Re-gassing your vehicle, without first having the leak repaired, is merely a temporary fix. Hence, it is CoolCar’s policy to accurately diagnose the vehicle and repair the fault, before we re-gas it. Modern-day vehicles are designed like a vacuum, in order to cycle the same refrigerant over and over, until a fault or leak occurs so that harmful refrigerant cannot enter the environment.

If your vehicle’s air-conditioning system is faulty, and you suspect that it is low on refrigerant, or requiring a ‘top-up,’ many mechanics will offer a re-gas as a ‘cure-all’ for AC faults, as air-conditioning repairs can be a strenuous process. However, our process is to identify then resolve the fault instead of merely re-gassing your car as a temporary solution, as the gas will eventually leak out again. If we don’t find and fix the fault, you could end up with expensive long-term damage to your vehicle’s air-conditioning system.

The substance used to make the refrigerant that circulates your vehicle’s AC system is a synthetic compound called hydrofluorocarbons. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are controlled substances primarily due to their potent impact on climate change – they are considered greenhouse gasses. In an attempt to mitigate the environmental impact of HFCs and encourage the adoption of ethical AC repair practices, and alternative more environmentally friendly refrigerants, the New Zealand government introduced the Climate Change Response Act in 2013, to combat climate change.

You can read the full report issued by the Environmental Protection Authority (Te Mana Rauhi Taiao) regarding the illegality of releasing synthetic greenhouse gasses into the environment, HERE.