Marcello

My mechanic says "don't do it"! Dealer service department says "never do it"! I've got to believe that todays products work great. So here is the question: Can I purchase R134a refrigerant that meets the specs for my 2002 CLK55 AMG without destroying the A/C system. They're telling me that I have to add PAG oil and its not a DIY job. Thanks!

Plutoe

Never follow the advice of professionals----they tend to be brash, greedy, live in big homes, make tons of money, plus they always think that they must get paid for the work they do--WTF


Now you and I, the cheap B on earth won't stand for that-----go for it and FU your AC system---wada they know, but remember that if you use a can of R134a it has the PAG oil included, but if you overfill the system---you will be back whining!!

prostock

I just did mine this past weekend. No big deal.

Marcello

prostock...what did you use?

prostock

Mine was completely discharged since the car was wrecked in the front. I put in a new condenser, and receiver/dryer, and two cans of R143a. No big deal.

I would ask those shops what they are doing that's so special. I bet they don't have an answer for you.

cindyclk

Be sure to check the A/C codes (do search on how to access them). If there is a fault code, the system will not turn on and you'll think that your compressor is gone. Once the fault code is clear, you'll have cool air.

Marcello

No fault codes that I know of as I just had the car in the shop. They re-programmed the control panel as it was replaced. They tell me that it appears that I need to add r134a to the system and it may well work fine. They (my mechanic) just put a new conductor plate in and did the transmission service, new brakes front and rear, new tires all the way around, new battery and a b service. I'm all in and just can't afford to have them do the ac service.

cindyclk

not sure what they actually re-programmed...try this...

If you don’t know how to get the diagnostic codes
Turn the ignition on, which starts a 20 second timer.
Increase the left side temperature (left red arrow) until left side says “HI” and decrease the right side temperature (right cold arrow) until right side says “LO.” If 20 seconds has passed, switch off the ignition and switch it back on. Your HI/LO settings will be preset. The timer will restart.
Press and hold the “EC” and “REST” buttons simultaneously for at least five seconds.
The screen will go blank. At this point you can forget about the 20 second timer because you are now in diagnostic mode.

Load the first code by pressing the right side “AUTO” button.

If you have any error codes in memory, the screen will show them. On the screen, ‘E’ stands for “error.” If you’ve never done this before, every code the system has logged since it was last cleared will still be present – whether the problem has been repaired or not. You should write down each error code. To list each of the codes, just press the right side “AUTO” button. After writing them all down, I would clear the codes, turn the car off and on, use the AC and see if any codes come back. If they do, the code points to a problem. To clear the codes, press both AUTO� switches simultaneously for more than 5 seconds while in diagnostic mode. When the codes are cleared you will see display change to "d and FF". After you turn the ignition switch off, all the codes will be erased.

A1EK

I have the older dial autoclimate and from reading the issues that seem to arise from the digitial control type I am so glad of having this basic type, as it simply works.
I have topped up my own car with the gas you can buy on ebay, only done this twice in 8 years and works perfect. Half the cost of the garage and so simple to do.

Chadzu

Ac systems are not "black arts" pretty simple really. Yes they need oil, yes they need refrigerant. The newer variable displacement systems need to be filled by weight, not by pressure.
This is not a recommendation, but I have been running "dust off" as the refrigerant in my '01 for two years. It works great.

cindyclk

I agree (black art) that if you need some refrigerant, top it off. In modern MB systems, If you go too low, the computer will detect it and shut down the compressor so that it does not burn out. It will not go until you clear the error code. You can't just refill an empty system and expect it to work.

prostock

That's exactly what I did. And it works.