Air Conditioning Radiator Repair

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OWNER AND FLEET OPERATORS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

My aircon has never worked, I knew it didn’t when I bought the truck but it was only a minor issue and I decided to get it repaired when I could, obviously for the first few months money was very tight, and when the payment cycle kicked in, Summer was over so I decided to delay it until Spring or early Summer. So I’m looking at it as a “to do” job, probably at the six-weekly inspection due in mid-May.

The problem is that the radiator is leaking. List price for a new one is about £650, KTS have told me they will do it for £400, it’s quite a complicated thing to get to, so with four hours labour, a re-gas and other bits and bobs the whole job will be about £800.

I’m looking to see if I can get that down at all so I wonder if anyone has ever had an aircon radiator repaired? The only experience I have of radiator repair is that a friend recently had a motorcycle radiator repaired, and it was still leaking when he got it back.

If anyone has had this job done, the usual questions, did it work, how much did it cost etc?

2

Pattern part?

3

the cheapest way would be to braise the leak, then fill it yourself.
but if it’s completely rotten, then i’d go to a breakers while you’re out and about, it dosn’t have to be the same condensor as long as it fit’s.

4

i had one repaired by a shop fridge fitter he filled it up with a gas so he found the leak and then he melted a plastic/wax looking substance over the hole filled it up with the aircon gas and its been running fine for the last 12 months and i paid £50 for it to be done

5

Condensor repair is a bit of a pig ,you got to pull the rad out as the condensor is bolted to it.Dont forget to replace the drier before its regassed and make sure they put some compressor lube in as well.

Just hope you dont have a leak in the evaporator behind the dash,now that is a SOB to fix starting with removing the bloody complete dash… and then some.

If you can find the leak with dye just nip off the offending “fin” and block with araldite
then re-gas.Wll save you a few quid.

6

I’d think carefully about patch up type repairs if it’s a part that’s a lot of stripping out labour to get to.

7

windows nor working then Harry :laughing:

8

Well, we did all live without it for many years, but I do prefer having it working if it’s got it.

9

At that price would it not be worth looking at a roof top unit?

10

Harry Monk:
My aircon has never worked, I knew it didn’t when I bought the truck but it was only a minor issue and I decided to get it repaired when I could, obviously for the first few months money was very tight, and when the payment cycle kicked in, Summer was over so I decided to delay it until Spring or early Summer. So I’m looking at it as a “to do” job, probably at the six-weekly inspection due in mid-May.

The problem is that the radiator is leaking. List price for a new one is about £650, KTS have told me they will do it for £400, it’s quite a complicated thing to get to, so with four hours labour, a re-gas and other bits and bobs the whole job will be about £800.

I’m looking to see if I can get that down at all so I wonder if anyone has ever had an aircon radiator repaired? The only experience I have of radiator repair is that a friend recently had a motorcycle radiator repaired, and it was still leaking when he got it back.

If anyone has had this job done, the usual questions, did it work, how much did it cost etc?

A minor issue :question: Not at 800quid it ain’t :open_mouth:

Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn’t it :laughing: Bet you wished you’d checked out how much that minor issue was going to cost to put right and negotiated it into (or rather out of) the purchase price :cry:

In my experience heat exchanger repairs are 50/50 whether they’ll hold up or not. I used to load regularly from Alfa Laval and they did reconditioning of heat exchangers, they scrapped more than they repaired, so that may tell a story in itself :bulb:

Replacement will give you a guaranteed fix, but it will, as you know, not be cheap, so either find a used one in a breakers yard or before going down that road, speak to an A/C specialist, not a parts shop, but someone who deals with A/C day in and day out, they may have some potion that cures leaks for a few quid, or they may be able to do a cheap fix :wink:

11

newmercman:
Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn’t it :laughing: Bet you wished you’d checked out how much that minor issue was going to cost to put right and negotiated it into (or rather out of) the purchase price :cry:

I did, I paid £25,000 for a truck which would have been £32,000 from a main dealer.

newmercman:
In my experience heat exchanger repairs are 50/50 whether they’ll hold up or not. I used to load regularly from Alfa Laval and they did reconditioning of heat exchangers, they scrapped more than they repaired, so that may tell a story in itself :bulb:

Replacement will give you a guaranteed fix, but it will, as you know, not be cheap, so either find a used one in a breakers yard or before going down that road, speak to an A/C specialist, not a parts shop, but someone who deals with A/C day in and day out, they may have some potion that cures leaks for a few quid, or they may be able to do a cheap fix :wink:

Thank you.

12

Harry Monk:

newmercman:
Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn’t it :laughing: Bet you wished you’d checked out how much that minor issue was going to cost to put right and negotiated it into (or rather out of) the purchase price :cry:

I did, I paid £25,000 for a truck which would have been £32,000 from a main dealer.

Well get your hand in your pocket and get some A/C then :laughing: Those Onion Boxes have a lot of glass in them and unless you’re growing tomatoes on the dash, you’ll be needing that A/C for the two days of summer you’ll get this year :laughing:

13

Yeah, it gets hot in Cullompton waiting for a load! :laughing:

14

All tax deductible anyway

15

kr79:
All tax deductible anyway

I know a fridge fitter in Faversham who is the bees knees with truck aircons and is cheap as chips but only works on these as a cash in ■■■■■■■■ so is of no use to you . :wink:

16

newmercman:

Harry Monk:

newmercman:
Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn’t it :laughing: Bet you wished you’d checked out how much that minor issue was going to cost to put right and negotiated it into (or rather out of) the purchase price :cry:

I did, I paid £25,000 for a truck which would have been £32,000 from a main dealer.

Well get your hand in your pocket and get some A/C then :laughing: Those Onion Boxes have a lot of glass in them and unless you’re growing tomatoes on the dash, you’ll be needing that A/C for the two days of summer you’ll get this year :laughing:

:laughing: :laughing:

The Actros I have has a stonking aircon on it , I use it to demist windows .

17

Easter-Star:

kr79:
All tax deductible anyway

I know a fridge fitter in Faversham who is the bees knees with truck aircons and is cheap as chips but only works on these as a cash in ■■■■■■■■ so is of no use to you . :wink:

That’s illegal

18

kr79:

Easter-Star:

kr79:
All tax deductible anyway

I know a fridge fitter in Faversham who is the bees knees with truck aircons and is cheap as chips but only works on these as a cash in ■■■■■■■■ so is of no use to you . :wink:

That’s illegal

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

I would open the window if it was me , but its not and our aircon is fixed by me writing a defect note on return to yard and hey presto ice cold air on my return :wink:

19

Here you are Vince…ac4cars.co.uk/

20

Any use? adrad.co.uk/prices/prices.ph … ULT%20(RVI