Costs
We come to your home or business with our vans specially equipped for AC service. As a result you don't need to waste time but can just continue with what you were doing prior to our arrival whilst we get on with the job. If you prefer to watch - that's OK with us - it usually takes around an hour.
During the winter time a standard recovery, evacuation, recharge and test costs £58.00 including vat (slightly cheaper if you are nearby). During the lighter summertime hours we do work quite late some days so if you work full time we may be able to see you after you return home but once the sun starts setting before 6pm this is not really feasible. Weekends are frequently booked a couple of weeks ahead so if you need a weekend appointment please don't leave it until a few days before your holidays. There are Special Offers just here - it might be worth having a look there. In any case all of these cheaper prices above revert to the normal price once the warm weather arrives and the phone does not stop ringing.
For cars designed for the earlier CFC refrigerant R12 (basically prior to 1993) it is possible to recharge successfully with a compatible refrigerant for £75.00 plus vat (£90.00 at current vat rates) but frequently it is worth spending a little more (sometimes £30.00) and having it converted to the modern R134a refrigerant.
We often encounter cars where the AC has become very smelly over the years. This will frequently disappear naturally once the system has been recharged and is working correctly but where it is known to be a problem we have several possible solutions, the most expensive of which costs £20 if done at the same time as a recharge.
If you can been discouraged by the price quoted by a main dealer or a general garage do not despair. Most will only replace faulty parts and are not prepared or able to effect repairs which we as specialists with very specialised equipment can frequently offer.
Some modern cars (often Mercedes) create Fault Codes (DTCs) when the refrigerant charge is allowed to get far too low. This has the effect of preventing the operation of the AC system even where it has been completely recharged. For the use of our Electronic Diagnostics Equipment to correct these DTCs we charge £20.00 in addition to the recharge cost if done at the same time.
Our refrigerant analyzer enables us to make checks for contaminated refrigerant.
Should our initial diagnosis find that there is a part leaking or damaged that is unrepairable and needs replacement but is a part not available immediately then we would charge a diagnosis fee of £20 + vat and after obtaining prices for the replacement part, if acceptable to you, to return once the part has arrived to fit, evacuate, recharge and test the system. The diagnosis fee, although modest, reflects the ease or difficulty of the problem and the equipment used to diagnose that problem together with our travelling costs.
Should your car require new parts we are well served by several excellent specialist aircon suppliers who are able to supply many airconditioning replacement parts at prices usually well below the car manufacturers list price. We hold a stock of some of the most frequently required parts and are able to obtain most other parts in 24 hours. Our service vans are well equipped with spare fittings and specialized tools and we are often able to repair damaged hoses and pipe work or make up some completely new hoses on site.
Much of our work is dedicated to the accident repair trade. We offer a specialized service to these and to other trade services. Our current clientele include some of the largest Accident Repair Centres in the South East, including Porsche, BMW, Mercedes and Bentley Approved Repairers, Jaguar and BMW independent specialists and Audi VW main dealerships. Several of these are PAS 125 approved workshops. For heavy trucks we provide all the AC servicing for a number of different truck marques at Main Dealerships. .
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