Mixed opinions on whether car ACs lose freon overtime without a leak

[pwuser150520264261]

Hi everyone, I was going through some forums on the internet trying to know whether or not car ac needs gas recharging after let's say 2 to 3 years and here's what I got, some people say ac is a closed loop and it never loses gas unless there's a leak but some say that's just in theory and in the real world even if there's no leak in the AC system still the AC gas finds it's way to slowly seep out of joints etc and ac needs gas recharging after some years
experts please share their opinions on what's true here and what's not

[usman_haider84]

Bump

[msabbasi]

My experience is based on cars I have owned for approximately 10 years per car. Honda City 1996, Honda Civic 2007, Honda Civic 2017 (owned 6 years), Kia Spectra 2003, Jaguar Sovereign 1986. None of these had ac gas recharged. There were other cars I owned for 2-4 years not listed here which also did not have ac system recharged. I hope that answers your question.

[xzap042]

It loses gas only when there's a leak. It could be a slow leak that leaks under pressure only.

I own a cultus for more than 10 years. Never had it recharged and I couldn't live without it in summers

[affanhaq94]

'finds it's way to slowly seep out of joints..."

Ummm, that would mean there's a leak.

Do you also have to recharge your home air conditione or fridge after 2 yrs?

The only way this would need to be done is if theres a leak, either due to manufacturing issues or wear and tear.

[pwuser150520264261]

They say no system is 100% leak free and also because a vehicle goes through lots of movements and expansion contraction in the engine bay regularly due to engine heat that's why it happens, whereas home air conditioners and refrigerators are stationery, I have no idea if this theory is correct or not

[affanhaq94]

I would say it's false. Or the millions of cars on the road would all need an AC service every 2 yrs or less.

[pwuser150520264261]

@Xulfiqar sir what do you have to say about this?

[pwuser150504674948]

No.
I have a 2005 Civic whose AC gas has never been recharged.

[pwuser150520264261]

Since when? and how is the cooling?

[Xulfiqar]

Car ac systems are not hermetically sealed like your home ac, the leak point is usually the pulley nose seal if it dries out.

This is why its recommended to run the ac in winters along with heater to demist windows. It keeps it pliable and prevents leak. This is why owner manual of old cars tell you to engage ac once everytime heater is run, in new cars the ac runs itself whenever demist function is selected.

Even with such leak point present, your car doesnt need “ac service” every 2 years,

[pwuser150520264261]

But the fact that there's actually a place for the gas to leak as you said the common point is the pulley nose seal, don't you think if we bring the gas level back to normal after 2 to 3 years, the cooling will be improved compared to if we keep running without topping up?

[pwuser150504674948]

The car is with me since 2005.
The AC has never been serviced and gas never recharged. The car has been driven 250000 kms.
The cooling is excellent even in 45 degrees.

[Xulfiqar]

The only way to truly put the gas back to normal level is to retrieve it, weigh it and put it back. Its not a worthy exercise unless you have quantifiable issues like frosting in the evaporator or really messed up super heat.

And if you keep using the car and its ac year round, you wont need to top up anyway. The leak happens if you stop using the ac function altogether and the nose seal dries out.

[Xulfiqar]

Add to the fact that almost 99% Pakistani ac repair shops dont know what a vacuum pump or scales (tarazoo) is or even MVAC knowhow, having such goofs “service” your ac will result in a bad system with poor performance and you will get to hear a combination of the following story words.

China ki gas
Relay pe relay lagwalo
Gaadi puranee hai
Fektary faalt hai
Sabb china ka maal hai

While completely absolving themselves of any errors and you will have a car with poor ac working after their job.

[pwuser150520264261]

Very true but then what should a normal person like me who doesn't have any technical expertise do in a situation where I own a 20 year old car which I bought 3 years ago and at that time it's Ac was working perfectly fine but now after 3 years there's noticeable drop in Ac performance? and I only have access to exactly the kind of shops and technicians you mentioned

[pwuser150520264261]

by the way do you wash the condenser sometimes?

[Xulfiqar]

As person with no tech knowledge, only hire the best of the best for any sort of repair, someone who can showcase their craft and are able to prove it against original control specifications.

Remember the above for everything you own, cars, home appliances, high voltage work, plumbing etc etc.

If you used your car ac year round and still suffered loss of refrigeration, you have an active leak which needs to be repaired. This kind of leak is not your original question concern.

Please do not try to oversimplify everything

[pwuser150504674948]

Yes.
I spray it with APC and use pressure washer to clean the fins once maybe every 6 months.

And I agree with @Xulfiqar use your AC in winter to clear mist. I do that. That way the system keeps in running condition.

[pwuser150520264261]

how much difference you feel in cooling everytime you wash the condenser?