AC Recharge

[aloo1]

Do you guys do this yourself with the kits you can buy at auto zone etc... or do you always have a shop do it?

If go to a shop, what should I expect to pay for this.

 

[sublimebeer]

Depends on the leak. For sure do it yourself. Auto shops going to hit you from at least $80 to $100. A can from autozone last just as long as a auto shop and cost like $10 bucks. I charge mine up every spring. My leak is a slow one.

 

[joewilly]

Agree. I buy can at Walmart and charge it myself. My truck had a small leak and after two years of adding a can every spring it quit leaking. I know the can says it has a sealer in it for small leaks, but I never believed it worked, until now.

 

[jdm333]

I highly recommend getting the gauge set that has both the high and low side connections. If you do, READ THE MANUAL. I have a set that lets you open the high side so you can apply vacuum to both sides of the system. That would be a bad thing to do while charging.

The reason for using the dual guage setup is to see how your system is performing and not overcharge it. Those kits with one (or zero) guages scare me.

 

[EVILWS6]

I highly recommend getting the gauge set that has both the high and low side connections. If you do, READ THE MANUAL. I have a set that lets you open the high side so you can apply vacuum to both sides of the system. That would be a bad thing to do while charging.

The reason for using the dual guage setup is to see how your system is performing and not overcharge it. Those kits with one (or zero) guages scare me.

What he said.

 

[harrycalahan]

Be sure you know your system capacity before you start. Wait for the suction side (big hose) to start sweating and you feel heat coming off the condesor.

 

[40rules]

Depends on the leak. For sure do it yourself. Auto shops going to hit you from at least $80 to $100. A can from autozone last just as long as a auto shop and cost like $10 bucks. I charge mine up every spring. My leak is a slow one.

I own a shop in south ga. & I only charge $40 for up to 2lbs. of Freon,customers down here would freak out over $80 to $100 for this service

 

[roadsterjosh]

I own a shop in south ga. & I only charge $40 for up to 2lbs. of Freon,customers down here would freak out over $80 to $100 for this service

It is more than $100 at my shop, and I freak out about that. The cost of labor services in the north metro area is astronimical. My dealer works on a grid, our base labor rate is 120 and this goes up every hour there after. It is a small increase, but it adds up to over 100 at the 10 to 12 hour mark.

 

[40rules]

It is more than $100 at my shop, and I freak out about that. The cost of labor services in the north metro area is astronimical. My dealer works on a grid, our base labor rate is 120 and this goes up every hour there after. It is a small increase, but it adds up to over 100 at the 10 to 12 hour mark.

yea the metro area is expensive ,we`ve been I n business since 1967 same location,our labor rates are $60 an hour,we stay swamped most of the time