wheel alignments done.

Could any of you recommend someone?

Cheers!

[kiwiinaus]

mobile air conditioning services at darra 33759622

[Sooty]

Dear Shifty,

On the northside, it would be hard to go past Chermside Auto Electrical and AirCon at 54 Boothby St, Kedron. I've been there with a few different cars over the years, and they're pretty good at what they do, and they also seem to be fairly honest. Their phone number is 3359 2794.

Good Luck & Best Wishes,
Sooty.

[ratter]

check what sort of gas is going to be used before going ahead with the job

[supershifty]

Thanks Sooty, I'll go there as it's closest. The last mongrel I used filled my A/C system in my XF with LPG after a prang. Needless to say I would've liked to rip him a new one, but he was "unavailable" at his given address. How convenient that I couldn't find the mother.

Thanks for the address, shall follow it up.

Thanks too kiwi, but I'll follow up Sooty's lead and report back on this thread.

Cheers!

[supershifty]

Ratter, it's an XH running R145a - should be all good, it gets cold after a struggle. Can't claim the system is perfect, but I think it just needs a gas and filter. Just wanted an honest person to evaluate the job. I don't mind paying the coin out mate, just hate getting ripped.

Edit: it's a ute, one's nuts should be freezing!

[kiwiinaus]

Originally Posted by supershifty

Ratter, it's an XH running R145a - should be all good, it gets cold after a struggle. Can't claim the system is perfect, but I think it just needs a gas and filter. Just wanted an honest person to evaluate the job. I don't mind paying the coin out mate, just hate getting ripped.

Edit: it's a ute, one's nuts should be freezing!

check that the fan hub is not slipping causing low air flow over the condenser. should be able to feel the air getting sucked through the condenser. look for signs of oily dirt on the pipework for the a/c as that could indicate a possible leak. the filter drier should be warm to hot to touch but cooler than the inlet to the condenser. with the age of the vehicle it could also be the compressor is nearing the end of its life as well. check between the radiator and the condenser that it is not filled up with leaves and crap as that will also stop air flow over the condenser. if the large pipe to the compressor is cold then check that the heater valve is closed (when engine is hot feel both heater hoses and they should be same temp. common fault is heater not shutting off completely.
hope these help

[ratter]

that's fair, many cheap places using the LPG gas to do regas's and they do not need to be licenced.

[Franco Cozzo]

Get it regassed with Hychil Minus 30, I used it in my Falcon and it cools much better than that junk R134a.

R134a is crap, it was a dodgy quick solution to replace the superior R12, which cools much better but was causing a big hole in the Ozone layer.

Hychil Minus 30 also isn't effected by carbon tax, so it will be much cheaper to be regassed.

It also only needs 300 grams compared to 800-1000 of R134a for a Falcon system.

[ratter]

air con experts and suppliers do not recommend Hychil

[kiwiinaus]

already stated that he does not want it filled natural gas

[atec77]

Originally Posted by ratter

air con experts and suppliers do not recommend Hychil

Of course not , no profit on exorbitantly priced gases that hichil replaces

[supershifty]

Thanks kiwi, ratter and Damo. I'll check if they use Hychil and specify it. The Xh is a '97 model, although she's 16yo, she's only done 122k's. Bought her off a one owner old bloke. (paid too much, but was worth every cent - $6k) The log book history ends at the end of warranty - no further info after that. She's never done any trade work and drives like brand new.

Cheers Lads!

[kiwiinaus]

Originally Posted by supershifty

Thanks kiwi, ratter and Damo. I'll check if they use Hychil and specify it. The Xh is a '97 model, although she's 16yo, she's only done 122k's. Bought her off a one owner old bloke. (paid too much, but was worth every cent - $6k) The log book history ends at the end of warranty - no further info after that. She's never done any trade work and drives like brand new.

Cheers Lads!

hychill is LPG

[kempy311]

Originally Posted by kiwiinaus

hychill is LPG

Incorrect

The refrigerant is a highly refined hydrocarbon and is not ‘L.P.G.’ but a blend of naturally occurring gases in the hydrocarbon chain.

[ratter]

probably more profit to be made on a quick "Gas and Go" using hychill which is why some shops will use it, but they normally lose the customer after parts start to fail because of it

[kempy311]

Hychill is what we use and recommend at work as it works better then R134a and is cheaper. Up in the mines its pretty much all they use because it works that much better and has been proven to not cause any damage compared to R134a.

[superfly]

I used Mr Cool in Milton for my wife's WRX and was very happy with their prices and service. The car needed a new compressor. That was 3 years ago and the A/C is still going great.

http://www.mrcool.com.au/

[SPArKy_Dave]

R134a, is a patented chemical concoction, whipped up by Dupont, and marketed to the world. One main reason for the change from R12, was that the patent expired.

Similarly, R134a is being superceded to R1234yf (incidently, this new patented refrigerant concotion, is flammable).

As above, I have experimented with Hychill.
I like the fact it's naturally occurring - thus cannot be patented, and is excellent for use in R12 retrofits due to it's properties matching R12 much closer than R134a.

Hychill operates at lower pressures, hence doesn't stress old seals and components as much as R134a would, when regassing old R12 systems.
It also required much less charge volume, for the same performance.

However, note that a simple 'Gas n Go' is at best, sloppy workmanship..... at worst, negligent.
When an AC system has failed, the cause needs to be determined, the lines should be removed and flushed, and the oil level in the compressor should be checked, and/or changed.

Then the vehicle should be regassed by weight/volume, to ensure a correct charge.

Here's some pics of an ED Fairmont AC system re-build I recently completed, using Hychill.
(car had suffered compressor burnout, due to failed clutch/hub bearing)

[kempy311]

Originally Posted by SPArKy_Dave

However, note that a simple 'Gas n Go' is at best, sloppy workmanship..... at worst, negligent.
When an AC system has failed, the cause needs to be determined, the lines should be removed and flushed, and the oil level in the compressor should be checked, and/or changed.

This is great way to work by but that's if the customer wants to pay for it.

[Polyal]

Great timing, my system has also dropped andthis weekend was pretty hot. Thanks for the heads up on hychill fellas!

[ratter]

how many manufacturers use Hychill as original gas?
Do compressor suppliers offer warranty on cars that have had compressor replacements and use hychill?

to anybody seriously considering what gas goes into their car, ask these questions and then ask why? don't just listen to a bunch of people behind a keyboard ask and make your own mind up from there

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by ratter

how many manufacturers use Hychill as original gas?
Do compressor suppliers offer warranty on cars that have had compressor replacements and use hychill?

to anybody seriously considering what gas goes into their car, ask these questions and then ask why? don't just listen to a bunch of people behind a keyboard ask and make your own mind up from there

There are plenty of products that some companies wont use because of commercial agreements not because one is better than the other.

I dont care what product I use, I care about the cost versus performance, and as we are talking about A/C systems any enviro speak means little to me aswell.

Im just curious to know which part if SPArKy_Dave post is not correct or biased in some way?

Since my car is long past its warranty then I am not to sure thats a major concern, unless the gas proves to cause component wear.

[ratter]

Believe what you want, get accurate info from the people that know, not just from the internet, and make up you own mind what you decide to use, pretty easy really

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by ratter

Believe what you want, get accurate info from the people that know, not just from the internet, and make up you own mind what you decide to use, pretty easy really

Right so you still didnt state what was "incorrect" about the post above where the user went into some depth to try and explain his POV.

Find it odd that asking questions on a forum isn't a good way to get some indication before hassling people in the industry; isn't that what the forum is for? It mightn't be gospel but its better than going in blind.

[ratter]

What did I say was incorrect? his post is very good and is the correct way a repair should be done, I agree with all of it except for the part about using Hychill, like I said, go get accurate information and make up your own mind, ask the compressor suppliers/manufacturers

[cs123]

Originally Posted by ratter

What did I say was incorrect? his post is very good and is the correct way a repair should be done, I agree with all of it except for the part about using Hychill, like I said, go get accurate information and make up your own mind, ask the compressor suppliers/manufacturers

I must admit I know very little about this topic but I am keen to know what failures are caused by hychill.

It may not be common in the industry but this might be that the component manufacturers don't warrant it. This might be because they won't invest in the necessary testing. I understand that the company that manufactures hychill will provide component warranty anyway.

So I'm interested in hearing from someone with AC expertise to give us the lowdown on this gas

[superfly]

Originally Posted by cs123

I must admit I know very little about this topic but I am keen to know what failures are caused by hychill.

It may not be common in the industry but this might be that the component manufacturers don't warrant it. This might be because they won't invest in the necessary testing. I understand that the company that manufactures hychill will provide component warranty anyway.

So I'm interested in hearing from someone with AC expertise to give us the lowdown on this gas

You could do what ratter suggested and ask the questions to whomever is doing the install for you. No matter who comes on here, you still have to make up your own mind as to who you believe.

Or you could do what I did. Pick someone who you believe will do a good job for the right price and then just let them decide what gas is best for you. I went with this theory when I got my wife's WRX aircon replaced. I didn't want to pay the high Subaru price and I was happy with Mr Cool's reputation and price. 3 years later, and A/C is still performing perfectly.

[cs123]

Originally Posted by superfly

You could do what ratter suggested and ask the questions to whomever is doing the install for you. No matter who comes on here, you still have to make up your own mind as to who you believe.

Or you could do what I did. Pick someone who you believe will do a good job for the right price and then just let them decide what gas is best for you. I went with this theory when I got my wife's WRX aircon replaced. I didn't want to pay the high Subaru price and I was happy with Mr Cool's reputation and price. 3 years later, and A/C is still performing perfectly.

Here's the difficult bit. My car is originally a r12 system. So I'd rather a gas that is compatible with that.

[SPArKy_Dave]

Originally Posted by cs123

Here's the difficult bit. My car is originally a r12 system. So I'd rather a gas that is compatible with that.

If the car is still running an old cast iron York piston compressor, and a non parallel flow condensor, then I would retrofit with a Hychill or equivalent, and retain the original componentry if possible.

If you want to use R134a, and get R12 performance, the condensor needs to be changed to a parallel flow unit (if available), and the compressor may need to be changed to a current Sanden Scroll or Wobble plate type.
The R12 mineral refrigerant oil must be flushed out and changed to a 134a PAG or Ester type.


The ED Fairmont, was already a factory R134a system, but I wanted to see how Hychill performed in that system design.

I had nothing to lose, as it all had to be pulled apart and cleaned anyway. The compressor obviously had to be changed too.

I'm not in the habit of experimenting on customers cars - the car featured, is owned by a family member.
I had a compressor, and I supplied my labour for free.
The AC system was completely contaminated and the compressor seized, so we had nothing to lose.
So far, it seems to be working successfully.

Also note, that I reused as much as possible, incl all the original o-rings too. Just fastidiously cleaned and re-fitted.
I cleaned the TX valve, then to visually verify it's operation, I repeatedly froze and unfroze it in the freezer, alongside a known good unit.

It took $400 of CPS flushing fluid, and a month of weekends, just to get all the aluminium swarf and soot (vapourised PAG oil) out of the lines.
(condensor and evap core took by far the longest)

At the same time, I removed, cleaned and refurbed the original 20yr old radiator, cleaned all the oil off the engine, and replaced a few gaskets.

I have one of these too, which was a godsend -