Seems good value. Paid about £60 the last time I had mine done. H&R

I've just found this - I actually posted in it myself. Got to 18 degrees for the same service, yet they are now doing it £20 cheaper.

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deal/162073/winter-s-over-car-aircon-recharge-s/

Had this done last year by them. It was £35 then. Put it this way i'll never go to kwik fit again for anything. They had our car for a whole day and it wasn't much better after they had done it!

Good price. i might finally get it done this year!

Thats a very good price !

I seem to do nothing but complain.
However.
I had a mondeo which should have had semi synthetic oil in on a service they did and they put duckams grade.
I had knockings from the car and decided to part ex before it conked out.
Wasn't until I looked @ the service receipt i found years later grrrrrrrrr
I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.
Sorry just facts here (they ruined my car and cost me to part ex when i should have not needed to.
Pete

I've got a leak somewhere so no good for me :disappointed:-

Typically, I just trust Kwik Fit. But, as long as you stick to this service they are offering you SHOULD be ok (in my opinion!).

Remember the "free" offer is limited to the ambient temperature being greater than 9degC. It's a good price, but of course it is only an air con recharge, don't expect fantastic changes.

Use the air-con more to demist the car now than I ever use in the **** summers we've had

you'd be crazy to use **** fit for anything more than tyres imo, biggest monkey mechanics about

Some prices to compare to:

Kwik Fit - Usually £44.95
Nationwide AutoCentres - £80
Coolcaraircon.co.uk - from £49
Halfords - £50

your defence is them shortening the life of the engine?.....

No, that mineral oil would not kill a Mondeo engine in a short amount of time, it just would mean it would last 150k and not 175k if used over its life due to poorer protection. It would have been an unfortunate coincidence unless they used an incorrect grade of oil.

I don't understand what was meant by Duckhams Grade.

To be honest its very easy to do this yourself. But for those who want to pay this is a good price.

That said i have heard many many bad things about Kwik Fit and i don't think i could trust them with my car (although im very protective of her lol)

Many aircon top ups you buy have a leak sealer in them, although this doesn't fix holes (lol) it is designed to seal any minute weeps or leaks.

BFM

You can do a full aircon service yourself too, and its still not hard.

Would you be happy that Kwik Fit had done a complete purge and top up to the manufacturers specification? I don't think for a moment thats what happens with them.

If you want it done properly, do it yourself or take it to a main dealer, otherwise you cannot be sure.

Just my 2p worth anyway.

Peace

BFM

This deal has been available for some time, had mine done in Aug. Similar concerns as previous message re quality of the work though.

It didnt kill it but it had slight knockings when I 1st started her up. It was ok when running after that.
Afterwards a mechanic told me it should have been semi.
It still lies the fact that:
1. It should have been done correctly and
2. I should have checked afterwards and sued them but didnt realise and trusted them
NEVER AGAIN

But what did they do wrong, I don't understand.

Maybe but just making people aware of their standards
Have a nice day

Used wrong oil

A friend of mine had his done a Shitfit last year , it was warmer on aircon when it came back !

They had drained the system of ALL the refridgerant instead of topping it up . He got his money back , went to the local refridgeration company who done it for the same price , it was ice cold then .

good price. voted hot

Kwik fit do a proper purge and refil..

Its all done automatically by the machine they have. They just hook it up ( set it for the correct car) and it does it all automatically. It takes about an hour.

I don't usually trust Kwik Fit . But this is a good service.
I had mine done in the summer and paid £45.

A chance?

"Please note if the ambient temperature around the car is less than 9 degrees Celsius
it may affect the results of the AirCon recharge test results. In these circumstances, it is
at the managers discretion whether to offer a refund"

Yea, I suppose if we get an early start to Summer there's "a chance" :roll:

My two pennies worth -

You can't get thicker than a Thick Twit Fitter

I would not trust them to top up my washer bottle!

But all you said was that the receipt stated "Duckhams Grade" oil? There would probably not have been anything wrong with the oil they used. Nevermind...

Mondeo Semi-synthetic oil has a different spec to most other semi-synthetic oil. As a result you must insist on fully synthetic. Kw*k Sh1t don't have the one specific for Mondeo's.

What on earth has the grade of oil for a mondeo got to do with this deal? :?

Beware that they'll try to hard sell the debug for £20. Manager was very abrupt with me when I refused it, saying the regas isn't worth doing without the debug, BS! The stuff they use to debug is no different to a can of spray you can buy of ebay or a motor shop for about a fiver. Sure he must have been on commision. And I'm sure the temperature readings he gave after the regas were made up, because it made no noticable difference whatsoever, yet the figures shown a massive difference.
Should have learnt my lesson 10 years ago when they charged me for tracking, but didn't do it. When I went back to complain they said they couldn't do it because my steering rack was worn & tried to sell me one! Went to a real garage who just laughed, nothing wrong with it. I was just a teenager then & they tried to take advantage.

Many Mondeos have very specific requirements of semi synthetic oil. This is Ford A1 requirement. Several manufacturers make specific A1 oil such as Castrol Magnatec, but most advice is stick too the Ford specific oil as its actually not that pricey.

I understand that the wrong oil has very serious consequences on many Zetec engines due to the valve followers sticking, never mind if its the wrong viscosity too and wont offer cold start protection that it should.

http://www.burtonpower.com/technical_1/oil_technical_talk.aspx

do you know how long this price will be?

Guys. Can this be kept on topic?

a Mondeo lasting 150k?? dont see many those around..:lol:

A good price.

However, you can do it yourself if you don't trust Kwik Fit. There are kits available that'll allow you to top up your car air con for about £15-£20 a time.

Castrol Magnetic is a budget to medium rate oil, nothing special at all, if that meets A1, lots of oils do. I still presume that Kwikfit used a reasonable oil and it was a coincidence that something went wrong. It certainly has very little to do with semi vs. mineral vs. fully, which mainly impact on the long term durability of an engine and how long the oil is suitable for.

Sticking in the wrong grade of oil could cause problems very quickly, but we're talking a fair bit of grade out, not just 10w40 instead of 5w40.

It's a different story on PD engines and engines like my own, which requires ACEA C3 due to the particulate filter etc.

When will the offer end better topping it up right at the end of the winter/spring so gas stays in and doesn't escape!

Christ, an oil discussion. Brand makes no difference, its the grade and standard its produced to that does. If they filled your car with the incorrect grade of oil it wouldn't have made a massive difference if it was otherwise properly serviced. Sounds like it wasn't or it quite simply just packed in. Either way, I wouldn't trust Kwik Fit with my motor.

I re-charge air con for a living. Don't be tempted with top up canisters from Halfords or anywhere and do it yourself!

The only way to get the right amount of gas in the system is to drain the gas that is in the car, the re-fill with the correct amount, there is no such thing as just topping up.

If the wrong amount of gas is put into the system, it will be very erratic.

This £25 deal looks good to me, and as previously said, air con is for winter as well as summer to de-mist the car and purify the air, so get it done while the deal is cheap!

I agree with peterdarlison regarding this company.

I had a flat tyre once and they wanted to replace the tyre on my car and charge me £85 and when I took it to an indpendent local tyre place all it had was a puncture which cost me £5 to fix.

Maybe they should have won the 2008 worst company award??

And when I took mine there with a puncture they fixed it and charged me..........nothing!

I guess they're like every garage - they can be good and they can be bad!

OT

Mine is still going at 142k but it does not dive as well as my other one at 50k :disappointed:

Deal is hot for aircon only.

It would be an excellent price, if it wasn't for being at Kwik-Shít.
No amount of cheap is worth that much hassle.

Yes agree with the general comments over standards, my mate had his landie stolen from a take your details check you arent home having had a spare cut and nick your moter scam,
but if you go and wait with the car and see them do the work they have proper machines that drain and refill etc. had missus car done before we went to france in the summer and well worth the £45,
at £25 will get my car along to get it done. as ever it takes about an hour and stay and watch

I would normally run a mile from Kwik fit with some dreadful stories I've heard...... but this does seem a good price 'if' they do it properly. How will I know??

the deal stated is a good price, but it is ONLY for re-gas. not leak detection and rectification or knackered compressors or pressure switches...

there is more than one reason for your a/c not getting cold enough, low gas charge is only one of them. also if your gas charge is low that means it has leaked out somewhere, so you may well be back in the same situation soon after, it might last a year or could be lost again in a few days.

for my mind this deal would only be useful if i had found a leak and made the repair then needed to re-gas the system

Does anyone know anywhere in Glasgow that does aircon cheap (don't mind paying a bit more than £25 cos don't trust these monkies with an electric pencil sharpener)

Aircon requires regular re-gas (every 4 years I think) regardless of whether it's had a leak. Great price, will stand and watch them do it, just like I did when I took advantage once (and once only) of their cheap oil change offer - and I bothered to tell them exactly what oil and type of filter I wanted before they started - they didn't have the oil in, but got it in for me at no extra charge. Round here, they are criminally expensive for tyres.

Now then. I wouldn't normally go near a kwik fit but this is a GOOD offer. The process is purge, check , refil etc and is handled start to finish by a machine. The machine will then report if the process was a success The only way they could screw it up is put the pipes on wrong which would be difficult. You cannot do this process diy without complex machinery. This is the hottest (or coldest depending on how you look at it!) car related deal yet of 2009 for me. If it doesn't make your ac cold you shouldn't have to pay a penny (Although the weather isn't ideal to test it!) Rep to the op from me, I didn't know it could be done at this price even it if is freezing now!

Please be careful with these guys, i had mine done a few months ago and they were very shabby, they had the cheek to get into my car with a cream interior without a plastic cover on the seat in dirty overalls, so i told them off then at the end they do it again! Morons.

They were over 10c out with the initial reading of the lowest temp the air con could get prior to them changing it, this i know because i asked them what the lowest temp was just before they started up the machine and told them they were talking bull so i made them redo it...turns out they never stuck it into any air vent.
It seems that every company has slackers but this day Kwik Fit had more than the UK average, please just keep on top of them.

Oh this was the Huddersfield Garage

I have to use my air con all the time otherwise my windows steam up all the time. It is a brand new car but it done it as well in my last car.

Kwik Fit. No way would I ever pay them for any sort of service. Biggest bunch of cowboys. I doubt if one of their employees has been trained to use thiis machine. So beware! This company preys upon the innocent and vulnerable. Go to them for a simple tyre replacement and if they think you look a bit 'green' they will convince you that you need discs, pads, shockers, etc., etc, etc. and will quote you absolutely crazy money for the job.

de-mist the vehicle as you normally would on the hot setting but also have the aircon as well, clears the windscreen a lot quicker. Aircon isnt just for the summer its for the winter as well.

Have you had a submarine conversion??:-D

Thanks for the heads-up, heat and rep! My Mondeo hasn't been blowing cold in the summer for 2 years, so I think I'll give this a go. Ta v much OP:thumbsup:

sorry - that's the wine talking

How far off topic is it possible to get I wonder...?

Voted ICE COLD, wouldn't let kwik fit do anything more technical than a tyre repair/replacement.

Put my astra in for brake pad and disc change with replacement leaky drum brake valves, cost over £250 for the job, the left nearside squeaked for two years afterwords.. went back countless times, got them changed.. still squeaked even when not applied.. they said they don't do any sort of alignment... i even literally saw them applying from a kwik fit branded paint can labeled "anti squeak paste"...

Now I have a lovely Ford Focus... kwik fit wont be touching anything but tyres on it

Totally off topic here but my '99 Mondeo now upto 217k and still going O.K so some high mileage Mondeos do exist.. :-)

I'm sorry if this is going off topic again, it's my first post so just bare with me! My a/c doesn’t work on my car, I’ve been told it’s the condenser that has leaked. I recently bought a second hand condenser and I want to fit this on but I know with all the gases in the condenser, this can be dangerous.

How much on average would it cost to get this my condenser changed and is it actually possible to change the condenser myself? :?

P.S My cars a VW Bora! Thanks in advance folks!

why on earth would you need to recharge it? if you have low pressure in your system, then you have a leak.

Will a condensor still have gas in if it's removed from a car? Sorry, I know it's a silly question!

well, how kwik fit should it is as follows.

they should vacuum the gas out of the system into a gas container that was pre weighed and weighed again after vacuuming. this will tell you how much gas was in your system.

When comparing it to manufacturers guidelines about how much gas was in the system, they can determine whether your system was overcharged or undercharged with refrgerant.

If it was over, then they will just usually charge the system back in with the correct amount specified and leave it at that.

If it is lower than the guidelines, then you have a problem, you have a leak in your system. Rightfully kwik fit should run tests by possible pumping OFN (oxygen free nitrogen) into your system and prolly push it up to 100psi (or again, by whatever the guidelines are) and from there they can find the leak in the same way you would find a puncture in a tyre. Spray it with leak detector which should make bubbles.

If they do not try and find a leak, and just go ahead with recharging your system with refrigerant, then Kwik fit should be held responsible for allowing harmful gases being let out into our atmosphere.

I have looked around and everyone's charging an arm and a leg to replace the condensor! With the state of the economic climate, I can barely afford to put petrol in the car! (even though it will soon hit 49.9p)lol :stuck_out_tongue:

It's deffo the condensor, was checked by an a/c specialist who stated £250 to change the condensor and top it up! If anyone comes across a money tree give us a shout!

Hey mate, saw your previous post just there. No, i would advise you doing this yourself. Thats refrigerant gas inside your system you have, and you need to be qualified to even handle it. Ive suffered a refrigerant burn and ill tell you now, its absolutely agony.

R22 and R409c(just common gases), their boiling point is about -40C. Put that into consideration if you spilt that on your hand. It boils on your hand. Left mine looking purple and blistered. Not very nice.

Get someone proper to do it.

Again, as before, if there is a leak already in it, then half the battle is done, because if it was already there, youd have to remove it and dispose of it correctly, whereas its empty.

To change the condensor would involve some brazing gear to disconnect it from the system.

Put the new one in place and connect the inner and outer pipes to the current system and brazing it using some solder. From there, you need to run a pressure test with OFN (you use nitrogen because if you tried to use oxygen to pressure test something and you found a leak, youd need to make sure all the oxygen was removed before firing up a live flame, think about what would happen :thumbsup:)

if no leaks are found, vaccum the system and then fill it with gas making sure there is no pressure inside the system before filling it up.

Honestly, i worked with air conditioning systems and even i wouldnt want to touch a cars AC. Leave it to the highly qualified folks. Too much can go wrong trying to do it yourself.

How much would you charge then? :whistling:


Mat.

by the replies on this deal...why on earth is this getting 308 degrees:?

surely Kwik fit should be the next woolies in 2009

This seems a good price, and I have only good things to say about KwitFit - they have tightened my handbrake for free, checked my battery performance even though they knew they didn't have stock of the specific battery and told me a reliable and cheap garage to go to get the new one, and gave a decent price for a new tyre and took no time at all to fit it. Nothing ever seems a hassle or problem. That was the Kwikfit in Exeter, not sure how good the other ones are, but I trust them there.

I would not enter a Shitfit door even if they offered their services for free. Took my wife's car in for MOT recently in their Hounslow branch. It is run by two brothers. I told them that I worked 7 nights a week and looked after kids during the day time therefore did not have the time to mess around. Elder brother put the car on ramp, checked it thoroughly and said that it was a nice car and it would sail through the MOT. Next day the younger brother phoned me and told me that car needed new shocks, wishbones, tyres and had some corrosion. The whole thing would cost me £860!!! Bunch of thieves. When I went to collect the car he was trying to sell an Asian lady four tyres for Nissan Micra for £375!!! They were not some superduper low profile, ultra sticky race tyres either, my local (independent) fitters do the same make for £35 each for my Focus (bigger size than Micra). Shitfit are the biggest bunch of thieving mechanics I have ever seen in my entire life (and I have seen enough of them as I once raced motorbikes). If they go on giving bad service, they would lose customers and their prices would surely come down. Don't worry they will make their money somewhere else. Maybe it depends on the branch and its management. Management in Hounslow branch changed a few years back and the previous manager was transferred to Hayes. It has been bad ever since. If they had not told me a day earlier that there was nothing wrong with the car, I would have paid the money and not bothered about it but they literally snared me and I saw him doing the same to another customer in front of my eyes. I would avoid them like plague.

I have to use Kwik-Fit cos I have a lease car from work.
About a year ago, I needed 2 new rear tyres (BMW run flats). They took details and ordered them in. Next day I went and said "I'm here to have the BMW run falts fitted that you ordered" thinking he may remember me. Anyway an hour later, I went to collect the car and the gaffer there had to go and check the front tyres for tread (lease company rules). I saw him check the back ones aswell, then come back all sheepish, give me my keys and off I went.

When I got home I checked the rear tyres, and instead of being 225/45 17 (like they were before), they were totally different. I'm no car expert - but I can only dream of what could have happened on a motorway at speed! I took it back next day and complained (he knew he had done wrong!) and they fitted the correct ones.

not only did they fit the wrong tyres, but they also lied about what had been fitted to lease company, which could have bitten me on the **** had I returned the car with the wrong tyres on.

This was the Cannock branch. I must say however, last week I had to have some more fitted and the Brownhills branch was much better - pleasant fellows aswell.

Would I use Kwik-Fit for a private car? No chance. Good Luck.

There are quite a few misconceptions within this thread so here goes@-
Qwikfit use a machine that is largely idiot proof (I might regret saying that).
It does the whole job automatically. Just connect the two hoses and select the vehicle type on a basic computer. Takes out the old refrigerant by vacuum. Maintains a vacuum (not a domestic vacuum!) for approx 30mins (29HG + if you are interested). This high level of vacuum boils any moisture in the system and in the receiver dryer (a tube filled with dessicant to absorb moisture) and pulls it out. As you might gather moisture in the the system is a killer for the compressor (forms acids within the refigerant) - which is why it is a good idea to have this procedure done.
The machine checks for leaks by holding the vacuum for a set period - not as good as testing with nitrogen but adequate. The old refrigerant is cleaned and filtered, the crucial oil within the refrigerant is separated and measured ( the oil is carried as a mist around the system within the refigerant, the compressor is only lubricated by this oil mist). The machine then puts back in the right amount of oil and refrigerant by topping up what comes out.
Contrary to what was said in an earlier post, all car systems leak through seals and rubber type hoses, with moisture microscopically coming in the same way (they are very different to domestic fridges). Approx 15% per year loss on a good system, so you really should have it done every three years to keep it efficient and most importantly to remove system moisture. Older systems leak faster.
It is illegal to fill a leaking system.
The liquid refrigerant gas costs approx £12 for a 800 gram fill, only available to qualified individuals in 15kg or larger cyl;inders. So £25 with money back guarantee is great.
The connectors to the system are different sizes so you shouldn't be able to get it wrong.
These machines are fairly new and made to eliminate the very complicated sets of valves and controls that are still used by most car refrig engineers. They are almost idoit proof and need little training to use.
There is still scope for fraud/stupidity I suppose, i.e. take out, vacuum, clean and replace but the new gas bottle is empty and it does not get the correct fill?
I would want to stand over them and see the readings - but I'm sure they would not let you (H&S).
The advantage to Kwikfit is that once connected by two simple connectors the fitter can go away and do something else as it is automatic. Machine costs over £5K.

Top up via cans at Halfords etc is a temporary and very approximate fix -inaccuriate and no life prolonging vacuum - waste of money IMHO.

A bit off topic but I took a firms car with a puncture to Kwikfit and they refused to fix it as bizarrely they did not supply the original tyre and could not accept responsibility for any repair ......but would supply a new tyre........:x They were busy and I must presume they just do want to do labour intensive work?

So you would be happy for them to replace your one contact with the road, the biggest influence on if your car handles nicely round the corner or ploughs you into a brick wall. But somehow wouldn't trust them to make your car a bit cooler?
That is the most stupid comment I have heard in some time IMO.
How can you entrust your safety but not your comfort to a company?
Madness.

They did one of my cars a few years back, TBH it made little difference to the temperature in the car that I could feel as the aircon was basically pants. May go try my current motor at this price as its not been as cold as it used to be.

Cheers

While on the subject of air con. What do you do if you get a dodgy smell when the air con is turned on? Would removing the old gas and renewing it do the trick?

Also our family car defo has a leak somewhere. Will those kits on ebay around a £10 plug it? Or will Kwick Fit / find and repair it for a small charge?...

Dear Folks

Looks good and going to book my Chrysler Grand Voyager in, it cost over £80 two years ago!

ADC

How the fcuk dare you say that you silly boy don't be so immature. I am only warning people of my experiences with this company so I gain no benefit from this post except helping people to evaluate for themselves.
1. I part exchanged it and they put it through auction
2. Ask any mechanic and a zetec will tater up when cold under wrong oil.(if you had read links above)
Besford unless you know what your talkin about be quiet. This aisnt an argument about me its to help others make a choice!!!!

I lol'd when I read that. :lol:

Voted hot, £25 for an A/C recharge is great value, show me somewhere doing one cheaper and I'll apologise for my error.

LOL I edited it too so not to be offensive
LMFAO

I cant believe how many goons wanna discuss my oil change. This is cheap if you trust quick fit shitters.
i DONT end of

To the poster higher up with the smelly aircon... changing the gas won't help as it is sealed and has no effect on the smell given off. What you should do is buy a new air filter for the air con unit. I have an Audi and this filter is under the grill at the back left of the engine bay. While it is removed get dettol spray and with the air blower running spray half a can in to the system. Also Lidl do a small car interior air freshner can that you activate and leave spraying in the centre of the car. It takes about 2 mins to empty and you leave the air blower on recirculate. These 3 actions (filter, dettol, lidle freshner) should all clear up the smell. It may smell ott with the dettol and air freshner for a few days but will settle down in time.

I wouldn't normally use KF as per reasons posted but for £25 on an automated machine this seems pretty good. I have started doing my own services on my 127k A4. Question I have is if my air con works just fine and I don't expect it to be colder is it still worth of doing? From what has been posted it appears the gas has an oil in it too to lubricate the system? Just wondering if I should still do it even though system seems to work ok.

Few other comments: for those with steamy windows! If you switch off the air con the windows will steam up as it is drawing up moisture that has collected at the bottom of the condensor. Just turn up the heat to get the windows demisted and eventually it will stop steaming up.

I don't use my air con much as I average 50mpg in the A4 1.9tdi on the motorway but it drops a good 4-5mpg with the air con so i just save it for hot days in the summer.

sorry but i have to warn anyone even considering using these muppets to do there air con as my local kwik fit blew a hole in one of my pipes. Then tryed to tell me that it was already like it.Stay well clear of this company.

What on earth has your oil change got to do with an aircon deal?:thinking:

Why scaremonger when you clearly have no idea what you are talking about, if you don't like the deal then fine - move on ! Just stop your bleating.

Hot deal from me - bargain price !

For the reasons given by me above- it is worth a 3 year vacuum and recharge to get rid of moisture and refill to the correct quantity. The oil does not leak with the refirgerant unless there is a visible leak. Aircon will work down to about 20% of the required fill then a cut-out will come in. The compressor is cooled by the refrigerant passing through it. So on a low fill the compressor works harder to generate any cooling and yet it is not being adequately cooled itself - = short life expectancy.

So short answer - yes - every three years.

There are AC services and there are AC services!
A cheap service is when they connect a basic machine to your system and then top it up with gas.
A good AC service is when they connect up a machine worth about £3000.00 to your car. The machine willl then remove ALL the old gas from your car, check the system for leaks by locking it under vaccum, then refill the system with new gas including the correct amount of lubricant and maybe some dye to help show up leaks in the future. They should be able to get it about 95% full. Finally they'll check the temps are satisfactory.

I suppose you will get what you pay for but just check so you are comparing like for like services.

Go use them then...I wish you all the best
I really really hope they do a good job on your car for £25
You get what you pay for and you may well learn this as you grow up

they are tyre fitters they are trained to fit tyres, its a simple job, you could probably even do it. but while your getting your tyres changed you will probably need new brakes/shocks/interior air freshner plus a load of other things depending on if you are female or not. i wouldnt let them near anything that was more technical than a tyre change if i couldnt use my usual tyre service

he's not the only one, its helpful to see other peoples dealings with **** companies to warn others

Isnt their old saying...... You cant get sh*tter than a KWIKFIT fitter, We're not the ones to trust??

Or is that someone else??
Hmmmm

Isn't it amazing how this deal has split opinion.

I just think you need to refer to my OP. Don't let them touch anything else - not even tyres IMO as they are overpriced. £25 for this service is a good deal, even from Kwik Fit.

Thx bearman
I sometimes wonder if its worth the bother.
Pete

if your vehicle has a pollen filter check it has'nt got damp or wet.

Got my 306 HDi done today and works great (ice cold), the only thing is the red stop dash light gives a few flashes just afer the car is started with the AC on, anyone know why?

I take it the red stop dash light was behaving itself before letting the Kwiff.....s near your car!

a friend just sold a mondeo that had done 270k. still returned 40mpg and never failed to start once in the 10yrs he had it

yip, but then I never really had the AC on cos it was needing regassed (had car 1mth)

I also got a 20% off air-con re-gas voucher with my receipt ...great! :thinking:

If anyone wants it lmk

So 20% off £25?! I'd give it a go! :smiley:

Jesus, this has got a bit long and not got time to read every post!

Someone has said you need special tools to replace a condenser which isn't true, normally just a 10mm bolt or a reverse star bolt which the right size socket will fit, but, a fair bit of stripping down would be needed on most cars to get to them, bumper etc off.

Air con gas will escape after a number of years thru seals, rubber pipes and connectors and generally need a re-charge after 3-4 years.

A licence is required these days to handle refrigerants, so I would not recommend anyone doing a diy job.

I can believe that as my R-reg Mondeo is now on 190k miles and still going strong. On average it gives me 40mpg in summer and about 35 in winter, which isn't bad for an old 2.0L engine.

To keep on topic, last summer I used Kwik-Fit to recharge my AC for £45 and had no problems at all. 6 months later it is no longer blowing out cold air but I'm assuming this is due to a leak somewhere, as the AC had been "uncharged" for years previously.

because you had it done at kwik fit thats why

They were all told bearman...cant say we didnt try lol

With so much heat and votes, quite a few of you must have plumped for the deal.

Lets keep this thread updated with experiences. :smiley:

I told my Dad about this offer as I know from past experience (when I got caught off-hand) that our local Kwik Fit was a good one.

So he popped down today, they apparently used a machine that told them the level of the system and it also checks for leaks (none found), they then emptied the old gas and filled it full of new stuff. Also lubed something to keep it running nicely...

Lovely Jubbly, £25 - no hassle, great price.

(Can't guarantee they will all be good as this, but just keep your wits about you!)

Wells Road - Bristol for anyone interested.

Forget kwikfit for a regas, they're useless.
My Jaguar had ice cold aircon when I bought it 4 years ago but each year it got warmer until the compressor stopped due to low gas pressure.
I had the Kwikfit promise... " our new machine checks the system for leaks and if there are any, it won't regas the systema and we won't charge you the £45 regas charge.
So, an hour later, I pick the car up and sure enough, its cold. I pay my £45 ( the last I ever saw of it) and 5 mins later, there is refrigerant leaking out of the front of the car.
I take it straight back to be told,
" Its your condensing radiator"
"I thought you checked it for leaks first before you regassed it"
" We did"
" You couldn't have done, look, it's p***ing out"
" Our machine checks for leaks via vacuum not by pressuring the sytem, so it might not detect all leaks "

The eventual upshot of this dubious converstation was that I was told to get a new condenser fitted and then they would regass it for free.

Initial quotes for a condenser were £500.
Specialist supplier did me a pattern part for £90 + vat.
The dryer cost me another £50 and then after fitting them it was back to Kwikfit.

After waiting all day for the promised phone call which never came, I went to find out what was going on.

"Its all done" they triumphantly exclaimed.
I switch it on and guess what, warm air, no air con.
Flick the bonnet and no compressor running.
After more moaning they agree to put it back on the machine.
"it's empty, theres no gas in it, it must have all esacped" they say.
" did you check it for leaks with a wand after you gassed it?"
"er, no, our machine checked it and it was fine"
" so , wheres all the refridgerant then?"
" it's escaped"

By now, in an effort to thwart my desire to knock out the kwikfit manager ,
I decided to put it down to experience and take it to an aircon specialist, or at least someone with a basis understanding of vehicle aircon, which is more than the cretins at Kwikfit, Cannock have.

So, in short,
Anywhere other than Kwikfit for your re-gas. ( you might as well wind your windows down and throw you cash out as you drive along, it's the same result)

That's a good one. :-D

Still available :smiley:

If you want to do it yourself and do it wrong this could end up in you being blinded or burnt by incorrect service of the system, prolonged contact with liquid refrigerants may result in third-degree burns, do not attempt to mess around with do it yourself kits have a qualified engineer examine your vehicle, do not use Kwik-Fit i would never let them near my vehicle for services or any repairs, i am a qualified engineer and work on Air-Con systems day to day and know they can be dangerous if you have no knowledge.

Use kwik fit....you've got to be kidding.... rogue traders at their best....