Verso Aircon dealer or specialist?

[Ab2022]

Hi would like some advice please

Had my aircon regassed last year lasted about a week then i heard the gases slowely leaking out when i had the compressor on then we hit winter and left it

So where would the best place be to go i know its got a leak if i go Halfords or say kwikfit lets be honest there just going to regass it and wash there hands of it

Should i take it to a toyota main dealer or try find a aircon specialist company in the local area?

Thanks in advance

[Stivino]

You should have taken it straight back to whoever re-gassed it.

Halfords, Kwik Fit or any other place should test it properly before re-filling it, that's the most important thing.

[Max_Headroom]

1 hour ago, Ab2022 said:

i know its got a leak if i go halfords or say kwikfit lets be honest there just going to regass it and wash there hands of it

I wouldn't take it to either for the reasons you mentioned do you have air con specialists in your area?

Take it a Toyota garage or any franchise car dealership they will have the proper kit and know how to fix it.

 

If you do take it to Halfords its £60  - £130 depending on refrigerant then the repair on top if its leaking so probably not much less than taking it to Toyota.

https://www.halfords.com/services/car-repairs/air-conditioning/air-con-services/air-con-diagnostic-704158.html

 

What Happens Next?

Once the above checks have been completed, our team will then give you the option of the following service, during which we will replace and recharge lubricant and refrigerant levels in line with your manufacturer's recommendation:

• Full Air Con Service including an Air Con Regas/Recharge - R134a refrigerant - £59*
• Full Air Con Service including an Air Con Regas/Recharge - newer R1234yf refrigerant - £129*

 

[bathtub tom]

If it's depleted of gas, then you've probably got water in the system from the atmosphere and a new dryer's on the cards.

[Cyker]

I don't have a good experience with my Toyota dealer's ability to diagnose AC system problems - They told me it was the main pipes, but after changing them the system failed even faster and so they took it in again and decided it was the condenser and ac compressor, at which point I queried them on why they hadn't spotted that in the first place, to which they effectively replied they didn't check. They weren't even sympathetic or apologetic about it either, despite a fairly large sum of money being charged.

So I wouldn't put too much faith in their diagnostic abilities unless you have more positive prior-experiences.

I'd recommend finding a proper AC specialist, and check the Web for positive/negative reviews, but be warned - If it's been left gasless for too long, there is a good chance the residue in the system has turned acidic, and the longer it's been in there the higher chance the whole AC system will be damaged - I strongly suspect that's why my Mk2's system was riddled with micro leaks, the practically new condenser was (allegedly) leaking, and the AC compressor's internal clutch had (allegedly) failed.

 

[Max_Headroom]

50 minutes ago, Cyker said:

So I wouldn't put too much faith in their diagnostic abilities unless you have more positive prior-experiences.

I think its a bit harsh to tar all dealers with the same brush because you had a bad experience, i couldn't be more happy with my first visit they didn't try to upsell anything bearing in mind i had the MOT and major service done on my 2019 they had plenty of opportunity to try it on but they didn't.

[Stivino]

It doesn't matter where you take it as they are pretty much all using a machine made by Robinair

[Cyker]

1 hour ago, Max_Headroom said:

I think its a bit harsh to tar all dealers with the same brush because you had a bad experience, i couldn't be more happy with my first visit they didn't try to upsell anything bearing in mind i had the MOT and major service done on my 2019 they had plenty of opportunity to try it on but they didn't.

I will say Jemca have been fine for basic servicing, but I've learned not to take things to them outside servicing, esp. diagnostics, as I've been burned every time and the AC thing was just another let down in a series. Before that I asked them to investigate my Mk2's gearbox as it was getting increasingly difficult to get into gear - They said it was fine, but it packed up a month or two later and I ended up having to get one from a breaker in Wales to replace it. Then I found out about the TSB on here, and had to think why did they not when the symptoms matched so closely. When this forum is better at diagnosing problems than they have been, it doesn't inspire confidence.

As you say, not all dealers are like this, but aside from Lindop and a few others, mostly 'Ooop norf', I have heard mostly similar experiences from others, so it seems finding the good dealers that actually give a damn is harder than it should be.

It's a common opinion that dealer mechanics don't have the experience that general mechanics do, as they spend most of their time doing servicing work and working on new cars and just don't see the breadth of issues on older cars that general mechanics do, and I must admit it does feel like that, at least with my dealer!

 

 

31 minutes ago, Stivino said:

It doesn't matter where you take it as they are pretty much all using a machine made by Robinair

Actually, this is a good way to check for a specialist - They won't use the machine, but will have proper tools for diagnosing problems, e.g. UV glasses or some other dye detector, a sniffer probe and tools and equipment for custom-making AC pipes.

The machines are useless for diagnostics - 3 times they passed my Mk2 as being leak free, only for all the gas to leak out within a couple months.

Unless there is a gaping hole in the AC system I don't think they'd notice!

[Stivino]

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

3 times they passed my Mk2 as being leak free

What you are describing is operator error.

[Cyker]

Well that was by 3 different garages so would seem to be the rule rather than the exception...

 

[Max_Headroom]

 

Quote

It's a common opinion that dealer mechanics don't have the experience that general mechanics do, as they spend most of their time doing servicing work and working on new cars and just don't see the breadth of issues on older cars that general mechanics do, and I must admit it does feel like that, at least with my dealer!

That simply isn't true a family member works in a local dealership and when they take on mechanics they are the general mechanics you refer to they then have to go on annual weekly courses to keep them up to speed with the latest vehicles and technology, they work on cars of all ages not just new ones so have to learn about older cars as well as new. 

[Max_Headroom]

19 hours ago, Stivino said:

It doesn't matter where you take it as they are pretty much all using a machine made by Robinair

I wasn't aware of that but having had a bad experience with Halfords in the past i wouldn't let them near my car if it was free of charge.

[TonyHSD]

I would say AC specialist, someone who does car Air con systems and knows the field well. Any other place including dealers will connect the hoses, let the machine test and eventually refill with gas and oil. Machines can’t always find a leaks, the test will pass and you will have ac working for few days until the gas been lost and no ac again. Speak to specialist, explain the situation and let them find the fault, fix it and then regas. 

[Cyker]

12 minutes ago, Max_Headroom said:

That simply isn't true a family member works in a local dealership and when they take on mechanics they are the general mechanics you refer to they then have to go on annual weekly courses to keep them up to speed with the latest vehicles and technology, they work on cars of all ages not just new ones so have to learn about older cars as well as new. 

That's what they say, but my real world experiences haven't matched up. I'm sure there are really good Toyota mechanics out there; The Car Care Nut guy is very proud that he had the title of Toyota Master Technician, and the experience and thoroughness he displays with his work is exactly what I want, but have yet to experience here.

Just the difference between how my dealer have diagnosed stuff vs my travelling mechanic, the dealer is very 'surface', like they'll stop at the first thing they find and report that as the problem without verifying or checking deeper, and they genuinely don't seem to see what's wrong with doing that, like they feel it's unreasonable for me to expect more.

My travelling mechanic OTOH will usually have some idea of the problem, based on what I've told him over the phone, and will take the time to check and verify that. Usually he'll repair the issue, whereas dealers will go straight for part replacement.

Had that recently with my dad's Verso, and its washer pump not working - Dealer reckon the pump had failed and quoted for full replacement, travelling mechanic just took it out and whacked it a few times to free it up.

I emphasise that these are just my personal experiences with my local dealers service departments, and as you say it would be unfair to tar them all with the same brush - Certainly the dealers further north seem to be much more conscientious than the ones down here, and have gotten more praise! - but it has put me off using them for anything other than servicing.

 

[Max_Headroom]

15 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

I would say AC specialist, someone who does car Air con systems and knows the field well. Any other place including dealers will connect the hoses, let the machine test and eventually refill with gas and oil. Machines can’t always find a leaks, the test will pass and you will have ac working for few days until the gas been lost and no ac again. Speak to specialist, explain the situation and let them find the fault, fix it and then regas. 

 

According to this article the machine tests for leaks - 

https://www.hasman.co.uk/why-leakage-testing-is-a-must-for-hvac-systems/#:~:text=Leakage testing is standard practice for most HVAC systems.

Quote

Leakage testing is standard practice for most HVAC systems. While it can be one of the easiest maintenance tasks to complete, many home and business owners skip it entirely or perform it very poorly. This article will look at what leakage testing is, why it’s so important, and how it can help you save money down the road.

 

[Cyker]

32 minutes ago, Max_Headroom said:

I wasn't aware of that but having had a bad experience with Halfords in the past i wouldn't let them near my car if it was free of charge.

I'm less worried with the AC thing as the machine is fairly idiot-proof - You can't plug the wrong hoses in as the ports are all different sizes, and they just have press the right buttons - so I tend to pick a place for regas purely based on cost.

However, that means that 99% of these places that advertise AC diagnostics are totally reliant on the machine, and in my experience the machine is pretty bad at diagnosing unless the leak is gaping hole in the system!

There are a few proper AC specialists around, but they are tricky to find - A lot of them seem to mainly work for industry rather than end-customers, so have very little presence on e.g. the web, which makes finding them difficult. I only found one in London when I was looking!

 

[Max_Headroom]

13 minutes ago, Cyker said:

I emphasise that these are just my personal experiences with my local dealers service departments, and as you say it would be unfair to tar them all with the same brush - Certainly the dealers further north seem to be much more conscientious than the ones down here, and have gotten more praise! - but it has put me off using them for anything other than servicing.

They sound like a right bunch of cowboys.

[Cyker]

I can't slate them completely, as they've always completed the services and recalls impeccably - which I appreciate more now, having heard others here where their dealer hasn't changed a filter or used the wrong oil! - but the stuff outside of that has been a weakness and I've been let down enough I'll literally try anywhere else first for stuff outside of servicing.

There is another dealer further away which I was thinking of changing to - I already use them for parts, as they have an actual desk and I don't have to sit in the waiting area for 30+min waiting for them to come down - but I gave them the task of procuring and installing the 15's and doing my Dashcam as a sort of test, and they failed to wire up the rear Dashcam saying they needed a part (That'll be 2 weeks wait and an extra £50 please sir!) and then sent me on my way with the tyres on one side at 20psi, which makes me feel they're no better. So back to just using them for parts - once-bitten-twice-shy as they say!

 

[YarisHybrid2016]

21 hours ago, Cyker said:

I'm sure there are really good Toyota mechanics out there; The Car Care Nut guy is very proud that he had the title of Toyota Master Technician, and the experience and thoroughness he displays with his work is exactly what I want, but have yet to experience here.

It's mildly depressing that he is the only technician I've found on YT that is prepared to show ALL his work, and explain everything in great detail. There should be more like him, but there aren't. Maybe they're not interested in making videos? Who knows, but 1 out of a population of 8 billion isn't great.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Moved to the Verso forum.

[zelda89]

I had a leak in my Verso 18 months ago and was going to take it to a garage that regasses AC fairly cheap. But what stopped me (and a mate) going is they didn't look for the leak and just said 'Aircons just need regassing every year', which is complete nonsense.

 

Anyway I took my car to AC specialist, put some pressure thing on it for a few hours and found the leak. The whole job did cost around £300+ but it's fixed now and don't need to worry about regassing every year.

[Auris James]

 

Find a specialist who only do AC is my advice, after wasting money on a regas.

I had a 2006 Lexus IS 220 D that the local garage regassed and the gas leaked out after 10 days. Went back and told machine only good for big leaks, not small, got no money back.

Called a company out called COOL CAR and filled up with nitrogen? AC worked, then got a sniffer out and it was going beserk on the one side of the condenser. All other areas were ok/ sniffer not going off.  Diagnostic/ home visit was only £40, thought good value at the time.

Fitted a new AC condenser myself, a Nissens brand and got my local AC place to regas. All working 15 months later when I scrapped the car as the Head Gasket had gone at 187,000 miles. 

Photo of it the day before collection.

[Cyker]

That's a good shout, need more leads on AC services that don't just rely on The Machine!

Nice that they come to you too!

[Ab2022]

Hi and thanks to everyone who made a comment thort i'd only get 1 comment turned out quite the conversation ! 

So i have just contacted a local car air con specalist who is mobile i will update with the outcome and who i used etc

Thanks for all your comments

[Ab2022]

Hello i finally have an update !

I went with premier car services based in Reading friendly chap in a van came to my house and done all sorts of checks with the machine and a handheld gas sniffer spent a good amount of time checking everything out before refilling my aircon gas, i was charged £90 for everything and he was with me over an hour most of that was testing and going round by hand wth the sniffer

Very Highly recommended !!