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Call them and discuss it again. Record that call. Just in case they try and weasel out of it later. This is pretty shocking imo, you’d be well within your rights to get Trading Standards involved. I’d keep that in your back pocket though in case you have trouble getting them to put it right. I wonder how many other cars they’ve done this to!

Not great, but hey at least you caught it early and at least they've admitted fault. Should be a slam dunk to get this resolved. Pretty shocking to me but I guess you live and learn. Never letting them touch anything of mine more complicated than a lightbulb now!

Never ever ever let anyone put a leak sealant into an AC system.

Completely misses the point. You were asking about the lubricant not the gas. I would follow up and push them to state exactly which lubricant was used.

This is how mine is laid out: The stereo stuff is all lower down, the HVAC stuff above it. So the stereo can be replaced using the new fascia and there's no loss of functionality.

On mine all that stuff is above the stereo. Yours is an older year model so may be different.

https://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/ct23lx01-lexus-rx300-rx350-double-din-stereo-fascia-panel-adaptor-silver.html?search=lexus rx

It does, there's an aftermarket fascia you can get to put an aftermarket stereo in.

@Lost it my Harrier is poverty spec too and the speakers you took out of your doors sound very much like the ones I took out of mine a while ago, they look like they're not even real speakers right? Like badly made cardboard models? The fronts in my were 6x9. Anyway I replaced them with Morel Virtus 602, a JL audio amp and Kenwood head unit and it sounds glorious now.

Is there perhaps a way that a specialist could test a system for contamination? I've heard technicians (in the US) say that if stop-leak type products are used in an AC system their machine detects this and won't do anything because to suck the stuff out of the system will damage the machine. In those circumstances they are generally unable to service the vehicle without replacing practically the entire AC system and it's illegal under federal law to vent the contaminated system into the atmosphere.

@Lost it Looking here: https://www.halfordsautocentres.com/air-conditioning "We will replace and recharge lubricant and refrigerant levels in line with your manufacturer's recommendation." I don't doubt that Halfords may have made some mistakes along the lines of the ones you've mentioned, or that there have been occasions where untrustworthy individuals have worked for them and done similar things and I certainly wouldn't take my own car to them for the reasons stated by others, all I'm saying is I don't think they are intentionally and wilfully disregarding manufacturer service information.

I think you're being overly cynical. Halfords may not be the worlds best mechanics but they're a reasonably successful business with many branches across the isles working on peoples cars every day. You don't keep a business like that running successfully if you're randomly busting super-expensive hybrid AC compressors because you haven't read the service procedures for them. It would be the same as them putting the wrong engine oil in, they're not going to open themselves up to that kind of liability exposure by doing something stupid. The people doing their AC work will have been trained to know what they're doing and use the correct gas and lubricants according to the appropriate technical service data for the car. What do you think they're charging for a re-gas, £100 max? No way they're going to risk causing serious damage to a car to make that kind of money. Hybrids with these special compressors are not the first cars to have differing AC service requirements, there's a much older generation of cars that use a now-outdated different type of gas. I don't think they'd get that wrong either, it's just a question of referring to the service data. You're implying they are backstreet cowboys who just do stuff without even looking at the service information. I think I'd give them more credit than that.

This. And given the potential financial disaster it would be for Halfords if they got this wrong, I'd be willing to bet they are pretty careful.

Yeah I do. There's too much at stake for them to get this wrong. I can believe that it may have been done incorrectly once or twice which would account for the horror stories but it would only take one such event for them to make damn sure it didn't happen again for fear of the liability.

Was the cruise control system activated when it occurred? If it was not activated and the light wasn't on on the dash then I'd say it's probably not related to the cruise control system but who knows. Since this is clearly a safety issue I would suggest taking it to a specialist and having them check all of the things mentioned by @BachelorDays.

I would think even Halfords or Kwik Fit would be sensible enough not to put the wrong gas in an AC system for fear of liability.

Ask for a piece of paper indicating what has been done.

Two and a half grand for an AC compressor? ***** on a bendy bus I'm glad I bought a Harrier!

I don’t think they can test the gas level, I think all they can do is an evac and re-gas again. The evac will show how much was sucked out of the system. I’d leave it alone unless it stops working again.

Don’t do it. The garage that did the re-gas should have put a dye in with it. If there’s a leak they’ll be able to see it.

You cannot reliably determine whether a tyre is safe to drive on from a visual inspection alone. A quick google search reveals a documented accident caused by a tyre that was just shy of 10 years old: https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/how-old-and-dangerous-are-your-tires.html The general consensus amongst the various parties (including tyre manufacturers) is that 6 years is the safe limit: http://www.tiresafetygroup.com/tires-expire-in-six-years/ At £120/corner four premium tyres over six years work out to about £6.67/month. Why risk killing yourself or others just to save a few pounds a month?

It's not going to be damaging anything, the cool air through the vents is just for your comfort, it's not cooling anything important to the workings of the car. That said some cars have one fan that cools everything in the engine bay so if that fails it can cause overheating of the engine although I suspect this is probably not the case on a hybrid.

6 years is generally considered to be the safe life of a tyre. I wouldn't go past this. Might be a bit far but Russell at Toyotec in Redhill is very good and honest.

@jpower if the refrigerant is low it may mean there's a leak somewhere in the system. I don't know much about hybrids so it might be different with those but typically there will be dedicated fan that comes on with the AC compressor. Sometimes the fan or its controller will go out and in that case the compressor will not run because the computers detect that it's too hot. If this is happening you'll often find that the AC works well when you're flying down a motorway and then gets weak again when you're stood still. If it's not working at all then it's likely something else.

I've cable-tied it up for now, I think I'll let the garage spot-weld it back on, can't see it costing much. Good tip though I'll check that stuff out.