Air Conditioning Servicing in Cardiff

We service, regas and repair vehicle air conditioning at our workshop in Cardiff, on all makes. Air conditioning loses roughly ten per cent of its gas every year even when nothing is wrong with it, so a system that has never been touched in six years is not broken — it is simply empty. Pick your make below for model-specific information, or read on for how the system works and what goes wrong with it.

Why the air conditioning stops being cold

Nine times out of ten it is just gas. Refrigerant escapes slowly through the seals and hose walls whether you use the system or not, and once the pressure drops far enough the compressor will not engage at all. A regas puts it back to the manufacturer weight — measured, not guessed.

The other common causes are a failed compressor clutch, a blocked or leaking condenser at the front of the car (they take a lot of stone damage and corrode), a faulty pressure sensor, or an electrical fault stopping the compressor being commanded on. We diagnose which one it is before selling you anything.

Two different gases — and it matters

Cars registered before around 2017 use R134a. Newer cars use R1234yf, which is a different gas, needs different equipment, and costs considerably more. They cannot be mixed, and a garage without the right machine for your car cannot do the job properly. We are equipped for both, and we will tell you which one your car takes before you book.

Leak detection

If a system has emptied quickly, refilling it just puts your money into the atmosphere. We pressure test and use ultraviolet dye tracing to find where it is going. Common culprits are the condenser, the compressor shaft seal, and the o-rings at the pipe unions. Finding the leak first is nearly always cheaper than regassing twice.

Smells from the vents

A damp, musty smell when you first switch on is bacteria and mould growing on the evaporator, which sits wet inside the dashboard. It is unpleasant, and it is worse for anyone in the car with asthma or hay fever. We clean and treat the evaporator and replace the pollen filter, which on a lot of cars has never been changed in its life. Running the air conditioning for ten minutes a week, all year round, keeps it from coming back.

Air conditioning is not just for summer

The system dries the air as well as cooling it, which is why the fastest way to clear a misted windscreen on a wet Cardiff morning is air conditioning and heat together, not heat alone. Using it through the winter also keeps the compressor seals lubricated — systems that sit unused from October to May are the ones that leak.

Electric and hybrid vehicles

On an electric car the air conditioning does more than keep you comfortable: on many models the same circuit cools the traction battery, and the cabin is heated by a heat pump running off the same system. A weak or leaking system can therefore cost you range and, in warm weather, charging speed. We service air conditioning on EVs and hybrids as well as on petrol and diesel cars.

Book an air conditioning service

Call 02920 220 380 or contact us. We will confirm which refrigerant your car uses and what the service will cost before you bring it in. While it is here we can also look at servicing, MOT or diagnostics.

Contact A1 Diagnostics

Get in touch today for expert advice we are here to help with any air conditioning problems you might be experiencing when out on the road.

A1-Diagnostics and ECU Repairs
64 Sloper Road
Leckwith,
Cardiff
CF11 8AB

Tel: 02920 220 380

Opening Times

Mon – Fri: 8:00am – 6:00pm

Email: info@a1-diagnostics.com