Airco specialists (X5M)

pvr

pvr

Dutch
 Ruler of the South East UK
The airco stopped working late summer last year on the X5M. Got to the dealer, no leak found after an hour diagnosis, and refilled and worked for the rest of the summer..

April this year, first time use of airco, nothing. Back to BMW who had it for another 3 hours but still can't find a leak. I didn't pay for these 3 hours as they are now ordering new equipment but I actually have lost faith that they can solve it.

Does anyone know of a good company that can sort the airco? I know that BMW will start throwing parts at it (at M prices) and I am not interested as for the cost of each part I can refill the system every year if need be.
 
If they can't find traces of UV dye leaking out, it probably means it's the evaporator leaking behind the dash which I imagine is no small job to get at. There used to be various man-with-van mobile specialists years ago but, when looking recently, they don't seem to exist any more round my way. It's a bit moot who to use as they all just plug it into an automated machine that won't allow the system to be refilled unless it can draw and hold a vacuum for a while. But it would be good to find someone who properly understands these things and can actually think (rare in this day and age.)

I suppose the person to tempt down the A11 with a trail of biscuits is Pondy. Perhaps we could trap him in a cage and make him the forum aircon gimp?
 
If it is something complex to reach like that, I would be way better off just refilling it every year.

Pondy is not a bad shout actually, not sure if he is into car airco systems at all. Perhaps he can advice on a DIY airco refill method so I just keep the system at home and fill up when required.

Earth to Pondy ...?
 
Excellent, watched part of it and will watch the rest a bit later. But that is exactly what I would be looking to do,
 
It is far yes, but that is exactly the type of company I was looking for. When I google around here anything that comes up are just general garages, which I don’t want.
 
pvr said:
Excellent, watched part of it and will watch the rest a bit later. But that is exactly what I would be looking to do,
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Don't!
That 'refrigerant' sold on eBay and the like is NOT the real mcCoy. It is a blend of chemicals to 'replicate' R134a (or whatever refrigerant number it is).
Secondly, you would have no idea how much to put in anyway. A/C systems on cars are 'critically charged', so refrigerant needs to be weighed in from a vacuum to the gram. You can't pull a vacuum without knowing what you are doing and having the equipment.
The general public CANNOT buy proper refrigerant in the UK. It is against the law to sell it and it is against the law to use it unless you have the right qualifications. All 'proper' refrigerant is tightly controlled these days. (cos it kills the Polar Bears apparently).

Trying to 'DIY' the refrigerant side of air conditioning is a recipe for disaster and very large bills.
 
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pvr said:
The airco stopped working late summer last year on the X5M. Got to the dealer, no leak found after an hour diagnosis, and refilled and worked for the rest of the summer..

April this year, first time use of airco, nothing.
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That could be your issue right there!
If a car's A/C isn't used regularly (it will even say it in the owner's manual), the neoprene seal around the compressor clutch spindle can dry out and shrink slightly. When it shrinks it leaks refrigerant. Then when used again, it is lubricated by oil in the refrigerant, swells and seals again.

It only needs to shrink by a tiny amount to leak and can re-seal itself just by heat swelling.

I spent many hours looking for non-existent leaks on car A/C many years ago until I found out about the above.
 
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My system has tiny leak that BMW "specialist “couldn't locate after two hours. I was losing cold air after 6 months.
My Z4 was regassed with a leak sealant last week by Refrigerant specialist /aircon guy. 50/50 chance of this sealing. He told me there are cheap replaceable O rings in the unions from compressor to interior and condenser. That will be my next job to unbolt and replace them if I lose cooling again.

YOU MUST HAVE SYSTEM DEPRESSURISED FIRST. IT IS 200PSI AND BAD FOR YOU AND ENVIRONMENT.
 
pvr said:
It is far yes, but that is exactly the type of company I was looking for. When I google around here anything that comes up are just general garages, which I don’t want.
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I could have done it for you but....
A. I live 3 hours away
B. I don't have the equipment anymore, as I haven't got my hands dirty for over a decade. I 'hung up my gauges' and gave away all of my equipment to an ex-employee of mine. Yes....I am extremely generous.

Your best bet is to find a local commercial A/C company and ask if they will work on cars. Many won't because garages have taken the business away from them and won't have the skills, but you should be able to find an old fashioned company who has at least one engineer who knows about car A/C.
 
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I was all happy until you responded Pondy :rofl:

Guilty as charged, however the Porsche is coming up 12 years old and the airco still works fine, even though the car is only used a handful times during the year with the airco …
 
MikeyH said:
Is it legal to DIY it?
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Nope.
But those 'fake' refrigerants get around the law by not (supposedly) containing any greenhouse chemicals.

Strictly speaking it is against the law to touch any part of the refrigeration circuit unless you have a valid F-Gas qualification.
 
Pondy said:
I could have done it for you but....
A. I live 3 hours away
B. I don't have the equipment anymore, as I haven't got my hands dirty for over a decade. I 'hung up my gauges' and gave away all of my equipment to an ex-employee of mine. Yes....I am extremely generous.

Your best bet is to find a local commercial A/C company and ask if they will work on cars. Many won't because garages have taken the business away from them and won't have the skills, but you should be able to find an old fashioned company who has at least one engineer who knows about car A/C.
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A: it is an X5M so make that 2 hours 😁
B: That is a bigger issue
 
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pvr said:
Guilty as charged, however the Porsche is coming up 12 years old and the airco still works fine, even though the car is only used a handful times during the year with the airco …
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They don't ALL leak when not used. But they can.
 
pvr said:
A: it is an X5M so make that 2 hours 😁
B: That is a bigger issue
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I don't even know anyone near Crawley TBH. I know a couple of guys who are west of London but I won't recommend them cos they are pretty useless at everything (a common theme in my industry these days).
 
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