Air conditioning service

[PeterI]

I've just had my RX450h in for the 2 year service and there was a recommendation for a Air conditioning service and antibacterial cleanse for £99 which I declined. I can see a few other threads on the other models forums, is this the dealer (Woodford) just trying to get some extra money?

I can't believe after two years it would need doing (historically on the LS400 I think I did three times in over 20 years, but then it's a different system)

So my question here is how often do others get this as a recommendation (is this an official Lexus thing)? If it's just the one dealer then I might swap over to Sidcup instead of Woodford (Sidcup is a little bit nearer, but is a Jemca so who knows)

[Spock66]

1 hour ago, PeterI said:

So my question here is how often do others get this as a recommendation (is this an official Lexus thing)?

It certainly does not get recorded in the service history so no problem if you skip the recommendation, with previous cars I have had it done around every 5-years with no issues.

My RX had it done at 3-years by the previous owner, but there is no record in the service book or online history, I only know it was done as all the service invoices were included.

[mikey2001]

Lexus Stockport offered to do mine at the 2 year service, but I also declined. I probably wouldn't have the air con service done if the system is still working well.

[Herbie]

1 hour ago, PeterI said:

I've just had my RX450h in for the 2 year service and there was a recommendation for a Air conditioning service and antibacterial cleanse for £99 which I declined. I can see a few other threads on the other models forums, is this the dealer (Woodford) just trying to get some extra money?

I can't believe after two years it would need doing (historically on the LS400 I think I did three times in over 20 years, but then it's a different system)

So my question here is how often do others get this as a recommendation (is this an official Lexus thing)? If it's just the one dealer then I might swap over to Sidcup instead of Woodford (Sidcup is a little bit nearer, but is a Jemca so who knows)

I've never needed any "antibacterial cleansing" in any aircon system I've ever had but even if it were needed, I believe it's something you can do yourself so I wouldn't be paying a dealer to do it.

This is just one of many videos on the subject:

 

As for the "aircon service" it's nothing but one big con.

The air conditioning/climate control system is a completely sealed and self-contained system. The refrigerant gas and the lubricating oil in the system never wear out, never degrade, never age and are never changed by their environment.

Given that, what can possibly need "servicing"?

If the system doesn't get as cold as it once used to, the only explanation for that is a fault somewhere, most likely a leak of refrigerant but on a sealed system that's a fault that would need to be investigated using vacuum pumps and dye, not something that a routine service would cover or fix.

I've had cars for ten years that are as icy cold as the day I bought them and they've never had a routine service on the A/C - it's simply not needed.

[Jaystar77]

Depends on usage but maintaining your aircon system is definitely a 'thing'.

The lubricant in the system keeps the seals in good condition but this only gets circulated when the aircon is switched on. 

If the aircon is not used the lubricant lies dormant and the likelihood of the seals drying out and developing leaks increases.  This is why there's a recommendation to use the aircon periodically even over the winter months, just to keep things tip top.  

The stipulation of 2 years for recharging is commonplace across numerous manufacturers.  A drop in pressure over those two years is usually expected but it also allows actual seal failures to be picked up well inside the warranty period - if they check it and there's been a significant loss of gas that points to a problem and can be addressed.  

I've been quite fortunate like Herbie in that I haven't needed to recharge mine for yonks but I know other people that haven't been so lucky.  Standard story of aircon not used for 6 months then as soon as the warmer weather hits they have issues.  If you can avoid that sort of pattern it should be fine.

[DavidCM]

Same comments as 3 above.Use it regularly and try to blast out the cold air in the system with air con off and a minute of high fan speed should help prevent condensation in the system which causes the musty smell.

I,ve just sold my wife's 10 yr old Mazda CX7 with the Aircon never having been serviced and working perfectly.It,s a money making exercise by the garage.

[Herbie]

Maybe it's because I never switch the aircon (and now the superior climate control) off at all.

Summer, winter, 365 days per year, my AC or CC is/has always been on, so the seals have never dried out and I've never lost any gas.

[Herbie]

19 minutes ago, Jaystar77 said:

The stipulation of 2 years for recharging is commonplace across numerous manufacturers.

It's a stipulation because they want to make money.

19 minutes ago, Jaystar77 said:

A drop in pressure over those two years is usually expected but it also allows actual seal failures to be picked up well inside the warranty period - if they check it and there's been a significant loss of gas

A significant loss of gas would result in the aircon not being as cold as it should, which is something easily discovered by a person and much earlier too.

[Jaystar77]

I think we're all on the same page here

- garages like to recommend stuff that they can charge for, especially when the science justifies it

- poor operation of the system can cause the issues they are looking for

- by sensible system usage you can avoid such issues for quite a long time 

 

 

[Barry14UK]

I might have changed filter(s) on my 2.5 V6 Camry I had for about 10 years but it was never re gassed in my ownership yet was still blowing nice and cold (as required), when sold. 

I only noticed after my RX was hit that regardless of settings it would not blow out cool yet alone cold, so I asked those undertaking repairs to check whether a break or leak could have resulted from the hit the car received.  I was told nothing was near enough to account for this, so I contacted the Lexus franchise where I bought the car and where it had been serviced from new.  They said it would be covered by the extended warranty I took out through them.  So hopefully, if it is anything other than dirty filters, for which I would expect to pay the cost of replacements, it will be covered under the warranty.

 

[steve2006]

At 26 years old my Celsior when recently sold was still blowing ice cold air with nothing but the cabin filter being replaced a few times.

Never turned it off either.

[PeterI]

Thanks guys for all of that, glad to see I'm not alone in passing on this service.

I might buy a car aircon thermometer that stick in the vents, based on the Rainman Ray's Repairs videos I've been watching on Youtube anything under 10C/50F is deemed to be working well.

For sanitising the aircon system (in the case of bad smells) the car care nut (toyota/lexus tech) recommends the toyota kit. He doesn't recommend an AC recharge if the air is cold.