Be Warned: Don't Lose Your Cool
The Age
Friday November 29, 1996
DESPITE more than two years of warnings and publicity, thousands of car owners are going to get a shock this summer when they go in to have the airconditioner re-gassed.
In many cases they will be told they are up for what's called a retrofit that could cost anywhere from $250 to $750.
This is because supplies of the old chlorine-based R12 refrigerant have disappeared as sales and production were banned world-wide. Since late 1994, all new cars arriving on the market have run aircon equipment designed for R134a or Suva MP52, both ozone-friendly.
But you can't just flush out the old R12 and recharge with R134a or MP52. Javac, Australia's leading maker of aircon recovery, recycling and recharging equipment, says most older aircon systems will need to replace the filter drier, O-rings, compressor oil and pressure switches.
The new refrigerant operates at higher pressures and temperatures, so in some cases replacement hoses and even a supplementary electric fan might be needed. But Javac says that R12 can be recovered and recycled, provided the best equipment is used, and the time for a retrofit is when a component such as a condensor or compressor has failed - don't retrofit until you have to.
The car makers have been on top of this problem for some time, and many cars from 1993 onwards came with aircon units already plumbed for the new gas. Volvo was the first, in November, 1993, but most now have retrofit kits on the market - some go back as far as 1968.
Honda, for instance, has Civic retrofit parts back to the 1985 models and can fit Accords, Integras and Legends from 1986. Even Rolls-Royce a year ago made a special-price initial offer to its Rolls and Bentley owners for retrofitting.
The costs then were $168 for all models 1987-1993, $535 all models 1980-1986, and $498 for Silver Shadows and the T-Series Bentleys. But costs of retrofit will vary widely, depending on the make and model of car and the air conditioner unit, as well as what components need to be replaced.
It would be easy to dismiss the retrofit as "another motor-trade ripoff", but it's far from that. The Federal Government signed the international agreement to phase-out R12 back in 1990, and in this state the VACC and the EPA have run intensive training, accreditation and advice programs for dealers and public.
YOUR right course is to talk only to your new-car dealer or an accredited VACC repairer.
Don't go near the backyarders, don't listen to anyone who tells you you can "stretch" R12 by topping up with something like R22 used in window aircon systems, and run a mile if they say they can simply re-gas without any new parts.
The efficient aircon shop will work on a checklist that provides for careful scrutiny of the system for wear and tear, leaks, condition of belts and seals and most important of all, contamination. You can't just suck out the R12, add the special new oils and then recharge with the new gas.
The system has to be flushed several times, then tested statically and on the road. The VACC provides a retrofit guide that goes through the procedure step by step.
© 1996 The Age
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