Threatened with repairs: serviceman Chmelev said that car air conditioner refillers on the road make 3 mistakes

Experts warn: improper charging of a car air conditioner can lead to compressor failure and expensive repairs. Fit Service car service expert Valery Chmelev identified the three most common violations committed by car owners.

The first and most common violation is an attempt to add fresh freon without first removing the old refrigerant, air and moisture, the expert said.

Proper refueling requires mandatory pumping out of residues, evacuation and checking for leaks, otherwise the moisture inside the system will begin to form acids that corrode aluminum parts, which leads to corrosion, leaks and overheating of the compressor.

The second mistake is charging using pressure gauges, without monitoring the exact mass of the refrigerant in grams, as required by the manufacturer. Refilling “by eye” gives a large error: if you underfill, the system cools worse, and the compressor runs longer at higher speeds, while overfilling is even more dangerous – the pressure increases, and there is a risk of water hammer with liquid freon and compressor failure.

The third common mistake is ignoring compressor oil, which must circulate in the circuit along with the refrigerant to lubricate the parts. When refilling in a garage, they often either forget to add oil, which leads to oil starvation and rapid jamming of the compressor, or they fill it in too much, which is why excess oil takes the place of freon, settles at the bottom and disrupts the distribution of the refrigerant throughout the system, the specialist noted.

Previously, the main reasons for paint blistering on used cars were named.