If you live anywhere in our estate (Istead Rise, Northfleet) and are not too picky about the time we come to you, we can do a professional job for any car less than 16 years old for just £45 including vat. We are anxious that all our neighbours on 'The Rise' have their AC working correctly as if not, their windscreens might not clear misting completely and the person they do not see and then might run over may be me, or my dog or even my wife.
A really good offer, Anytime until the stock runs out, Anywhere in our area
There are still quite a few good Ford Mondeo Mk II around, many with AC. As mentioned in the Winter Special Offers below they very frequently suffer from a condenser failure but because of the age of the car the owner does not bother to have it repaired. This seems a shame as this tough car can still be a very useful workhorse and as the AC system was always one of the most effective around a small investment can give you several more years of loyal service. One of our suppliers has drastically reduced the price of this condenser, indeed they have slashed the price of it and as it still carries a twelve month guarantee we are happy to fit it. If this is the problem with your Mk II Mondeo (as it usually is) we can replace it, evacuate and recharge the system for a total of only £125 plus vat (a total of £146.88) for as long as this condenser is available at this much reduced price.
If you live within 10 miles of our location (DA13 9DS - Istead Rise, Northfleet) we are able to give the same service at a reduced cost during this period. For £52.00 including Vat we will evacuate, recharge and test your car to a professional standard at your home or business on any weekday. For virtually the same money as you would pay to drive your car to an exhaust and tyre centre for a tyre fitter to recharge your car, you could have it done properly at your own home, with repairs effected if necessary and with systems correctly leak checked using state-of-the-art electronic detectors. Unfortunately the current high price of diesel for our service vans precludes us offering this to outside this 10 mile radius. If there are 2 cars to be recharged at the same time we could afford to go a little further than the 10 miles. Notwithstanding the 10 mile radius we do not, at the moment service vehicles north of the River Thames - sorry Essex! If you need it done at the weekend then the normal price (£70.50) applies. During this time of a very depressed value pound there are a number of continental visitors over here, mostly by Eurostar on cheap shopping trips with shops and supermarkets open almost 24/7. A few arrive by car however, visiting not only London shops and attractions but also the large shopping centres of Lakeside in Thurrock and just a couple of miles away, BlueWater in Kent. It is just feasible that it might be that one of our French or Belgian neighbours might want to come to us to get their car AC done as well - 52.00 euros would do just as well as £52.00 at the current rate of exchange.
The VW Golf from the end of 2003 and the other similar vehicles from the VAG group, the Audi A3 from mid 2003, the Seat Leon from September 2005 and the Skoda Octavia from May 2004 use virtually identical components. Additionally similar models in the VW EOS, Jetta, Tiguan and Touran models use a number of identical components. Unfortunately there is a serious problem originating in the compressors which can and often does spread to affect other components in the system. To solve this problem correctly can be a time consuming and therefore expensive operation. We know of main dealerships which are quoting well over three times the price we are able to complete this expensive repair for. The normal problem is an AC system which does not cool even though it has ample refrigerant in it. Recharging the system will not make a difference. Usually it is the compressor which has broken down internally but in doing so it very frequently leaves a trail of broken metal pieces around the rest of the AC pipework and components. If the compressor is simply replaced with a new one this swarf in the system will most likely damage the new compressor and quickly render it unuseable also. The correct solution is to examine the old compressor carefully and if there is evidence of swarf, to remove the expansion valve and to flush the swarf from entire AC system, and then to replace the compressor, the condenser (which cannot be effectively flushed) and the drier with new components. This lengthy operation is ideally suited to an out-of-season offer where big savings are possible over the main dealership price. The components used are exactly those that would be fitted by a main dealership but do not come out of Audi/Seat/Skoda/VW box. If the compressor has broken down badly as most do then to flush the swarf out as above and to renew the compressor, condenser and drier will cost £720 including vat. If you are one of the relatively fortunate few where the compressor has simply broken down without a trail of swarf, then to replace the compressor with a new one costs £485 including vat. Both of these prices are for repairs done up until the end of March 2011.
The Ford Mondeo Mk II (1996 to 2000) has an aircon system which is second to none for its simplicity and efficiency, it really is one of the best systems around. Unfortunately it also has a serious design fault on the condenser which causes it to loose the refrigerant and stop working. To restore the AC we fit a condenser from an alternative manufacturer which we feel is better than the original and does not have this design fault. During the winter and early spring the past few years we made this out of season offer and are happy to do the same again this autumn of 2010 up until the end of March 2011, but see the offer near the top of this page. This is to supply and fit this new condenser, evacuate, recharge with refrigerant and test the system for a total cost of £188.00 including vat. This is considerably less than just the cost of the new part from the main dealer.
Once the AC stops working on these good family saloons the car will have lost a lot of its appeal and it can easily turn into an old hack. Even though the trade-in value may be low, a small investment in a car that you know well can provide several more years of comfortable, reliable service and you should even recoup some of this cost when you finally come to trade it in.
The Mk III Mondeo (late 2000 onwards) does not have this condenser fault but some of them have another fault which results in the same thing - the AC no longer works. This time however Ford have recognised their error and have redesigned the part to overcome the previous deficiency, pricing it very reasonably. With our modest hourly rate we can supply the genuine Ford redesigned part, fit it to your Mondeo and recharge the system properly for £177.00 including vat, a noticeable saving on a Ford dealership price.
The range of Seat Alhambra, VW Sharan and the Ford Galaxy frequently suffer from a fault which is very often missed by garages and even most main dealerships and which ultimately results in quite serious and therefore expensive faults with the AC system. We have repaired quite large numbers of these popular cars, particularly the diesels, many of which would not have required such extensive repairs if the initial recharges had been actioned by an experienced AC specialist. If your car is suffering from poor cooling and has yet to be recharged for the first time, having it checked with a high sensitivity leak detector guided by an experienced technician may show up the primary problem. If you are unfortunate to suffer this fault we can replace the condenser and receiver drier with an OE quality replacement, evacuate, recharge and test for just £250 including the vat from October 2010 until the end of March 2011.
Still dealing with the Alhambra, Sharan and Galaxy models, the diesel model often suffers from a fractured suction pipe. We have fabricated a redesigned pipe for this which overcomes the design faults of this VW component. For this new part, including fitting and recharging the car the total cost up from October 2010 until the end of March 2011 is just £149.50 including the vat.
Mercedes C220 cdi often suffer from condensers which have leaked. A replacement condenser of OE (Original Equipment) quality can be supplied, fitted and recharged to our high standard for £255.58 including vat from October 2010 until the end of March 2011.
Peugeot 206 condensers are a fairly common replacement item after a few years use but fortunately they are relatively inexpensive to replace. From Ocober 2010 until the end of March 2011 we can supply, fit and recharge these for £175.00 including vat.
Many Vauxhall Astras and Zafiras suffer from a problem which results in the AC packing up completely. Owners are probably told by the Main Stealer that they need a new compressor that will cost them enough to justify a second mortgage. We can however repair these to work again. From October 2010 until the end of March 2011 we are happy to offer this for £130 including vat and this of course includes a full recharge (worth £70.50 in itself). If you own the 2.0 turbo diesel version it will cost slightly more due to the very congested engine compartment.
Similarly with many Volvos the compressor can wear heavily so that reshimming or replacement is the only option which can prove quite costly. We have an innovative solution. The difficulty depends on the model and engine combination but for example the V70 with the 2.3 turbo engine - we could restore this AC system to full working order, including a complete recharge for £120 including vat from October 2010 until the end of March 2011. Most other Volvo models should be similar in price but speak to us for confirmation - if it doesn't need a recharge then the cost might be even less.
Mitsubishi Pajeros are deservedly very popular in this corner of England. Many of the long wheel base models suffer from an identical fault which results in the refrigerant leaking out over a few weeks or months. We can repair this usual fault for £35 including vat from October 2010 until the end of March 2011 and then the system will need recharging. For a post 1993 model (using R134a refrigerant) this means that the whole repair and recharge could be done for £105.50 including vat. The earlier, pre '94 model Pajeros are still very common but use the earlier R12 refrigerant however. These can be repaired for the same amount but will cost a little more to recharge but not a lot more. It is better to see the installation and to assess then which is the most economic way to proceed.
Have you a car in which the AC has not worked for ages? Your assumption may be that it is not worth the possible large cost to resurrect it. You may be pleasantly surprised that all it may need is a recharge, we often find this. If there is a more serious problem like a leak or an electrical problem which may be expensive to resolve then you can stop right there - it may cost you only £20 to have us diagnose what is wrong with the system if we are able to fit this in economically with other journeys from October 2010 until March 2011. I frequently find that this applies to older Jaguars. Designed as they are to have AC, they tend to be very uncomfortable in hot weather if the AC is no longer working yet the problems are usually very predictable and not usually particularly expensive to overcome.