HI
Has anybody used one of the 'diy' aircon / leak-sealing kits?
Typically (eBay) they come with a filling hose / gauge arrangement, a
canister of leak sealer and a canister of approved aircon gas.

Like this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-...item5679e2b69c

The aircon on my '05 Pug 307sw was recharged in spring of this year, and
slowly lost pressure over about 6 months.
I've a small local independent garage that supplied the car s/h, and do
all of the servicing etc on it, but they don't do aircon.

The larger garage in the next town regassed the car earlier this year
(130 euro or so) - but muttered along the lines of 'cost more than the
car's worth to get the leak fixed...' - and denied that there was such a
thing as aircon leak sealant.

FWIW - they also sell new cars g - and that may be 'colouring' their
advice... perhaps...?

Any experience out there, please - before I spend £60 on a diy leak-seal
/ re-gassing kit?
TIA
Adrian

On 09/10/2016 16:50, Adrian Brentnall wrote:

The larger garage in the next town regassed the car earlier this year
(130 euro or so)

130 Euro seems expensive. I paid a 'standard' price of £55 inc VAT for a
complete re-gas this year. Some of the national chains were offering
prices of £15 below this at the time but I preferred somewhere that was
recommended. The car hadn't been re-gassed for at least 10 years and as
a matter of routine for older cars a leak dye was included in the price.
They said it saved a lot of time fault finding if the car came back a
few weeks later with a reduced performance AC.

The process took about an hour and I got a print out of the weight of
gas before and after the re-gas.

I did consider the DIY approach but on reading up on the NET it was
claimed that the can/gauge method didn't work with my car - no-one gave
a good reason why not. It may be worth you reading up in the groups for
your car to see if it is possible.

If you have a leak you may have moisture in your system which needs to
be dried out before degassing. I believe the automatic machines used
for re-gassing routinely perform this function.
--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 09/10/2016 17:41, alan_m wrote:
On 09/10/2016 16:50, Adrian Brentnall wrote:

The larger garage in the next town regassed the car earlier this year
(130 euro or so)

130 Euro seems expensive. I paid a 'standard' price of £55 inc VAT for a
complete re-gas this year. Some of the national chains were offering
prices of £15 below this at the time but I preferred somewhere that was
recommended.

The garage is a Honda dealership - they seem to be the only people doing
a/c locally - which is probably why it's expensive!

The car hadn't been re-gassed for at least 10 years and as
a matter of routine for older cars a leak dye was included in the price.
They said it saved a lot of time fault finding if the car came back a
few weeks later with a reduced performance AC.

Yes - they put a dye in when they regassed mine. Haven't had a look
under the bonnet with the UV lamp - guess I should do that...


The process took about an hour and I got a print out of the weight of
gas before and after the re-gas.

Not that sophisticated down here in the rural south-west of Ireland!


I did consider the DIY approach but on reading up on the NET it was
claimed that the can/gauge method didn't work with my car - no-one gave
a good reason why not. It may be worth you reading up in the groups for
your car to see if it is possible.

I did look in the Pug forums - but didn't seem to find much.
The folks on ebay offer some tech support - might contact them.
Don't think the gas is completely gone, yet - but can't check at the
moment 'cos the heater fan's broken and the a/c doesn't run unless the
fan's working.


If you have a leak you may have moisture in your system which needs to
be dried out before degassing. I believe the automatic machines used
for re-gassing routinely perform this function.

Didn't know about that. Hopefully it's not completely out of gas...
Thanks
Adrian

In article ,
Adrian Brentnall writes:
On 09/10/2016 17:41, alan_m wrote:
On 09/10/2016 16:50, Adrian Brentnall wrote:

The larger garage in the next town regassed the car earlier this year
(130 euro or so)

130 Euro seems expensive. I paid a 'standard' price of £55 inc VAT for a
complete re-gas this year. Some of the national chains were offering
prices of £15 below this at the time but I preferred somewhere that was
recommended.

The garage is a Honda dealership - they seem to be the only people doing
a/c locally - which is probably why it's expensive!

The car hadn't been re-gassed for at least 10 years and as
a matter of routine for older cars a leak dye was included in the price.
They said it saved a lot of time fault finding if the car came back a
few weeks later with a reduced performance AC.

Yes - they put a dye in when they regassed mine. Haven't had a look
under the bonnet with the UV lamp - guess I should do that...


The process took about an hour and I got a print out of the weight of
gas before and after the re-gas.

Not that sophisticated down here in the rural south-west of Ireland!


I did consider the DIY approach but on reading up on the NET it was
claimed that the can/gauge method didn't work with my car - no-one gave
a good reason why not. It may be worth you reading up in the groups for
your car to see if it is possible.

I did look in the Pug forums - but didn't seem to find much.
The folks on ebay offer some tech support - might contact them.
Don't think the gas is completely gone, yet - but can't check at the
moment 'cos the heater fan's broken and the a/c doesn't run unless the
fan's working.


If you have a leak you may have moisture in your system which needs to
be dried out before degassing. I believe the automatic machines used
for re-gassing routinely perform this function.

Didn't know about that. Hopefully it's not completely out of gas...

Watched mine being regassed after the split condensor had been replaced.
This whole process is automated so the folks in the garage can't get it
wrong. For drying, it sucked down to a vacuum for at least 20 mins (I
don't know how long it had been at this stage before I arrived), and
then stopped sucking but made sure the vacuum held for another 20 mins.
Then it fills with a measured quantity of lubricant and refrigerant.
Dye is only added if there's thought to be an unfixed leak, which there
wasn't in this case (although had been done a year before). Finally,
the engine is started and the aircon switched on, and it checks the
high and low pressure sides are running at correct pressures.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On 09/10/16 17:41, alan_m wrote:
On 09/10/2016 16:50, Adrian Brentnall wrote:

The larger garage in the next town regassed the car earlier this year
(130 euro or so)

130 Euro seems expensive. I paid a 'standard' price of £55 inc VAT for a
complete re-gas this year. Some of the national chains were offering
prices of £15 below this at the time but I preferred somewhere that was
recommended. The car hadn't been re-gassed for at least 10 years and as
a matter of routine for older cars a leak dye was included in the price.
They said it saved a lot of time fault finding if the car came back a
few weeks later with a reduced performance AC.

The process took about an hour and I got a print out of the weight of
gas before and after the re-gas.

I did consider the DIY approach but on reading up on the NET it was
claimed that the can/gauge method didn't work with my car - no-one gave
a good reason why not. It may be worth you reading up in the groups for
your car to see if it is possible.

If you have a leak you may have moisture in your system which needs to
be dried out before degassing. I believe the automatic machines used
for re-gassing routinely perform this function.

I've never had to 're gas' a car's Aircon. Even our Espace, which we
kept for 13 years, didn't need it and the Aircon was excellent when we
sold it. My Honda CRV is over 10 year old and the Aircon is still
excellent. (In general we buy new and keep cars a long time.) I think
the 'trick' with Aircon is to ensure you use it regularly, even in the
winter (it is great to 'demist' the windscreen, put the A/C on and the
heater, the A/C removes the moisture from the air, the heater warms the
air so it is more effective in 'carrying' the water vapour.)

One car, a Kia, the compressor 'died', I suspect due to my wife not
using the A/C with the heater in the winter on her short drive to the
station.

As for these 'self sealing kits', I would be 'dubious'. Presumably they
have some king of 'gunge' which is initially fluid but changes state
when it 'finds' a gap. The question is, how does it know the gap should
be sealed? There must be intentional small channels etc. in the system
which you shouldn't seal. Plus, what how does it seal effectively under
pressure?

All in all, like those emergency puncture repair kits, I would say avoid
them and do the job properly.

On Sunday, 9 October 2016 18:43:35 UTC+1, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
Adrian Brentnall writes:
On 09/10/2016 17:41, alan_m wrote:
On 09/10/2016 16:50, Adrian Brentnall wrote:

The larger garage in the next town regassed the car earlier this year
(130 euro or so)

130 Euro seems expensive. I paid a 'standard' price of £55 inc VAT for a
complete re-gas this year. Some of the national chains were offering
prices of £15 below this at the time but I preferred somewhere that was
recommended.

The garage is a Honda dealership - they seem to be the only people doing
a/c locally - which is probably why it's expensive!

The car hadn't been re-gassed for at least 10 years and as
a matter of routine for older cars a leak dye was included in the price.
They said it saved a lot of time fault finding if the car came back a
few weeks later with a reduced performance AC.

Yes - they put a dye in when they regassed mine. Haven't had a look
under the bonnet with the UV lamp - guess I should do that...


The process took about an hour and I got a print out of the weight of
gas before and after the re-gas.

Not that sophisticated down here in the rural south-west of Ireland!


I did consider the DIY approach but on reading up on the NET it was
claimed that the can/gauge method didn't work with my car - no-one gave
a good reason why not. It may be worth you reading up in the groups for
your car to see if it is possible.

I did look in the Pug forums - but didn't seem to find much.
The folks on ebay offer some tech support - might contact them.
Don't think the gas is completely gone, yet - but can't check at the
moment 'cos the heater fan's broken and the a/c doesn't run unless the
fan's working.


If you have a leak you may have moisture in your system which needs to
be dried out before degassing. I believe the automatic machines used
for re-gassing routinely perform this function.

Didn't know about that. Hopefully it's not completely out of gas...

Watched mine being regassed after the split condensor had been replaced.
This whole process is automated so the folks in the garage can't get it
wrong. For drying, it sucked down to a vacuum for at least 20 mins (I
don't know how long it had been at this stage before I arrived), and
then stopped sucking but made sure the vacuum held for another 20 mins.
Then it fills with a measured quantity of lubricant and refrigerant.
Dye is only added if there's thought to be an unfixed leak, which there
wasn't in this case (although had been done a year before). Finally,
the engine is started and the aircon switched on, and it checks the
high and low pressure sides are running at correct pressures.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

That all sounds like Adrian's favourite Honda Franchise sell a lot of tyres with their MoTs. Did the family that owns it used to deal in horses back in the day?

I wouldn't be considering any Hondas in the future if I was him and I'd take long Sunday drives in the country looking for alternatives while the weather is good.

Brian Reay explained on 09/10/2016 :
On 09/10/16 17:41, alan_m wrote:
On 09/10/2016 16:50, Adrian Brentnall wrote:

The larger garage in the next town regassed the car earlier this year
(130 euro or so)

130 Euro seems expensive. I paid a 'standard' price of £55 inc VAT for a
complete re-gas this year. Some of the national chains were offering
prices of £15 below this at the time but I preferred somewhere that was
recommended. The car hadn't been re-gassed for at least 10 years and as
a matter of routine for older cars a leak dye was included in the price.
They said it saved a lot of time fault finding if the car came back a
few weeks later with a reduced performance AC.

The process took about an hour and I got a print out of the weight of
gas before and after the re-gas.

I did consider the DIY approach but on reading up on the NET it was
claimed that the can/gauge method didn't work with my car - no-one gave
a good reason why not. It may be worth you reading up in the groups for
your car to see if it is possible.

If you have a leak you may have moisture in your system which needs to
be dried out before degassing. I believe the automatic machines used
for re-gassing routinely perform this function.

All in all, like those emergency puncture repair kits, I would say avoid them
and do the job properly.

There's nothing wrong with those emergency puncture repair kits as long
as they're used as intended, ie, in an emergency. Lots of cars come out
of the factory these days without a spare wheel. Then there's people
like me who have had their cars converted to run on LPG and the LPG
tank sits where the spare wheel used to and we don't carry a spare
anymore. Small punctures are dealt with very effectively by the can of
goo, whereas anything more serious, like a split sidewall for instance,
necessitates a call to the breakdown people.

On 09/10/2016 20:19, Brian Reay wrote:
On 09/10/16 17:41, alan_m wrote:
On 09/10/2016 16:50, Adrian Brentnall wrote:

The larger garage in the next town regassed the car earlier this year
(130 euro or so)

130 Euro seems expensive. I paid a 'standard' price of £55 inc VAT for a
complete re-gas this year. Some of the national chains were offering
prices of £15 below this at the time but I preferred somewhere that was
recommended. The car hadn't been re-gassed for at least 10 years and as
a matter of routine for older cars a leak dye was included in the price.
They said it saved a lot of time fault finding if the car came back a
few weeks later with a reduced performance AC.

The process took about an hour and I got a print out of the weight of
gas before and after the re-gas.

I did consider the DIY approach but on reading up on the NET it was
claimed that the can/gauge method didn't work with my car - no-one gave
a good reason why not. It may be worth you reading up in the groups for
your car to see if it is possible.

If you have a leak you may have moisture in your system which needs to
be dried out before degassing. I believe the automatic machines used
for re-gassing routinely perform this function.

I've never had to 're gas' a car's Aircon. Even our Espace, which we
kept for 13 years, didn't need it and the Aircon was excellent when we
sold it. My Honda CRV is over 10 year old and the Aircon is still
excellent. (In general we buy new and keep cars a long time.) I think
the 'trick' with Aircon is to ensure you use it regularly, even in the
winter (it is great to 'demist' the windscreen, put the A/C on and the
heater, the A/C removes the moisture from the air, the heater warms the
air so it is more effective in 'carrying' the water vapour.)

A long time ago I had a Rover 827 with aircon. Lost its gas, was
refilled, and ran the aircon perfectly (until everything else went wrong
and I sold the car to the garage that had been maintaining it!)


One car, a Kia, the compressor 'died', I suspect due to my wife not
using the A/C with the heater in the winter on her short drive to the
station.

As for these 'self sealing kits', I would be 'dubious'. Presumably they
have some king of 'gunge' which is initially fluid but changes state
when it 'finds' a gap. The question is, how does it know the gap should
be sealed? There must be intentional small channels etc. in the system
which you shouldn't seal. Plus, what how does it seal effectively under
pressure?

All understood - in fact I've been leaving the aircon running more or
less full-time since it was regassed in the spring. Can only be a small
leakage, I'd think - but it's not my specialist subject.


All in all, like those emergency puncture repair kits, I would say avoid
them and do the job properly.

As I say - the local garage weren't very encouraging.
There's a mobile aircon specialist closer to Cork city, dropped them an
enquiry via their website last week - but they've not got back to me
yet. Might try phoning them..

So - nobody's actually used one of these 'leak seal / regassing kits then?

Thanks
Adrian

On 09/10/2016 21:11, Steve wrote:
Brian Reay explained on 09/10/2016 :
On 09/10/16 17:41, alan_m wrote:
On 09/10/2016 16:50, Adrian Brentnall wrote:

The larger garage in the next town regassed the car earlier this year
(130 euro or so)

130 Euro seems expensive. I paid a 'standard' price of £55 inc VAT for a
complete re-gas this year. Some of the national chains were offering
prices of £15 below this at the time but I preferred somewhere that was
recommended. The car hadn't been re-gassed for at least 10 years and as
a matter of routine for older cars a leak dye was included in the price.
They said it saved a lot of time fault finding if the car came back a
few weeks later with a reduced performance AC.

The process took about an hour and I got a print out of the weight of
gas before and after the re-gas.

I did consider the DIY approach but on reading up on the NET it was
claimed that the can/gauge method didn't work with my car - no-one gave
a good reason why not. It may be worth you reading up in the groups for
your car to see if it is possible.

If you have a leak you may have moisture in your system which needs to
be dried out before degassing. I believe the automatic machines used
for re-gassing routinely perform this function.

All in all, like those emergency puncture repair kits, I would say
avoid them and do the job properly.

There's nothing wrong with those emergency puncture repair kits as long
as they're used as intended, ie, in an emergency. Lots of cars come out
of the factory these days without a spare wheel. Then there's people
like me who have had their cars converted to run on LPG and the LPG tank
sits where the spare wheel used to and we don't carry a spare anymore.
Small punctures are dealt with very effectively by the can of goo,
whereas anything more serious, like a split sidewall for instance,
necessitates a call to the breakdown people.


Have you ever had a puncture successfully repaired after having used one
of this kits? The concern is removing the gunge to ensure the repair can
be done properly.

How do you check the temp. repair isn't in a side wall or other area it
isn't safe to 'patch'? Even a proper 'patch' (really a plug / patch) can
only be applied in a limited are of the tread.

How do you know the damage isn't more serious than just a leak? Just
because there isn't a big hole doesn't mean the structure of the tyre
isn't damaged?

As much as I dislike 'space saver' wheels, I've rather carry one of
those than a gunge kit. We tow a car behind our motorhome which normally
comes with a gunge kit. The first 'extra' we ordered was a spare, space
saver, wheel.

I certainly wouldn't use a gunge kit on the motorhome. The idea of
trusting 3.5 tonnes to some gunge, even when you take it easy, seems
fool hardy- especially as the tyres can be inflated to 80psi. Yet some
motorhomes (not ours) don't come with spare wheels, only a gunge kit.

In article , Brian Reay writes
On 09/10/16 17:41, alan_m wrote:
On 09/10/2016 16:50, Adrian Brentnall wrote:

The larger garage in the next town regassed the car earlier this year
(130 euro or so)

130 Euro seems expensive. I paid a 'standard' price of £55 inc VAT for a
complete re-gas this year. Some of the national chains were offering
prices of £15 below this at the time but I preferred somewhere that was
recommended. The car hadn't been re-gassed for at least 10 years and as
a matter of routine for older cars a leak dye was included in the price.
They said it saved a lot of time fault finding if the car came back a
few weeks later with a reduced performance AC.

The process took about an hour and I got a print out of the weight of
gas before and after the re-gas.

I did consider the DIY approach but on reading up on the NET it was
claimed that the can/gauge method didn't work with my car - no-one gave
a good reason why not. It may be worth you reading up in the groups for
your car to see if it is possible.

If you have a leak you may have moisture in your system which needs to
be dried out before degassing. I believe the automatic machines used
for re-gassing routinely perform this function.

I've never had to 're gas' a car's Aircon. Even our Espace, which we
kept for 13 years, didn't need it and the Aircon was excellent when we
sold it. My Honda CRV is over 10 year old and the Aircon is still
excellent. (In general we buy new and keep cars a long time.) I think
the 'trick' with Aircon is to ensure you use it regularly, even in the
winter (it is great to 'demist' the windscreen, put the A/C on and the
heater, the A/C removes the moisture from the air, the heater warms
the air so it is more effective in 'carrying' the water vapour.)

One car, a Kia, the compressor 'died', I suspect due to my wife not
using the A/C with the heater in the winter on her short drive to the
station.

Use it or lose it as my air-con specialist says.
As for these 'self sealing kits', I would be 'dubious'. Presumably they
have some king of 'gunge' which is initially fluid but changes state
when it 'finds' a gap. The question is, how does it know the gap should
be sealed? There must be intentional small channels etc. in the system
which you shouldn't seal. Plus, what how does it seal effectively under
pressure?

All in all, like those emergency puncture repair kits, I would say
avoid them and do the job properly.








--
bert

In article , Andrew Gabriel
writes
In article ,
Adrian Brentnall writes:
On 09/10/2016 17:41, alan_m wrote:
On 09/10/2016 16:50, Adrian Brentnall wrote:

The larger garage in the next town regassed the car earlier this year
(130 euro or so)

130 Euro seems expensive. I paid a 'standard' price of £55 inc VAT for a
complete re-gas this year. Some of the national chains were offering
prices of £15 below this at the time but I preferred somewhere that was
recommended.

The garage is a Honda dealership - they seem to be the only people doing
a/c locally - which is probably why it's expensive!

The car hadn't been re-gassed for at least 10 years and as
a matter of routine for older cars a leak dye was included in the price.
They said it saved a lot of time fault finding if the car came back a
few weeks later with a reduced performance AC.

Yes - they put a dye in when they regassed mine. Haven't had a look
under the bonnet with the UV lamp - guess I should do that...


The process took about an hour and I got a print out of the weight of
gas before and after the re-gas.

Not that sophisticated down here in the rural south-west of Ireland!


I did consider the DIY approach but on reading up on the NET it was
claimed that the can/gauge method didn't work with my car - no-one gave
a good reason why not. It may be worth you reading up in the groups for
your car to see if it is possible.

I did look in the Pug forums - but didn't seem to find much.
The folks on ebay offer some tech support - might contact them.
Don't think the gas is completely gone, yet - but can't check at the
moment 'cos the heater fan's broken and the a/c doesn't run unless the
fan's working.


If you have a leak you may have moisture in your system which needs to
be dried out before degassing. I believe the automatic machines used
for re-gassing routinely perform this function.

Didn't know about that. Hopefully it's not completely out of gas...

Watched mine being regassed after the split condensor had been replaced.
This whole process is automated so the folks in the garage can't get it
wrong. For drying, it sucked down to a vacuum for at least 20 mins (I
don't know how long it had been at this stage before I arrived), and
then stopped sucking but made sure the vacuum held for another 20 mins.
Then it fills with a measured quantity of lubricant and refrigerant.
Dye is only added if there's thought to be an unfixed leak, which there
wasn't in this case (although had been done a year before). Finally,
the engine is started and the aircon switched on, and it checks the
high and low pressure sides are running at correct pressures.

Do all aircon manufacturers specify the same lubricant?
--
bert

On Sun, 09 Oct 2016 21:22:00 +0100, Adrian Brentnall wrote:

On 09/10/2016 20:19, Brian Reay wrote:
On 09/10/16 17:41, alan_m wrote:
On 09/10/2016 16:50, Adrian Brentnall wrote:

The larger garage in the next town regassed the car earlier this year
(130 euro or so)

130 Euro seems expensive. I paid a 'standard' price of £55 inc VAT for
a complete re-gas this year. Some of the national chains were offering
prices of £15 below this at the time but I preferred somewhere that
was recommended. The car hadn't been re-gassed for at least 10 years
and as a matter of routine for older cars a leak dye was included in
the price. They said it saved a lot of time fault finding if the car
came back a few weeks later with a reduced performance AC.

The process took about an hour and I got a print out of the weight of
gas before and after the re-gas.

I did consider the DIY approach but on reading up on the NET it was
claimed that the can/gauge method didn't work with my car - no-one
gave a good reason why not. It may be worth you reading up in the
groups for your car to see if it is possible.

If you have a leak you may have moisture in your system which needs to
be dried out before degassing. I believe the automatic machines used
for re-gassing routinely perform this function.

I've never had to 're gas' a car's Aircon. Even our Espace, which we
kept for 13 years, didn't need it and the Aircon was excellent when we
sold it. My Honda CRV is over 10 year old and the Aircon is still
excellent. (In general we buy new and keep cars a long time.) I think
the 'trick' with Aircon is to ensure you use it regularly, even in the
winter (it is great to 'demist' the windscreen, put the A/C on and the
heater, the A/C removes the moisture from the air, the heater warms
the air so it is more effective in 'carrying' the water vapour.)

A long time ago I had a Rover 827 with aircon. Lost its gas, was
refilled, and ran the aircon perfectly (until everything else went wrong
and I sold the car to the garage that had been maintaining it!)


One car, a Kia, the compressor 'died', I suspect due to my wife not
using the A/C with the heater in the winter on her short drive to the
station.

As for these 'self sealing kits', I would be 'dubious'. Presumably they
have some king of 'gunge' which is initially fluid but changes state
when it 'finds' a gap. The question is, how does it know the gap should
be sealed? There must be intentional small channels etc. in the system
which you shouldn't seal. Plus, what how does it seal effectively under
pressure?

All understood - in fact I've been leaving the aircon running more or
less full-time since it was regassed in the spring. Can only be a small
leakage, I'd think - but it's not my specialist subject.


All in all, like those emergency puncture repair kits, I would say
avoid them and do the job properly.

As I say - the local garage weren't very encouraging.
There's a mobile aircon specialist closer to Cork city, dropped them an
enquiry via their website last week - but they've not got back to me
yet. Might try phoning them..

So - nobody's actually used one of these 'leak seal / regassing kits
then?

Thanks Adrian

I was warned off the re-gassing kits because they are a combination of gas
and lubricating oil. When gas is slowly lost, the oil is usually not. So
if you use one of these kits you are adding extra oil and too much oil can
bugger the high pressure side (allegedly).

As detailed up stream, the correct method is to drain/suck all the old
stuff out before adding any new stuff.

Cheers


Dave R





--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

On Sunday, 9 October 2016 16:50:26 UTC+1, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
HI
Has anybody used one of the 'diy' aircon / leak-sealing kits?
Typically (eBay) they come with a filling hose / gauge arrangement, a
canister of leak sealer and a canister of approved aircon gas.

Like this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-...item5679e2b69c

The aircon on my '05 Pug 307sw was recharged in spring of this year, and
slowly lost pressure over about 6 months.
I've a small local independent garage that supplied the car s/h, and do
all of the servicing etc on it, but they don't do aircon.

The larger garage in the next town regassed the car earlier this year
(130 euro or so) - but muttered along the lines of 'cost more than the
car's worth to get the leak fixed...' - and denied that there was such a
thing as aircon leak sealant.

FWIW - they also sell new cars g - and that may be 'colouring' their
advice... perhaps...?

Any experience out there, please - before I spend £60 on a diy leak-seal
/ re-gassing kit?
TIA
Adrian

Our local Halfords regasses aircon.
Maybe cheaper there.

All auto aircon leaks.
The reason is there is a shaft from outside to inside the compressor that has a seal that always leaks a bit.
So your leak fixer won't work, the man is right.
Think on terms of regassing it yourself.
EG.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1092300