AC Leak Detection
Also called AC gas leak checking
If your air conditioning needs gas every season, it has a leak. This service locates it rather than masking it: the system is pressure tested, then checked with an electronic sniffer or with ultraviolet dye circulated and inspected under a lamp. It is diagnostic work. It identifies the leaking hose, seal, condenser or evaporator and what the repair will involve, but the repair itself is a separate job.
Signs you need this
- AC needs regassing every few months
- Cooling fades a few weeks after a refill
- Oily residue around AC pipe joints or on the condenser face
- Compressor cycles rapidly on and off
- System will not hold vacuum during a service
Not all of these have to be present, and one of them on its own can mean something else entirely. That is what the diagnosis is for.
What the job includes
- High and low side pressure readings
- Nitrogen or vacuum hold test to confirm a leak exists
- Electronic detector sweep of hoses, joints, condenser and compressor
- Ultraviolet dye introduction where the leak is slow and hard to find
- Inspection of service ports, seals and the evaporator drain
- Report naming the leak point and the repair required
How we do it
Confirm a leak exists
Pressures are read and the system is placed under vacuum or nitrogen to prove it is losing charge.
Sweep the circuit
An electronic detector is passed slowly along hoses, fittings, the compressor shaft seal and the condenser face.
Use dye if needed
For very slow leaks, dye is added and the car is driven, then every joint is inspected under ultraviolet light.
Report the finding
You are shown the leak point and told what the repair involves before any further work is agreed.
How we work
The same on every job, which is why we can write it down.
Diagnosis before quote
We find the fault first. A price given over the phone for a noise nobody has heard is a guess.
The price is agreed first
You approve the work and the cost before a spanner is picked up. Extra work means another call.
Parts you can check
We tell you whether a part is genuine, OEM, aftermarket or used, and what each one costs.
Old parts returned
Ask and we will hand back whatever we replaced. It is the simplest proof that the job was done.
Book ac leak detection
Fill this in and a person will call you back to confirm the time and the price. Only your name and one way to reach you are required.
You send this
Takes a minute. No payment, no obligation.
We call you
To confirm the car, the time and the location.
Tell us the car and the symptom
We will arrange a mechanic at your location, or a slot at the nearest workshop. No payment until the price is agreed.