Our specialty
A/C diagnosis
& repair
If your air conditioning needs a recharge every summer, it has a leak. Refrigerant doesn’t get used up — it escapes. We find where it’s going, or which electrical fault is stopping the system from running at all.
Why a recharge isn’t a repair
Refrigerant
doesn’t get
used up.
An air conditioning system is sealed. If it’s low, the refrigerant left through a hole — a tired O-ring, a corroded condenser at the front of the vehicle where the road salt lives, a leaking compressor shaft seal, or a pinhole in an evaporator buried behind the dash.
What we do
The refrigerant side and the electrical side — which matters, because plenty of “no cold air” complaints are wiring, not gas.
Refrigerant side
- Performance testing — pressures, vent temperatures, system behaviour
- Leak detection — pressure testing, UV dye and electronic sniffing
- Evacuate and recharge to the manufacturer’s specified charge weight
- Compressors, clutches, condensers, evaporators and driers
- Hoses, lines, O-rings and service ports
Electrical & control side
- Compressor clutch circuits and relays that won’t engage
- Pressure switches and sensors shutting the system down
- Blower motors and resistors — no fan, or only on high
- Blend door actuators — the clicking behind the dash, air stuck hot or cold
- Climate control heads and their wiring
- Cabin air filters and airflow complaints
Worth knowing: heat and defrost problems come through the same system. If your windows fog in November and won’t clear, or one side of the car blows hot while the other blows cold, that’s usually a blend door actuator — and it’s the same job.
A/C questions
Can you just recharge it without all the testing?
We’ll always test the system first, because putting refrigerant into a system that leaks wastes your money and runs the compressor short on oil. If the test shows the system holds pressure, a recharge is exactly what you get. If it doesn’t, you’ll hear why before we charge you for gas that won’t stay in.
Are those DIY recharge cans from the parts store a bad idea?
They’re a temporary patch at best. The bigger problem is the sealant in many of them, which is designed to plug a leak from the inside and can also plug up the service equipment and system components. Tell us if a sealant product has been used — it changes how we have to handle the job.
Why is fixing an evaporator leak so expensive?
Because the evaporator lives inside the HVAC case behind the dashboard. Reaching it usually means removing the dash, which is a long job on most vehicles regardless of what the part costs. It’s the one A/C repair where we’ll sit down with you about whether it makes sense on an older vehicle.
My A/C works but the heat doesn’t. Same shop?
Same system, same shop. Heat, defrost and A/C share the HVAC case, the blower and the blend doors. A common winter complaint — one vent hot, the other cold, or a defroster that won’t clear the windshield — is usually a blend door actuator rather than anything to do with refrigerant.
Do you work with the newer refrigerant?
Give us a call with your year, make and model. Newer vehicles use R-1234yf and older ones use R-134a; they need separate equipment and can’t be mixed. We’ll confirm on the phone what your vehicle takes and whether we can service it before you book.
How long does A/C work take?
Testing and diagnosis is usually the same day. A recharge on a system that holds is quick. Repairs vary enormously — an O-ring or a blower resistor is short work, a condenser is a half-day, an evaporator is a big job. We’ll tell you which one you’re looking at once we know where the leak is.
Related services
Blowing warm again?
Book it in before the hot weather arrives and every shop in the city has a two-week wait for A/C work.