Servicing Air conditioning service

[okehciv]

Have had a card through the door from my dealer telling me my air con unit is due a two year service. Have got the Honda Happiness thing and it would seem that this is not included.
Anyone else had this, if so what was the cost please ?

Did a search and could find nothing, am sure if there is something on the forum one of you will point me in the right direction

Thank you

[ramone]

was quoted £29.99 for this service on the aircon at my first service yesterday!

[Sandozer]

Originally Posted by okehciv

Have had a card through the door from my dealer telling me my air con unit is due a two year service. Have got the Honda Happiness thing and it would seem that this is not included.
Anyone else had this, if so what was the cost please ?

Did a search and could find nothing, am sure if there is something on the forum one of you will point me in the right direction

Thank you

Thanks for asking, got a similar card yesterday and had the same question..

[cnicolini]

How is it not included in the service?? Its not wear and tear and should be part of the routine service! All they do is to top up and check the system, you may not need this if you have been using the aircon weekly as specified in the manual.

On my pervious car (a Peugeot 306) I had never had it topped up in 10 years of owning it, and it still worked fine!

I also have this Honda Happiness plan and will demand that they include this as part of the service, or ask them to explain why!

[ADT]

Telling everyone to have the air con serviced @ two years seems a bit disingenuous of Honda - when it needs doing will depend on how hard it has been worked. (Presumably not very hard in chilly Manchester )

The air con on my previous car was still fine at 5 years and 55000 miles.

[Harlequin]

Regardless of whether or not it needs a service after 2 years, I'm guessing that the £29.99 is for the new gas they will put in rather than the actual labour as servicing the system will probably require bleeding it out...

-H

[TTDegs]

I would def be asking exactly what you get for your £30...

If it's a "check and replace if necessary", it could be:
set to cold
is it blowing cold?
yep, everything is fine
£30 please

It's a long time since I've had a car for more than 2 years (company car policy), but that seems like a very short time...

this thread from a company who specialise in car air con (bearing in mind they exist to charge you money for the service)
Car Air Conditioning - Keepcool Mobile Service

How do I know when its time for my air conditioning to be charged?

1. Questions to ask yourself
2. How old is my car?
   Normally you would not need to recharge your system for approximately 4 years from new. After that, every 2 to3 years depending on usage.

Car Air Conditioning Regas, Refrigerant Recovery Evacuation, AirConditioningforCars.co.uk

A more usual time for the first recharge would be around four years. R12 systems will usually last slightly longer than R134a systems as the R12 molecule is larger and the type of oil used with R12 provides a better seal on the compressor shaft I believe. However although R12 systems lose their charge more slowly than R134a systems this is offset by the fact that is more important for R12 systems not have a low charge as if moisture enters the system (as it can with a low charge) this will mix with R12 to create acids within the system which will do no good at all and will start to corrode the system from the inside. A good rule of thumb would be to recharge a new car after no more than four years and then to recharge at three-year intervals.

that said, it would appear that the 'normal' cost of an air con service is more like £60 plus, so perhaps the £30 is a good deal afterall...

[civicfan]

I guess it can't be bad to complain that your aircon isn't cooling as good as it used to any more, shortly before your warranty runs out, so they top up your aircon coolant at the expense of Honda and not yours

[Bob H]

I would be surprised to see much R12 still in action and bear in mind that this refrigerant has not been legally available for a number of years. As for acid in the system, this should not normally happen as the system low pressure switch should kick in above 0 PSIg unless of course poor service work has occurred!!

Quick check is to run the air/con for a few mins and look at the system sight glass, this should be full of liquid refrigerant and without bubles... If this is OK then keep your money... Remember, you also have a pollen air filter to check...

Cheers,


Bob...

[Jim bo]

You would not find R12 gas in vehicles as it was illegal to use after oct 2000

[Bob H]

Originally Posted by civicfan

I guess it can't be bad to complain that your aircon isn't cooling as good as it used to any more, shortly before your warranty runs out, so they top up your aircon coolant at the expense of Honda and not yours

Originally Posted by Jim bo

You would not find R12 gas in vehicles as it was illegal to use after oct 2000

R134a has been in use for car air/con since ~1993... However, whilst unlikely, you may still come across the odd old motor with R12...

Cheers,


Bob...

[okehciv]

Thank's to all who repied and have decided to keep my money rather than give it to the STEALER. I am of the opinion that it should be covered by the service contract I have via Honda Happiness, but you can't win them all.

[Sandozer]

Originally Posted by okehciv

Thank's to all who repied and have decided to keep my money rather than give it to the STEALER. I am of the opinion that it should be covered by the service contract I have via Honda Happiness, but you can't win them all.

Have decided to do likewise, so we can compare notes if it goes titsup..!

[HappyMan]

My understanding of Air con checks/service are as follows :

1st Year : Simple quick check to see everything is working and maybe change the filter

2nd Year : A more rigorous check of the system and checking the gas and so on. I understand from the Dealer that a second year check is more expensive because of the deeper checking and the fact that after 2 years of usage it will need servicing.

Having badly working Air Con can cause health problems and the two cars I have owned over here have always been checked by the dealer at service time but it is separate to the service.

[cnicolini]

I think that you are all missing the point, you must find out if its a routine check, if so is it part of the 25k or 2 year service, if NOT why not?

If it is why do you have to pay for it if you have a Honda Happiness plan, it should be included? It neither here nor there if the AC system needs servicing!

[HappyMan]

Not knowing the 'Honda Happiness' package as I don't have it and I don't think you can get it over here, what does it cover? I mean does it cover brake pads, catalytic converters, windscreen wipers and oil? If not then the air conditioning unit falls into that category of items. It isn't related to the mechanics of the car as in the engine etc so I wouldn't expect it to be covered. £30 is a good price if you ask me!

[cnicolini]

The Honda Happiness covers 5 years servicing for £500 for petrol models and £850 for diesel. This does not cover wear and tear just the basic service, this is why I asked if the AC is part of the routine service check, I believe that it should be if they insist on checking it on a service?

[HappyMan]

Originally Posted by cnicolini

The Honda Happiness covers 5 years servicing for £500 for petrol models and £850 for diesel. This does not cover wear and tear just the basic service, this is why I asked if the AC is part of the routine service check, I believe that it should be if they insist on checking it on a service?

I understood that it was something like a 'courtesy' thing and they simply asked if they would like them to check whilst it was in.

[cnicolini]

Originally Posted by HappyMan

I understood that it was something like a 'courtesy' thing and they simply asked if they would like them to check whilst it was in.

OK, it make sense now. £30 sounds expensive just to check the system, if it includes topping it up if it needs it then I suppose its worth it.

[Honda100]

When I have had mine done in previous cars, including Honda's, they have topped up the coolant, put an antibac spray in the pipes to kill anything that might be lurking and replaced the filter.
The coolant will always leak slightly and if you don't top it up, allowing the system to run dry, you are in for a big bill.
Look on the £30, which is not even a tank of fuel these days, as insurance.