Wondering How Long Your Car AC Gas Last?

If your car air conditioning stops working, more often than not it can be resolved quickly and easily with an air-con regas. The truth is, most of us take air conditioning for granted and always expect it to work without a second thought, but when warm air comes out of the vents given Australia’s hot and humid climate, it can be very uncomfortable not to mention sweaty.

Over time you will begin to notice your air-con system doesn’t work as well as it did when new. That’s because it needs regular maintenance, which many of us fail to do. Fortunately, it’s not an expensive or difficult job to keep your air-con working as long as you keep up regular servicing of the car air conditioning system.

What is regassing?

Car Air-con regassing is the process of removing the old refrigerant gas from your air conditioning system and replacing it with new refrigerant, preferably an eco-friendly refrigerant such as r1234yf, so your air conditioning can run cold again.

If your A/C system stops blowing cold air this should be the first thing you explore. The regassing process should take a specialist no longer than an hour to do.

There could be other reasons why your vehicle’s air-con isn’t blowing cold anymore, and a reputable car air conditioning technician will be able to advise if the issue is fault related to a particular component of your a/c system

Not sure if your car’s air conditioning has a problem? Discover 3 signs your car air conditioning needs repair.

How long does Car AC gas last?

Air Conditioners outside of the automotive industry can last indefinitely as long as you don’t create a leak. The compressor and associated coils are hermetically sealed. The compressor operates inside this sealed system. So if nobody damages it somewhere it won’t leak, but when it comes to vehicles it’s a different story.

Automotive air conditioning over time will run into problems. The compressor isn’t hermetically sealed. So the clutch seals can dry out, especially if it hasn’t been operated for some time, and will leak as a result.

Your car air conditioning system is made up of several components such as the compressor, the condenser, and the evaporator as well as other intricate parts such as hoses, valves, seals, etc all of which lay under your vehicle bonnet and are susceptible to damage.

If you are a frequent driver chances are at some point in time your car’s air conditioning will stop performing as it should. If you own a brand new vehicle your refrigerant gas will last 3-5 years without you running into any major issues as long as you maintain a yearly car aircon service such as a 24-point diagnosis and Performance Check.

Want to learn more about your vehicle’s air-con system? Discover how car air conditioning works

How do you know when your air-con needs regassing?

The first sign that your air-con needs regassing is that the air being blown from the vents is not as cool as it used to be, or it doesn’t feel any different when the AC is switched off.

If you can’t remember the last time the system was regassed, it’s probably worth doing. Alternatively, many specialists are happy to perform a free check.

Is a regas part of a service?

While servicing your car regularly is important for keeping it in reliable and roadworthy condition, services rarely cover the air-con system and this includes service performed by your vehicle’s manufacturer. We advise you to go to a car air conditioning specialist like Jack Frost who can professionally carry out a regas service and also provide a 6-month guarantee.

Our diagnosis and recharge prices start from $224 and vary depending on the season, vehicle type, and other unforeseen factors.

When your car’s air-con is given service, the technician should check the system’s lubricant level and replace the old refrigerant gas with new gas up to the required level.

They should also perform a vacuum test to check for any cracks or leaks that could prevent your air-con from working in the future.

How often should you recharge your air-con?

Most vehicle manufacturers recommend that you service or regas your car’s air conditioning system every 1-2 years. Whether you use your car’s air-con a lot or hardly ever at all, air-con gas will continue to permeate through the system over time so an aircon service every two years will keep the gas topped up and the system lubricated so you always have a cool blast ready when you need it most.

Even top-of-the-range cars will exhibit about 10 % gas loss in the air conditioning unit each year thus leading to less cold air. Also, keep in mind that a poorly functioning unit will work your engine harder, therefore, resulting in increased fuel consumption.

What happens if I don’t regas my air-con system?

If you don’t regas the air-con system, it will gradually become less efficient, making the car uncomfortable in hot weather, and take longer to demist the windows in winter.

Not regassing your air-con system will be bad for it in the long run, too, with pipes likely to crack and parts likely to seize up if it isn’t used.

How long does an air-con recharge take?

The Car Air Conditioning recharge process takes about 45-60 minutes to completely remove the old gas and refill with fresh refrigerant.

At Jack Frost, you can have your air con recharged while you wait and take advantage of our free wifi in our customer waiting area at our Mt Gravatt East workshop. For mobile service, we can conveniently carry out the service at work or home.

Where can I get my air con recharged?

You can get your car air conditioning regassed at your local car aircon repairer as long as they specialise in automotive AC and hold the appropriate ArcTick licenses.

If you’re located in Brisbane, Jack Frost Car Air Conditioning offers a complete air conditioning recharge service through our Mt Gravatt East & Geebung workshops.

Our service includes:

• Performing a comprehensive inspection of your car’s air conditioning system.
• pressurising the system with our highly detectable n95/h5 nitrogen/hydrogen leak detection trace gas
• Comprehensively leak testing your evaporator core behind the dash (no one else does this!), compressor, condenser & hoses
• Inspect all visible components of the system to ensure their integrity & also test and inspect electrical circuits & operation
• A/C Regas, Repairs, and component replacements

Note:  If your car’s air conditioning has suddenly stopped working, it means your system has a leak somewhere and a re-gas will not fix the problem.

Any leaks will need to be repaired before we can legally re-gas your system.

If your car needs parts for further repairs, we will give you a written report and quote to repair it.  If no leaks are found and your system passes all legal requirements, we can re-gas your system with confidence by offering you our 6-month gas warranty.