Air Conditioning in South Africa

Air conditioning is a sealed system, so if it needs gas it has a leak. A regas alone is a temporary fix and a workshop that offers one without a leak test is selling you the same job again in a few months. Proper practice is to recover the remaining gas, pull a vacuum, hold it to confirm the system is sealed, then trace leaks with dye or an electronic detector before recharging to the correct weight. Common failure points are the condenser at the front of the car, which is exposed to stone chips, the compressor shaft seal, and the o-rings at pipe joints. Weak cooling can also be a blocked cabin filter or a dirty evaporator rather than a gas problem, and a smelly aircon usually means bacteria on the evaporator, which is treated with a cleaner. Newer vehicles use R1234yf gas, which costs significantly more than the older R134a and needs different equipment.