Air Conditioning Re Gassing.

[martytno1]

Hey again.

 

I am trying to find the answer to all of our problems at once so the final problem I have is not knowing the life of the air-conditioner.

The C3 and C4 Picasso both have airconditioning, and its always on. We cover around 8000miles a year in each of them, so does anybody know when its necessary?

Our service guides are in Spanish so we cant understand a bloody word of it.

 

Any help will be very gratefully received,

 

Thanks

 

Martin

[stimulator]

Ok I we ahve just bought our second C3 to be along side our 54 reg SX. We traded a 6 year old Pic 20HDI SX for it.

 

the aircon on all our cars is left ON all the time and the Picasso in 51,000 miles never needed any attention to the a/c. The first C3 has 31000 miles on and the aircon went wrong and required a new 2nd stage relay fitting under warranty but no regas was required.

 

Providing the sysetm is not damaged it should be OK for the life of the car.

 

the maint book does say it should be checked every 2 year Dos Anos

[raveydavey]

It depends who you ask - the dealers will tell you it's every two years for an "air con service".

 

Look further afield and you get different answers.

 

They guys at Thatcham tell me air conditioning is a sealed system and should not need attention for the life of the car unless it sustains damage or a component fails. The best way to avoid component failure is to make sure it's used regularly as a lubricant is suspended in the refridgerant gas, so you're doing the right thing there keeping it switched on. I think in the UK manual it tells you to ensure it's switched on for at least 15 minutes every month.

 

Despite what a dealer tried to assure me (whilst trying to sell me an air con service) you don't "use up all the gas" by having it switched on - the only way for the gas to escape is via a leak, which will shut the system down in seconds as it runs under such high pressure.

 

Basically, if it's working I'd leave it alone. I've heard tales of 15 year old cars running round with the A/C never having being touched and still working, it's all down to the quality of the original install, which my own experience of Citroen and their dealers tell me hasn't been that cracking...

 

One final thing I'd point out with you living in Spain: the gas now used as a refrigerant in EU countries will only cool air by around 15 degrees celcius. That means if it's 40 degrees outside, the a/c can only cool fresh air coming in to around 25 degrees. It will be colder than outside air, but it perhaps won't feel as cold as it does on a cooler day. The way round that is to hit the recirculate air button on the dash.

Bear in mind that a car parked up in the mid-day sun will quickly get very hot inside indeed. The UK manual again advises to switch the a/c on AND open the windows for the first mile of so to expell the hot air from the car when this happens.

[martytno1]

Hey,

 

Thank you both for your very detailed replies :(

 

We owned a Vauxhall Calibra SE8 back in 2001, had it for 3 months, used the air-con once for a 30min journey and it was knackered.

 

Take it its the same for all cars so definately, USE YOUR AIRCON.

 

Oh and anybody who says "oh my mpg will plummet" RUBBISH. The power will decrease slightly but on an average tank of fuel, you only get around 6-8 miles less than without your aircon.

 

Thanks again chaps.

 

Martin :D

[stimulator]

Welcome.

 

Know a women in Spain with a Golf that has A/C. As she found it too cold to use she left it off for 5 years. When the car was sold the buyer tried the a/c which didn't work. Total cost of repair was going to be mor ethat the car was worth. Seize compressor and required new condenser and evaporator. Consequently car is worthless.

[Bluebird Pompey]

I'm thinking about buying a C3, and this thread about a/c has been very enlightening. I've never had a/c in a car and didn't realise it should be left on all the time.

 

So my question is... can I leave it switched on and have heat at the same time?

[stimulator]

The answer to your question is YES.

 

The air conditioning and the heater are in essence to completly separate systems but some part are contained in the same box.

 

the heater is the easiest to explain,

When the engine is running it produces heat. This heat is taken away by the coolant water system . On it's way to the car radiator the now hot water passes thru the heat exchanger inside the car. The air passing into the car from outside flows thru the heat exchnager where it picks up heat. This emerges into the car to warm the occupant. However without some form of control it would just get hotter until it reaches about 110C. To ensure the heat is at the required setting, the heater controls manual or automatic, allow some of the incoming cold air to bypass the heat exchanger, where just befor it emerges into the car it is mixed with the hot air to give warm. By adjusting the heat control you don't turn the flow of water off but bypass more air around the heat exchanger.

 

Air conditioner.

this uses a refrigerant that is compressed by a compressor on the engine to produce via other parts a very cold gas. This passes thru a device called an evaporator (a heat exchanger in reverse) which is mounted inside the heater box. However it is mounted such that the incoming air from outside passes thru it before it reaches the heater heat exchanger or the bypass route. The air passing thru the evaporator cools rapidly and the water it contains, condenses onto the evaporator and runs off to the outside via a drain. the air leaving the evaporator is now COLD but DRY. It then passes thru the heater exchanger where it can be heated to the required temp.

the air now entering the car is warm/hot but dry. This has the advantage of preventing condensation when it hits the windows and also gives a better driving envirinment for the occupants.

 

What does it cost, well on a 1.6 HDI or 1.4 HDi 90 BHP C3s it's abot 1-2 mpg, which considering the benefits is cheap.

 

On the C3 with auto climate you can set it at a reuired temp say 21.5C and it will happliy do it's thing for ever.

 

I have never had to regas my old Picasso (6yrs) or the now two C3s, one is 3.5 the outher 8mths old.