Slinky

I recently posted a question regarding my A4's air-con. It was running pretty poorly, and was struggling to cool the car on hot days over here in the UK.

I didn't know if it needed re-gassing so I asked on here and got a reply from someone stating that the system on the A4 is closed-loop and should NEVER (?) need re-gassing unless I had a leak.

I'd just like to point out that after having visited a local specialist over here I was told that these systems must ALWAYS be re-gassed on roughly 18 month intervals. I was also told that some gas will escape in that period even on a system with no leaks since rubber is naturally porous to a certain extent.

Furthermore, with the system being subjected to lots of bumps on a daily basis the gas can also escape out of hose seals that way.

After having the system checked and re-gassed yesterday I can happilly say that my 2.8Q can now be made to feel like the artic when I want it to ))) Which is good news for me since summer is a-coming (here in the UK summer weather is a rare thing!).

Anyways, for anyone living in the UK who needs a re-gas I went to 'Cool Running' in Leicester, who did a diagnostic and re-gas for 59 UKP..if you want the number drop me a mail...

Slinky

Hokie_Audi

The seals will break down over time. Polymers can only take so much exposure to heat, dry rot, moisture, etc before they begin to embrittle. A properly maintained air conditioning system will not need periodic refrigerant top ups.

Replace those seals and you won't need to replace the refrigerant every 18 months.