Air Con not cold even after Regas

[McShmoopy]

Hi Guys

Recently my cars Air Con suddenly started blowing warm air compared to before when it was ice cold. I figured it'd be the refrigerant that needs gassing or some sort of leak so I've taken it to a Lexus specialist in Nottingham they just advised it was empty so they had regassed it alongside my MOT and oil and filter changes. 

Now on the drive back I noticed the Air Con was slightly colder but no where near compared to before. I figured I'll drive it home and see if it got colder over time but no improvement. I've just rang the garage back up and I'll be taking the car back on Monday for them to take a look however the guy assured me the air con was ice cold after he gassed it. 

Thought I'd get a second opinion from you guys before I take it back, could this perhaps be a refrigerant leak somewhere or some other potential fault?

[NemesisUK]

Does sound like a leak. The a/c will be cold immediately after regassing but if the leak isn't catastrophic it will only slowly deteriorate in performance.

That all said they should have tested it for leaks, not simply regass it. Most machines will pull a vacuum to test the system.

Maybe take it to an aircon specialist instead?

[McShmoopy]

11 minutes ago, NemesisUK said:

Does sound like a leak. The a/c will be cold immediately after regassing but if the leak isn't catastrophic it will only slowly deteriorate in performance.

That all said they should have tested it for leaks, not simply regass it. Most machines will pull a vacuum to test the system.

Maybe take it to an aircon specialist instead?

Thanks for the insight, I did suspect they maybe missed a leak although that is disappointing considering I paid £50 and they claimed to have checked it all. Depending how it goes on Monday I may have to take it to an aircon specialist 

[Herbie]

Exactly as Peter said above.

It sounds very much like they've just regassed it but without properly testing it first, which is very poor in my opinion. The refrigerant gas does not wear out or get converted to something else - the only possible reason for a lack of gas is a leak somewhere.

[McShmoopy]

6 minutes ago, Herbie said:

Exactly as Peter said above.

It sounds very much like they've just regassed it but without properly testing it first, which is very poor in my opinion. The refrigerant gas does not wear out or get converted to something else - the only possible reason for a lack of gas is a leak somewhere.

Thanks for the input, very disappointing indeed which is a shame as I've taken my mums IS250C here and not had any prior issues. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and see if they can rectify this on Monday hopefully without charge. 

[AntC]

As Herbie said, the refrigerant does not evaporate or wear out. If you had to have the car regassed in the first place, it means you have a leak somewhere.

There is also the possibility of the hot/cold air valve not switching completely to the cold position.

Also, the AC compressor is using oil of its own that should be changed occasionally to avoid buying a new compressor.

However, as others have stated, I would first check for any leaks.

[steve2006]

I know it’s illegal to simply vent refrigerant gas to the atmosphere ( and indeed somewhat dangerous).

I also believe that AC work is required to be carried out only by registered operators to ensure the job is done properly i.e. the system is thoroughly checked for leaks both visually and a nitrogen/uv dye mix, carry out any required repairs to ensure the system is gas tight, purge and apply a vacuum to confirm and only then recharge the system with the correct type and amount of refrigerant/ oil.

My Celsior is still ice cold on AC and never had a recharge in 27 years!

[McShmoopy]

26 minutes ago, AntC said:

As Herbie said, the refrigerant does not evaporate or wear out. If you had to have the car regassed in the first place, it means you have a leak somewhere.

There is also the possibility of the hot/cold air valve not switching completely to the cold position.

Also, the AC compressor is using oil of its own that should be changed occasionally to avoid buying a new compressor.

However, as others have stated, I would first check for any leaks.

What usually causes the leaks, wear and tear? I do tend to look after my cars but the previous owner did alot of motorway miles and was the sole owner. 

14 minutes ago, steve2006 said:

I know it’s illegal to simply vent refrigerant gas to the atmosphere ( and indeed somewhat dangerous).

I also believe that AC work is required to be carried out only by registered operators to ensure the job is done properly i.e. the system is thoroughly checked for leaks both visually and a nitrogen/uv dye mix, carry out any required repairs to ensure the system is gas tight, purge and apply a vacuum to confirm and only then recharge the system with the correct type and amount of refrigerant/ oil.

My Celsior is still ice cold on AC and never had a recharge in 27 years!

For that reason this is why I've taken my car to this garage as they state they're a Lexus / Toyota specialist and I'd rather have people who know what they're doing! But that is good to know that you should only need to recharge AC if there's an issue or a very minor leak. 

[NemesisUK]

10 minutes ago, McShmoopy said:

What usually causes the leaks, wear and tear? I do tend to look after my cars but the previous owner did alot of motorway miles and was the sole owner. 

More often than not it's lack of use that causes leaks by seals drying out.

Rarely, physical damage, perhaps to the condenser by a stone, which might not be so far of the mark, with many motorway miles?

[PCM]

On a non Lexus I had the same issue.

It was the condenser - and stone damage I assume.

A new condenser fixed it.

I would take up the issue with the 'Lexus Specialist' you originally took it to, if you feel they are worthy of your trust ( and money ).

[Herbie]

1 hour ago, McShmoopy said:

For that reason this is why I've taken my car to this garage as they state they're a Lexus / Toyota specialist and I'd rather have people who know what they're doing!

But do they?

There is nothing 'Lexus-specific' about the aircon system so being a Lexus/Toyota specialist means nothing in this context.

Personally, I go to mechanics for mechanical problems; auto-electricians for electrical issues (unless we're talking about the hybrid system) and aircon specialists for aircon issues.

[McShmoopy]

5 hours ago, Herbie said:

But do they?

There is nothing 'Lexus-specific' about the aircon system so being a Lexus/Toyota specialist means nothing in this context.

Personally, I go to mechanics for mechanical problems; auto-electricians for electrical issues (unless we're talking about the hybrid system) and aircon specialists for aircon issues.

Hmm that is an excellent point to be fair, I was planning on doing all the general servicing myself such as filters oil changes etc but its been a hectic few weeks so free time is limited. This reason alone I may consider servicing myself next year at least you know its done that way! The IS250's seem pretty nice to work on yourself compared to most other makes 

[McShmoopy]

6 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

More often than not it's lack of use that causes leaks by seals drying out.

Rarely, physical damage, perhaps to the condenser by a stone, which might not be so far of the mark, with many motorway miles?

Haha the funny thing is I pretty much use it 24/7 as I hate being warm as I tend to sweat easily. So I can probably rule that out, I got the car at 135k miles and the aircon was flawless until probably last week so unless I've had a rock chip do some damage. I'll be certain to keep everyone posted! 

[McShmoopy]

6 hours ago, PCM said:

On a non Lexus I had the same issue.

It was the condenser - and stone damage I assume.

A new condenser fixed it.

I would take up the issue with the 'Lexus Specialist' you originally took it to, if you feel they are worthy of your trust ( and money ).

Thanks for the insight, I suppose that could be an option. Once I take the car on Monday I'll be sure to update everyone 🙂

[Alfalfa]

On 9/22/2021 at 6:34 PM, McShmoopy said:

What usually causes the leaks, wear and tear? I do tend to look after my cars but the previous owner did alot of motorway miles and was the sole owner. 

For that reason this is why I've taken my car to this garage as they state they're a Lexus / Toyota specialist and I'd rather have people who know what they're doing! But that is good to know that you should only need to recharge AC if there's an issue or a very minor leak. 

I had to change one of the tubes on my car, rust hole. Wery expensive tubes. 

[sweeno69]

Sorry to hijack the thread. I'm in a similar position with my 2008 IS250.

Aircon was not working when I bought the car back in May. Took it to be re-gassed and it was ice-cold for about 2 days before returning to blowing luke warm air.

Took it to a local indy on Friday who said it seems my condenser is leaking and quoted me €650 for supply and fit a new one. 

Does that seem like a reasonable price? Given the cold weather is fast approaching, I'll probably wait until next Spring to get the job done anyway.

 

[McShmoopy]

Quick update on my end, dropped the car off and the car still seems to have gas and has no error codes or leaks to speak of. The guy said it looks like it may be the compressor so I may need to look for a replacement one and try having that fitted in. 

22 hours ago, sweeno69 said:

Sorry to hijack the thread. I'm in a similar position with my 2008 IS250.

Aircon was not working when I bought the car back in May. Took it to be re-gassed and it was ice-cold for about 2 days before returning to blowing luke warm air.

Took it to a local indy on Friday who said it seems my condenser is leaking and quoted me €650 for supply and fit a new one. 

Does that seem like a reasonable price? Given the cold weather is fast approaching, I'll probably wait until next Spring to get the job done anyway.

 

Sounds like it could be a very similar issue to myself! Seems like a lot but I’ll try sourcing one, j did see a similar forum post on here where they found an aftermarket one instead of OEM that worked just fine 

[true blue]

Hi I agree with what Herbie posted earlier  Air con systems require air con specialists If your man says it MAY BE the compressor are you prepared to throw money at this fault .As a retired engineer I do not go down that road ,my son had a similar problem with a Honda system where air con problems where put down to the compressor ,when questioned they did not know for sure but wanted it replacing .I convinced him to use an Air con specialist who was mobile ,came to his drive ,diagnosed and fixed the fault which was a solenoid and had it back to normal for less than £100 on the same day .He was able to do this because automotive air conditioning  systems was what he specialised in . Hope your case is not to expensive

Dave

[McShmoopy]

46 minutes ago, true blue said:

Hi I agree with what Herbie posted earlier  Air con systems require air con specialists If your man says it MAY BE the compressor are you prepared to throw money at this fault .As a retired engineer I do not go down that road ,my son had a similar problem with a Honda system where air con problems where put down to the compressor ,when questioned they did not know for sure but wanted it replacing .I convinced him to use an Air con specialist who was mobile ,came to his drive ,diagnosed and fixed the fault which was a solenoid and had it back to normal for less than £100 on the same day .He was able to do this because automotive air conditioning  systems was what he specialised in . Hope your case is not to expensive

Dave

Thanks for the insight Dave, you and Herbie are right. I’ve been mulling it over and after looking at other forum posts, the cost of compressors I’d rather get the second opinion from an Air Con specialist and there seems to be a few that I could contact. 

I’ll keep you all posted on further updates!

[McShmoopy]

So strange update, got the car back and the air con seems to be working how it should be! The garage working on the car were telling me they intermittently got the air con blowing ice cold but it could be the compressor playing up. I'll be calling an Aircon specialist still to get it looked at to diagnose what my issue was. 

[PCM]

5 hours ago, McShmoopy said:

So strange update, got the car back and the air con seems to be working how it should be! The garage working on the car were telling me they intermittently got the air con blowing ice cold but it could be the compressor playing up. I'll be calling an Aircon specialist still to get it looked at to diagnose what my issue was. 

Sounds odd.

You know your a/c works - just not all the time.

Could be something really simple... something not 'cutting-in' when it needs to everytime?

I'm sure an A/C specialist will be able to fault find better than a replace-and-try approach.