when i first start driving the car the air condition works fine and then the longer i drive it slowly stops blowing cold air. is there a leak in the system? the dealer said you don't have to recharge freon, but other people have told me i just need to recharge the freon.

I know its not much help---but I have just devloped the same problem on 1994 es300. Happened just after it had been of the road for three months---also recharge has been rcommended
Roger H

Hi from Australia

I took my aircon to an expert to have checked out. He told me that constant use (even in winter ) was important to keep the various seals lubricated. If they dry up you can get a leak. That may be the cause of your problem. If so, you need the seals replaced and the system recharged.

It is true that you should use your air con on and off all year round as the refrigerant in the system is also a lubricant for the compressor and the seals.

Furthermore ALL air conditioning/climate control systems leak. Some can be as much as 10% per year others much less.

Once the pressure in the system drops to a sufficiently low level (usually around 40 % or so) the system will actually shut down in order to protect the compressor.

It stands to reason that over the period the system leaks the the efficiency will graudually decrease. Any good A/C specialist or garage should be able to not only re-gas your system but also inject some flourescent dye into it as well. Then run it for a week and take it back to them. They will put your car up on a lift and shine a UV light that shows up any dye that has leaked out of pipes/joints/seals. Then they can see exactly what needs replacing (if anything) and let you know the bad news as to the cost !!

Hope this helps

The Ed