So my CX-5 is 10 years old, and so far, the AC is working well and has never been touched. Was wondering if having the system evacuated and refilled would be a good idea? Or do nothing until problems occur?
Auto A/C preventative maintenance?
- Thread starter Tempest1
- Start date
Absolutely NOT! Any breach of the sealed non-leaking, fully functioning system is risking trouble. The only maintenance is to exercise the system regularly year round. You should cycle the A/C once a week for 5-10 minutes even in the winter season to keep the seals and o-rings lubricated with PAG oil.
Just leave it alone unless it starts to underperform.
Don't touch the refrigerant loop unless it is leaking and need to be fixed. The most I would do is to vacuum the condenser coil of dusts and unclog any drain to avoid mold growing.
Check the cabin air filter too. I suggest once a year in normal conditions and every six months in dusty conditions. My 4Runner cabin air filters last about 18-24 months with one vehicle in a carport and the other not.
I wouldn't touch the Schrader valves if you can avoid it
Washing the condenser with coil cleaner, using an evaporator refresh kit, cleaning out the cowl and replacing the cabin air filter are all good ways to pick up some performance without touching the charge
Washing the condenser with coil cleaner, using an evaporator refresh kit, cleaning out the cowl and replacing the cabin air filter are all good ways to pick up some performance without touching the charge
Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to check the pressures, but it’s not really worth the risk of a shredder valve leaking afterwards.
Plus, the tech quality is worse than ever, so chances of a sub-par job or a screw up are very high.
And since the car is old, they will easily blame the age and start charging you even more to fix something they broke.
Plus, the tech quality is worse than ever, so chances of a sub-par job or a screw up are very high.
And since the car is old, they will easily blame the age and start charging you even more to fix something they broke.
In my vehicles, I have an AC temp gage in one of the vents. That way I don’t have to guess on how the system is doing. Sometimes it’s subjective. If my AC puts out at 40-50 degrees F when the outside temp is around 90 F, I don’t worry about it.
Do nothing. You currently have a proper functioning leak free system. You can check performance by putting a thermometer in the vent. Hooking gauges to it wont tell you anything about the charge because the expansion valve is self adjusting based on temperatures. Also some cars use variable compressors making gauges worthless for charge checking. Wait until performance drops off then have a fresh charge weighed in after any leaks are fixed.
