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Aircon Specialist Required


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I'm looking for a really first class aircon engineer in the Bristol/South West area.

I had my LS430 recharged, and all seemed OK for about 3 weeks.

The people who did it (recommended on this forum) told me to bring it back if there were any problems.

I did as they said, they had it for about a week, they had a good look at it, and felt the only place where they thought there might be a leak was at the refilling point.

They changed the valves, but then they found they couldn't recharge it, they brought in a specialist (name unknown to me) and he suggested there may be some "foreign matter/congealed oil in the system), pipes were removed and cleaned and now all was well.

The recharge has lasted about 4 weeks.

I'm loathe to take it back, as I believe it's beyond their level of expertise, and would welcome any comments and recommendations for some who is really good.

I don't mind travelling to get this sorted out once and for all.

Thanks in anticipation

Andrew

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Firstly I hope you are asking for a full refund as they haven't completed the job you asked and paid them to do.

They normally fill the system with an inert gas and UV dye to check for leaks before charging with refridgerant as filling a possible leaking system is illegal ( as far as I am aware).

As for a local specialist I am sorry but cannot help but it may be worth asking your local lexus dealer for a recommended one.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So have they said that the problem is a leak or is it a blocked system?... Leaks can be tricky to find in an engine bay but not impossible... UV dye is of limited use and is more of a marketing device... If the leak is big enough for dye to escape then so will the oil, look for a damp patch... To confirm, pressurise the system to around 200psi with Oxygen free Nitrogen and spray with leak detector fluid... If the issue is a blockage, then this may be caused by metal debris from a disintergrating compressor, dessicant from a damaged drier pack or If anyone in the past has used aircon stop leak, then the stop leak may have set in the pipes/drier.. In the case of the stop leak, then if it has set, it will never be totally removed and your aircon will give trouble untill the car is scrapped as bits of sealer will periodically break off and clog the drier or the expansion valve...

A bit more info on your issue would be nice, as for a refund, don't count on it.. What year is your car?

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So have they said that the problem is a leak or is it a blocked system?... Leaks can be tricky to find in an engine bay but not impossible... UV dye is of limited use and is more of a marketing device... If the leak is big enough for dye to escape then so will the oil, look for a damp patch... To confirm, pressurise the system to around 200psi with Oxygen free Nitrogen and spray with leak detector fluid... If the issue is a blockage, then this may be caused by metal debris from a disintergrating compressor, dessicant from a damaged drier pack or If anyone in the past has used aircon stop leak, then the stop leak may have set in the pipes/drier.. In the case of the stop leak, then if it has set, it will never be totally removed and your aircon will give trouble untill the car is scrapped as bits of sealer will periodically break off and clog the drier or the expansion valve...

A bit more info on your issue would be nice, as for a refund, don't count on it.. What year is your car?

Thanks for your info. and sorry for the delay in replying.

The car is a 2004, and I have owned it for exactly 1 year.

THe problem is that the system is leaking, it was only when they attempted to regas it the second time that they encountered a problem, and that was when the foreign matter was encountered

I bought it in October, and only use it occasionally so I'm not exactly sure when it stopped working.

I know a little history of the car, and would be very surprised if "aircon stop leak" had been used.

I did not see the debris the garage mention, but they described it as congealed oil.

Any other infomation I can give you?

Andrew

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Oh My!.... Congealed oil suggests to me that stop leak has been used....... I would try to remove all the gloop by stripping down the system and blasting through brake parts cleaner.... Lots of it but if it has set solid anywhere, then I'm afraid that it is virtually impossible to remove... the compressor, I'd flush through with loads of PAG lubricant whilst on the work bench in the hope that I could get all of the contaminated lube out... Why folk can't be bothered to repair leaks properly is beyond me...

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  • 5 months later...

Just bumping this in the hope that someone may know of a specialist.

Have done nothing over the winter, but hoping that I might need the A/c soon ;)

Did speak to Lexus, Bristol but they said they carry out their A/c work in house

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Just bumping this in the hope that someone may know of a specialist.

Have done nothing over the winter, but hoping that I might need the A/c soon ;)

Did speak to Lexus, Bristol but they said they carry out their A/c work in house

I had a problem about 6 years ago when the air con on my 1991 cadillac stopped working. I took it to three different "specialists" and neither of them had a clue what they were doing.In the end I just gave up and had no air con for about two years.

An american car enthusiast then recommended a place in Gloucester. I took it to them and they converted it to the modern gas and found there was a leak-it was actually a loose bolt underneath the car. They didn't make a big deal about it,knew exactly what they were doing and didn't rip me off either. The air con has worked perfect ever since.

The guy who did my car was Dale Mather, who's been doing this for many years now so is highly skilled, so if you did take your car there I would ask for him personally.

The details are:

AC Automotive Ltd,Unit 4,Llanthony Business Park,Llanthony Road,Gloucester GL2 5QT. Tel: 01452 309983.

The place is a few minutes walk from Gloucester Docks and shops so is fairly central in Gloucester.

Good luck

Andy

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Try GO COOL. He is a friend of mine and really knows his stuff. He is as honest as can be so you know he will not mess you around. Oh and he is from the Bristol area

Francis

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Thank you guys, for your recomendations, it is much appreciated.

Funnily enough I had highlighted GOCOOL when I had a trawl around the net, so it's good to have a personal recomendation.

I will contact both of them, fill them in on the history, and see what they think.

I'll report back in due course.

Many thanks once again.

Andrew

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just a point of note.

I had to have my system completely rebuilt due to a blockage. The guy I used was a specialist (in Boston, Lincs) and he told me to regularly use the a/c, at least once every 2 weeks for 20 minutes even if the car was laid-up, say for the winter. This ensures the distribution of the lubricant that is also put in the system when charged/recharged.

That was a few years ago when I 1st got the car. A friend of mine who used to be a company car driver at Walkers crisps, told me that they regularly had memo/email reminders to use the a/c in the cooler weather to avoid problems.

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