My MX5 1.5 SE-L ND is due its second service next month.
Some manufacturers recommend air con recharge every two years with a refresh in the years between recharge.
The MX5 ND Maintenance schedule does not refer to the air-conditioning service frequency and so far a search of the user manual has proved fruitless.
Can anyone shed some light on what are the service requirements of my air con?
Hmm, A lot depends on how the car is used. If the air-con is kept occasionally active throughout the year, even in winter, eg for rapid demist, then the seals etc should remain in good nick.
If it is not used then legend has it that the seals can dry out and lose the gas. I’d be very interested to hear what the experts have to say.
However, I’ve yet to come across a car needing a/c being serviced, except when there has been some damage or significant neglect.
Our old Vectra never needed a gas top-up in the twenty years we owned it, and was still putting out the correct cool temperature on a hot day when the cam belt tensioner killed the car.
My NC has not had any attention to the A/C according to the service record, and after a mere ten years it can also freeze the fingers if asked.
The same ‘keep using it’ suggestion supposedly applies to domestic A/C, so I got one that can be used as a heat-pump in the colder parts of the year.
Keep the air conditioning switched on all the time (Winter, Spring, Summer & Autumn) , except when the hood is down.
So I suppose I don’t need to worry about recharge?
As this post is about Air Con etc I was wondering if anyone had ever tried to recondition air air Con Compressor as mine leaks at all the face joints and looses all its gas. Over twelve months and at £80 per recharge, it is a bit expensive. I know it is leaking from the compressor because the A/C engineer shone a special lamp on it and you could see where it was leaking from.
Some people laugh at an open top having A/c fitted but it can be nice to have cool air blowing up from the foot-well when we have the occasional hot summers day.
How much is an exchange compressor? At least it should be guaranteed not to leak…
I’m a great believer in “if it ain’t broke ,don’t fix it” .If the a/c is working correctly and efficiently,I would be inclined to leave it alone. The system is sealed and car makers allow a permissable loss of 20 gms per annum .As most a/c systems have a charge weight of around 500-600 gms ,then the system should only need checking every 3 years approx. The time you need to be concerned is when it stops working,because if it has a leak,then the system is open to atmosphere ,which can be very detrimental to the internal workings . As for reconditioning a compressor,don’t waste your time.Unless you are prepared to invest in the special tools required,leave it to the experts.;http://www.compressortech.co.uk/contact.php