Car AC repair
A car air conditioner that is not cold has a reason, and the reason is almost never "it needs gas". Gas does not get used up — if it is low, it left through a leak, and refilling without finding that leak buys you a few weeks. We pressure-test the system first, find where it is losing refrigerant, and price the repair before we touch it.
Start here
- 1Describe what the car is doing, in your words
- 2We investigate it and send you the findings and the price
- 3You approve each line before anything is done
1
Sounds like your car?
Find the line closest to what your car is doing. You do not need the name of the job — the symptom is carried into the booking form with it, and every line below starts at the same place: what we check, and how the work is done.
- 1 The AC blows but it is not cold
- 2 It is cold when moving and warm in traffic
- 3 It was cold last summer and is not this summer
- 4 There is a smell when I turn it on
- 5 The air is weak even on full fan
- 6 It cools on one side only
- 7 There is water on the passenger floor
- 8 I can hear a click or rattle when the AC is on
2
What is included
- 2.1Vent temperature checked at the centre outlet against the ambient temperature, before the work and again after it
- 2.2System pressure test on both high and low side
- 2.3Leak trace using UV dye or nitrogen, so the leaking component is named before a single part is ordered
- 2.4Compressor clutch engagement and drive belt check
- 2.5Condenser and radiator fan operation check
- 2.6Cabin filter inspection
- 2.7Evacuate, vacuum-hold test and recharge to the manufacturer weight
This work is done in this workshop, and nothing on your car is touched until you know what we found and what it costs.
3
What happens
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3.1
We measure before we guess
Vent temperature and both system pressures are checked with the engine at temperature. Together they narrow the fault to a short list before anything is dismantled.
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3.2
We find the leak before we quote
If the system is low, it is leaking. We trace it and tell you which component it is — condenser, hose, o-ring, compressor seal or evaporator — and what that specific repair costs, so the job you approve is the one the car actually needs rather than another refill.
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3.3
You approve the price, line by line
Parts and labour are quoted separately. You approve each line before we start. Nothing is fitted that you have not agreed to.
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3.4
The car proves it, not us
The vent is checked again at the end, in the same conditions as the first check, before the car is handed back. Cold is something you feel at the vent on the way out, not something a workshop tells you it achieved.
4
Common questions
Why does my AC need gas every year?
It does not. Refrigerant is sealed and is not consumed by use. An annual top-up means an annual leak. It is usually small — a condenser that has corroded, a hardened o-ring, or a hose fitting — and it is usually cheaper to fix once than to refill every summer.
How cold should it actually be?
On a 40 °C Sharjah afternoon, a healthy system reaching roughly 8–12 °C at the centre vent after ten minutes of driving is normal. A system blowing 20 °C has a fault worth finding. We record the actual figure for your car rather than quoting a target.
Can you tell me the cost over the phone?
Not honestly. The same symptom can be a 30-dirham o-ring or a compressor. We can tell you what the diagnosis costs and what it covers, and that figure comes off the repair if you go ahead with us.
Do you work on hybrid and electric car AC?
Hybrid and electric vehicles often use an electrically driven compressor with a specific non-conductive oil, and servicing it wrongly damages it. Ask us about your exact model before booking — if we are not equipped for yours we will say so rather than attempt it.
Related services
Work that is often quoted alongside this, each with its own page.