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As far as I’m aware, it’s highly illegal for anyone to knowingly re-gas aircon when the system is leaking, and the refrigerant gas used is gnarly stuff, both to yourself and the planet.
Deffo get a UV dye check done on the system and repair any leaks before hitting a cowboy re-gasser.
ectoplasmosis-
The refrigerant in that car right now is probably the R134a that’s been in common use for over 20 years. Car manufacturers started switching to R1234yf circa 2016. R134a's effect on the ozone layer is insignificant and it’s non-toxic. But it is very bad for the greenhouse effect. It’s approx. 1300 times worse than CO2 when you calculate the GWP against standard protocols. R1234yf is flammable and highly toxic particularly during combustion when it releases carbonyl fluoride - that's similar to one of the chemical weapons used in the first world war - but it has a very low GWP of about 4.
user87951
Yeah I've heard that. Which is why I wanted somewhere decent.
I guess the only counter is after 12yrs there could be miniscule leaks, and it just needs a regas.
The main thing is finding somewhere decent and trustworthy. We use our car almost daily and a 2hr round trip isn't viable. I'm probably going to go for my local VW dealer. While the indy I used for the major service seemed OK (and much better value) the customer service and my confidence was a bit lacking. That said they were very busy as it was just after garages were back open.