Home re-gas/ leak seal kit

[dan_b]

Hi gang
I was in my local Halfords on Saturday and noticed a new display for home air conditioning kits - they had charge pressure meters, and more interestingly, a home re-gas and leak sealant kit. This had R134a plus a rubber hose sealant in a pressurised canister: I can't remember how much R134a charge was in the can.

Has anyone tried this stuff? Is it any good? I think it was about £30. Looks like an interesting solution for our ageing aircon systems?

[iain1067]

I have looked at this myself, one of the problems with just topping up is that when a system is degassed it takes out all the muck and condensation in the system, if you are just topping up then you won't be able to do this. As for the sealant i wouldn't bother, would you use radweld in your S2?? i think not. On a safety note, if you were to get the gas in your eyes you would be blind, worth paying the extra £30 and get it done by a professional.

iain

[Pembo]

Real easy to use. Used a can on my Allroad that had been back to the stealers 3 times and mobile man twice. One can has resolved the problem and restored normal function to the system. For £20 (it was half price!) worth a try. You also keep the hose and I'll try to source just the can if I need to use it again.

[shadquattro]

have been reliably informed that these are a complete waste of money, there is not enuf gas in the kit to recharge a system if it has lost all its gas , also you should really fix the cause of the leak rather than just keep topping it up , the other thing is a professional would use guages to determine when the system has the correct quantity and working at the right pressures.
when my system had lost its gas i had it vacuum pumped to remove any moisture and air which can cause compressor failure
hth

[missmouse]

a/c guy i use told me that stuff can f**K up things with the sealant in it! (By things, I mean HIS equipment!!!)I actually bought one before he told me when I had a problem last year (turned out to be a BIG hole in the condenser anyway!) but I wasnt able to try it as the S2 uses a non standard filling valve. Ive now had mine converted to the standard type when I was changing the condenser.
Simon

[s2driveruk]

i read a post last night somewhere about this stuff and it said steer clear due to the sealant which is used...if i find it again will post up.

[Corey]

Bearing in mind that a system as fitted to the S6 uses 750grams of gas to recharge a totally empty system and the pressure involved putting it in and recharging, there is no way that one of those cans would work, IMHO.
Oh and a leak test and recharge can be had from certain Audi specialists for a very reasonable fee

[missmouse]

although I wouldnt use the halfords sealant stuff, I do remember years ago when I worked in the middle east, we used to recharge our cars using small cans of gas!
You wouldnt bother using a vacuum pump set, just purge the system using one of the cans first! Yep, vent the FREON (R12- banned now), to atmosphere! then refill using a set of scales for correct charge. Fast , easy, cheap & very naughty!
Oh, those carefree days before pc !! LOL!
simon

[~Delta]

[QUOTE Yep, vent the FREON (R12- banned now), to atmosphere![/QUOTE]

Whoops!

[shadquattro]

I would never use the re-seal stuff, it will not do the compressor any good long term.
Never add gas to a system that is short...its leaked out so must be repaired first, also when pressures are low moisture can be sucked in and you will damage everything, the gas must be removed and the system leak tested with nitrogen, leakes repaired and then regassed.

Halfords cans don't hold a full air con charge worth, they are expensive and you need the guage.

The only way to charge a system is by vacuum pumping it first to remove air and moisture then adding the correct amount, normally about 1kg plus oil.

A decent air con engineer will charge around £60 or you can do half a job for the same money with Halfords stuff and risk a large bill further down the line!!

Mike (Mr shadquattro)

[dan_b]

Well, my brother bought a can for his car and re-charged it and now it's working fine. Go figure.