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[Sir Sideways]

Excelent news, glad its all sorted .

Hope all goes well for gettin ur money back for the re-gas.

Jim

[STMO123]

Nice one! It's amazing how such a small fault can cause you such a lot of aggro. I suppose what you must take from this is that there is only so much you can do yourself.

Auto electrics scare the pants off me, it really is a job for the professionals.

Glad it is all sorted for you but dont let your feelings of relief that your car is now OK stop you from following up on that aircon rip off.

[TheBoy]

please its sorted ready for your trip

[RossPhim]

Well done Nick.
I presume you are keeping her now, she is all well again!

[Nickbat]

Thanks to everyone for their messages. Yes, Ross, I'll be keeping her for now. I love her really...even if she gets on my t*ts at times !

Assuming she behaves to Gatwick, I'm off abroad on an 07.40 flight tomorrow morning. Got a week's parking at the airport for £56.80 (www.gatwickparking.com). Cheaper than the train when you consider I'm bringing the other half and the two kids back on the return flight.

I'll pursue the rip-off merchants when I get back next week.

Cheers all!

[Nickbat]

Got back to Gatwick on BA yesterday...only 3 hours late, which was quite a result given the current situation. Drove the Omega on to the M23 and daughter requested the aircon as she was feeling hot.  No problem, I said as I reached out to switch on the twice-paid-for regassed AC system.

Hmmm!. No cool air at all. Seems the refrigerant has leaked away while the car was parked at the airport....  

P.S. Just drafted a letter to my credit card company. I've spoken to them by phone and they seem keen to help me get my money back from the rip-off merchants. I'm even more eager to get the money back given the fact that the AC doesn't work now. However, I wouldn't want to take the car back there under any circumstances.
I have not ruled out using Brent Council's Trading Standards, but they seem hard to get in touch with and this could be a more fruitful avenue.

[Nickbat]

Need some advice here.

Finally tracked down my aircon mechanic (he's gone bankrupt, which is helpful!). Anyway he kindly looked over the A/C system with his UV light and reported that the I've a big refrigerant leak from the replaced compressor, plus a smaller, long-term leak at the condensor. Obviously those cowboys in Cricklewood didn't use proper seals for the job. However, I'm in dispute with them and they are aggressive, so even though I should take it back to them, I don't want to go within a mile of their workshop. Question is: can I replace the seals myself? Secondly, has anyone ever replaced a condensor? Is it a DIY job. My mechanic reckons the whole job would cost about £400-£500 if I have it done commercially and, frankly the value and age of the car just don't justify that sort of expense.

I will continue to run the car without A/C, but what is the long-term solution? Repair it or flog it?    

[nixoro]

Having read your response, I personally wouldn't remove the compressor as I was told it could be dangerous with the gas still inside not sure if there is any truth to this.

As far as DIY replacing is concerned I would have thought it would be quite straight forward to remove and refit its just making sure the seals were good that would concern me.

Just my 2p worth, hope it makes sense and helps

Good Luck with getting it sorted.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Aircon pump seals are not to bad to do, neither is the condenser.

Condenser, seals and new dryer should be around 160 quid delivered.

[Nickbat]

Aircon pump seals are not to bad to do, neither is the condenser.

Condenser, seals and new dryer should be around 160 quid delivered.

Thanks for that info, Mark. Do you know if the seals can be replaced in situ, or do I need to physically remove the compressor?  

[Nickbat]

Condenser/drier and compressor seals all for £139 delivered from Suttons. Not too bad, I guess.

[Robin Hood]

Condenser/drier and compressor seals all for £139 delivered from Suttons. Not too bad, I guess.

Do you have a link for that please, I plan to do the exact same job next month.

[Nickbat]

Here's the link, Robin:

http://www.autospares-group.co.uk

Nick

[Nickbat]

SORRY!!! IGNORE THE PREVIOUS POST!!

Tried so may places today, I got a bit confused.

I've actually ordered the parts from:

http://www.coolcaraircon.co.uk

I spoke to a really helpful guy called Simon there. You can check availability of parts by phone, but you'll need to order and pay via their website.

[Nickbat]

When I take the compressor out to fit the new seals, I need to top it up with PAG oil (can't be sure those dopes at the garage bothered). According to my local spares shop, there are different grades of PAG oil. Anyone know what grade I need?