Herbie

Wow! Glad you're OK Syed. It'll be interesting to find out exactly what happened.

OK Ben, being as you asked with the sugar on top, I promise I'll never compare domestic systems with vehicle systems again I understand what you're saying, and Linas too, but my only point is this - yes, if, or when, you notice that it isn't getting as cold as it used to, go and get it fixed, but there is absolutely no point in wasting money on a "service" every two years if it's still working and getting as cold as you want it to. Just my opinion and personal experience of five different cars with AC over the last 40 years or more

Well I'm sorry Linas, we'll just have to agree to disagree. There's only one measure of if an aircon system is working and that's temperature. I've never had any of my car aircon systems serviced or regassed and I've always been able to get cabin temperatures so low (single figure Celcius) that it could become uncomfortable if left on low settings for too long. As long as it's doing that then it's working perfectly and needs no work doing to it. If it loses the ability to provide cold air then that's the time to get it sorted but there's no need for 'routine servicing'. EDIT: Just thought - most people don't have routine servicing done on their fridges and/or freezers but again, our freezer is more than 10 years old and still as cold as the day we bought it.

How can you lose coolant and lubricant from a sealed system? Like I said above, if there's a leak or if seals dry out and cause a loss of refrigerant/lubrication then fair enough, but it's impossible to lose anything from a sealed system unless there is a problem and so a "service" is a complete waste of time and money. At worst, doing unnecessary work on a good, sealed system may introduce problems that weren't there in the first place.

Unless there are any leaks or other problems, an aircon system should never need any servicing or any attention at all. Like you, I also keep mine on all year round and I've never had to have any maintenance/service or other work done on any AC system on any car I've owned in more than 40 years.

I'd pressure test the cooling system. There may be no puddles because the coolant is dripping onto hot parts and evaporating quickly. The fans are probably coming on more often and working harder (hence you're noticing them more) because of the hot weather we've been having but it's the fact that the coolant needs topping up that's more worrying.

I'd take it to a proper auto-electrician (not someone like Halfords or a 'normal' mechanical garage). A very quick Google throws up http://www.mobileautoelectrics.com/ and also https://sites.google.com/site/autoets/ to name just two, but I suppose it depends which part of Hertfordshire you live in.

Sounds like it's not striking the arc so could be the ballast that's gone faulty, or a loose connection that's not allowing enough power to pass (high resistance), or even the bulb itself - just because it's brand new doesn't mean that it's not faulty.

It does indeed seem a step too far and something created just because they can, rather than being something useful.

He's talking about the round toggle switch below the AFS push switch. Other owners have in the past said that the round toggle switch is to turn the front sensors on/off. If it's not working maybe the OP should be looking for a blown fuse or even disconnected wire.