Why inspect and calibrate an air conditioning station
An air conditioning station doses refrigerant and oil, creates a vacuum and recovers expensive refrigerant from the system. If any of these functions is inaccurate, the customer drives away with air conditioning that cools poorly or breaks sooner than it should. The workshop will be blamed, not the station.
What wears out in an air conditioning station
The station works in tough conditions: under pressure, with aggressive refrigerant and oil. That is why several parts wear out no matter how carefully it is used:
- filters and driers – over time they become saturated with moisture and contamination,
- vacuum pump oil – worn oil lowers the vacuum, and a poor vacuum removes moisture from the car's system less well,
- seals, hoses, connectors and valves – small leaks mean refrigerant loss and dosing errors,
- scales and pressure sensors – their readings can drift from the real values over time and the user does not see it.
Why calibration matters more than it seems
The station does not guess how much refrigerant to put in; it relies on the scale and sensors. When the scale reads wrongly, the system is charged with the wrong amount of refrigerant, even if the display shows the value recommended by the car manufacturer. Too little refrigerant means weaker cooling and poorer compressor lubrication; too much means excessive pressure and strain on the whole system. In both cases the most expensive component, the compressor, suffers. On top of that comes the price of the refrigerant, especially R-1234yf: every dosing error and every leak is a real loss.
What our station inspection covers
- Condition diagnostics. Visual inspection and a test of recovery, vacuum, charging and tightness.
- Consumables. Replacing the vacuum pump oil, filters and driers.
- Calibration. of the refrigerant and oil scales and a check of the sensors and gauges.
- Fault repair. Mechanical and electrical, from valves to the station electronics.
- Final test. And information on what was done and what is worth replacing soon.
For most workshops a sensible minimum is one inspection a year. But do not wait for the date if the station shows errors, shows unusual pressures, loses refrigerant or pulls a vacuum much longer than usual. Exact intervals are given in the station manufacturer's manual.
An inspection is cheaper than a breakdown in the season
A station usually breaks down when it is needed most: in the first hot days, when a queue of customers is waiting for air conditioning. An inspection outside the season lets you replace worn parts before they fail, reduces refrigerant losses and protects customers from a damaged compressor caused by a wrongly charged system.
Why us
- Experience. We know the construction of many popular stations, so we usually find the fault quickly.
- Many brands. We service, among others, TEXA, Werther, Ecotechnics, Bosch, Robinair, Sun, Mahle, Magneti Marelli, Waeco, Delphi, Brain Bee, Viaken, Oxys, Launch, Spin and Valeo.
- Everything in one place. Diagnostics, inspection, calibration and repair.
- Convenience. We travel to the customer, and we accept equipment at our head office after a phone booking.
- Short lead times and low prices.
- When repair does not pay off. If repair does not pay off, we will help you buy a new or used station and buy your old, damaged one.
Call or write – we will agree the scope of the inspection and the date. See also: full description of air conditioning station service and why it is worth servicing wheel alignment equipment.