Hi

My 1.4 stilo has aircon but lately the temp on a warm day barely changes.

Arnold Clark say it needs recharged (£60) , is this not something that should be addressed with the manafacturers warranty?

The car is not 3 years old until September & I purchased the car 1yr ago from Arnold Clark.


Any advice greatly appreciated.

no.

If it is simply run out of gas, cant see why it'll cover by warrnty.

What caused the gas to disappear?, if its the bust pipe then I think it should be a warrnty item.

The refrigerant will only be lost if there is either a leak or a break in a component (big leak !), so surely it must be covered by warranty?? as loss of refrigerant is a consequential event to the actual leak.

I've never had to refill my refrigerant in any car I've had with aircon.

To be fair, the dealer are ripping you off anyway with £60. this can be done by a lot of people with the right gear for a lot less. A chap where I work has all the gear and he charges less than half that for a full system evacuation, leak down test and refill.

DO these systems "simply run out of gas"?

Where does the gas go?

Stilo_ste said:

The refrigerant will only be lost if there is either a leak or a break in a component (big leak !), so surely it must be covered by warranty??

Click to expand...

Natural loss through O rings is common even flexible pipes (think of a balloon that deflates over time) systems should be checked/gassed & lubricant added every 2-3 years (dependant on use) on most cars.15-20% can be lost over a year,after 2-3 years this can be as much as 50% resulting in pressure switch(s) not operating.

i think the best way to avoid problems with air con systems is to use it regularly.

I had a 1990 Toyota Celica last year. It was therefore 16 years old and the air conditioning worked perfectly - it had never been refilled/recharged, still the original R12 and the original date stamp on the receiver/drier. It helps of course that in a JD Power survey of Used Cars in the USA, the 1990-1993 Celica came out on top - the most reliable used car of any age! Naturally, I sold it quickly after it was given to me.

I think if manufacturers really try, they could make a system that lasts at least ten years between interventions. It seems to be rare to find a FIAT/Lancia/Alfa Romeo more than ten years old where the air conditioning is still working well. Also they don't convert to R134a very well, not that this applies to the Stilo or other FIATs manufactured after 1994. I find that the condensor sizes are too small for good efficiency on R134a.

Think about the fridge in your house - does that need its refrigerant recharging every three years? I think not My fridge is about 20 years old.

Of course, a fridge is running all the time, so perhaps that has something to do with it. There are probably also no flexible pipes or O-ring seals!

-Alex

Just had mine recharged, £25.00. The only thing was the guy doing it could not find anything out about gas volume to replace. Any one know how much gas there should be in the system?

£30 quid is about right for a regas i do it for that or £40 quid, if you know what you are doing you should be able to charge a system by using your knowledge its usually about 600g on loads of cars but depends may be less may be more! If he doesnt know then be cautious!

If the gas has gone then there must be a leak! If a pipe has come loose on a flare connection or the compressor seals have gone then it may be warranty! However if the condenser has failed (a/c radiator on front) due to a stone hitting it or slight corrosion then they may not replace under warranty! Whoever does the regas should find the leak or make an educated decision as to where it is! As charging an a/c unit knowing there is a leak and not using a leak detection method like dye or looking for a leak is breaking the law (f-gas regulations) yes flexi hose can leak like others said and o rings.

Mine wasn't a problem with gas leak, there had been some loss but not total, It was tyhe first time I had the system looked at in 4 years. The aircon guy was looking to make sure he was putting the right amount back in after draining down the system and testing.

My problem turned out to be a blown fuse.. F19 7.5A in the battery box, once I replaced this the A/C worked fine. However replacing the fuse was another problem (see https://www.fiatforum.com/stilo-technical/102803-corroded-fuses.html)