Citroen Berlingo air conditioning regas

What does an air conditioning regas do?

It’s no longer considered a luxury, so most modern cars come with air con. However, like anything else, it needs regular maintenance. If you’re not getting cold air into your vehicle, regassing is the most likely solution.

A regas is the removal of old refrigerant gas from the system and replacing and recharging it, along with the lubricant and in line with the manufacturer’s instructions, so that the air runs cold again. (By the way, vehicles made from 2017 onwards are legally obliged to use a new type of refrigerant.)

While DIY kits are available, they save you almost nothing compared with getting a specialist to do the job. What’s more, if something goes wrong, you could be left with a pricey bill, or there could be safety issues. (Refrigerant can cause painful freeze burns if it gets on your skin or in your eyes.) Equally, if there are any other problems with the air con system, a professional will be able to put them right.

How often should I need to regas my air conditioner?

Most manufacturers suggest getting the air con serviced every couple of years, although many drivers wait until there’s no cold air coming through before taking action. But it’s really not worth putting it off—as well as creating an uncomfortable travelling environment, poorly working air conditioning makes it harder to demist windows in winter, and may mean the engine has to work harder, so fuel consumption rises. Additionally, pipes in the system could crack, or parts seize up.

The law, vehicle regulations and your MOT

A faulty air conditioner won’t affect your car’s MOT, but it can affect the comfort of you and your passengers. It’s worth keeping your air conditioning running at its optimum performance as the impact it can have on your vehicle’s fuel efficiency could significantly affect the day-to-day cost of your motoring.

What happens when we regas your air conditioning?

• Our efficient and fully qualified mechanics will check for cracks and leaks that could be hindering the air conditioning system’s efficient operation.
• Wherever required, all old refrigerant will be removed from your air conditioning system and replaced with the precise quantity of fresh refrigerant.
• You will also be advised of any other parts that may need to be replaced for the best operation and health of your vehicle.
• Once the refrigerant has been replaced, our mechanics will test it thoroughly to ensure its correct running make any adjustments required for its premium operation.

Symptoms you might need an AC regas

Your air con isn’t as cold as normal

If your AC has stopped working correctly and you notice that the air conditioning in your car isn’t providing the usual levels of cold air as normal, it’s probably time for a regas.

Looking after your air conditioning

It’s true that most general car services don’t cover air conditioning, but any garage should be able to do a straightforward air con service and regas for you at an affordable price. They will probably want to do a pre-service inspection first, and any repairs needed as a result are usually billed for separately.

The inspection should include looking out for any cracks or leaks that could hinder the system’s efficient working.

Try and use the system all year round to keep it running smoothly, and consider an anti-bacterial clean if musty smells are emerging from the vents—your garage or workshop should also offer this. Additionally, change the cabin filter regularly.

Citroën

Citroën is a French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën Group since 1976, established over 100 years ago in March 1919.

Citroën produced the world’s first mass-produced front-wheel drive car and one of the first to feature a unitary type body, with no chassis supporting its mechanical components.

How popular is Citroën in the United Kingdom?

Citroën is probably better known for its quirky design and fun fashion styled brand of cars. Offering something different from more traditional sporty looks, they are a brand that provides value without being cheap.

There were 1.3m Citroën cars on the roads at the close of 2018; a figure that peaked in the early part of 2015 and has maintained a very similar number ever since.

Good value vehicles for family driving

Citroën offers a range of fun-looking smaller city cars and family cars for every ilk. The smallest starts with their C1 city model, growing into the C3 mini-MPV and SUV models, then the C4 subcompact and compact featuring crossover and SUV styles, up to the C5 family saloon, that is also available as an SUV sporting Citroën’s Aircross moniker. With models featuring up to 7 seats, Citroën doesn’t just create cars for everyday family motoring—they supply cars for the biggest of families.

Citroën’s reliability and reputation

You wouldn’t instantly think of Citroën as one of the technological leaders of the automotive industry, but as well as being the first to introduce front wheel drive and unitary body type vehicles, they were also responsible for producing the first hydropneumatic self-levelling suspensions system in 1954. Just one year later they introduced another milestone in motoring history, producing the first mass-produced car with modern disc brakes.

Citroën ranked 25th place out of 30 car brands in the What Car? Reliability Survey in 2018. Probably not a figure to earn them too much confidence and an increase in sales, but when you consider that they still featured higher than Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Land Rover then maybe the competition is a little tougher throughout that survey than it first appears.

Recent Citroën recalls and reliability issues

Various recalls have been made on Citroën models throughout their motoring history. The following are a list of the most recent in the UK and Europe.

25/04/2019 – Citroën Berlingo

The handbrake mechanism may not be correct

27/02/2019 – Citroën C4 Aircross (2011–2015)

The battery charge program may not be to specification

12/02/2019 – Citroën C3 Aircross (2016–2018)

The wires of the seat position sensor may not be correct

01/02/2019 – Citroën Spacetourer and Dispatch IV (2015–2108)

The loosening of the front wishbone lower ball joints

01/02/2019 – Citroën Spacetourer and Dispatch IV (2016–2018)

The fixing bolt of the front suspension wishbone

01/02/2019 – Citroën Spacetourer and Dispatch IV (2015–2018)

The air conditioning compressor pulley could break

01/02/2019 – Citroën Spacetourer Dispatch IV (2016–2018)

Rear suspension wishbone mounting bolts

14/01/2019 – Citroën C3 (2018)

The steering column universal joint clamp may be incorrectly fitted

All recall information sourced from gov.co.uk data.