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Launching in Surrey

Air con and heating quotes

Car air con cools and dries the air, which also helps clear a misted windscreen, by circulating a refrigerant gas. In a petrol or diesel car the heater is a separate system that uses heat from the engine’s coolant, so a heater fault can be a cooling system fault.
Post your air con job

Post the job free with your registration and postcode. Garages on Matchanic can see it and choose whether to quote, and you only go ahead if you accept one. Matchanic is new and launching in Surrey, so there may be few or no garages on Matchanic near the car yet.

Signs your car may need this

  • The air con blows warm, or less cold than it used to.
  • A musty smell from the vents.
  • A noise when the air con switches on.
  • The windscreen is slow to clear, or there’s water inside the car.
  • The heater blows cold.
  • The fan works on some speeds but not others.
  • The climate control shows a fault, or the temperature doesn’t match what you set.

Jobs you can ask garages to quote for

The jobs you can choose for this when you post. Pick the one that fits, or the closest, and add the detail under ‘Anything else’.

  • Air con regas (R134a)
  • Air con regas (R1234yf)
  • Air con service
  • Air con leak detection
  • Air con compressor replacement
  • Air con condenser replacement
  • Air con antibacterial clean
  • Air con not cold diagnosis
  • Heater blower motor replacement
  • Heater blower resistor replacement
  • Heater not working diagnosis
  • Climate control fault

What affects the price

Each garage sets its own price. These are the things that usually make the difference.

  • The refrigerant your car uses. R134a and R1234yf are priced separately, and the list has a regas job for each.
  • Whether the system just needs regassing, or has a leak to find and fix first.
  • Which part has failed: a compressor, a condenser, a blower motor or its resistor.
  • How much of the dashboard has to come apart to reach a heater part.
  • The car’s make and model.

What to tell the garage

Say which refrigerant the car uses if you know it. It’s usually on a label under the bonnet, or in the handbook.

Say whether the air con stopped suddenly or faded over time, whether you hear anything when it switches on, and whether the heater and fan work normally. If it was regassed recently and has stopped again, say so, as that can mean a leak.

Questions about air con and heating

  • What’s the difference between R134a and R1234yf?

    They’re two refrigerant gases, and R1234yf is the newer one. Your car’s system was built for one of them, and they aren’t interchangeable, so a garage needs to know which it’s regassing. Check the label or the handbook, then choose the matching regas job.

  • Is a regas the same as an air con service?

    Not always. A regas refills the refrigerant; what an air con service adds depends on the garage, so compare what each quote includes. If the air con has stopped working completely, ‘Air con not cold diagnosis’ or ‘Air con leak detection’ may be the better place to start.

  • Why is my heater blowing cold?

    It can be the cooling system rather than the heater: low coolant, a thermostat stuck open or a blocked heater matrix can all do it, and so can the controls. ‘Heater not working diagnosis’ asks a garage to find which. The cooling jobs are on the Cooling system page.

  • What’s the musty smell from my vents?

    Mould and bacteria can build up in the air con system. ‘Air con antibacterial clean’ is on the list, and a clogged cabin (pollen) filter, a job under Car servicing, can add to it.

Related jobs

Start with your registration

Posting a job is free, and you don’t have to accept a quote.

Post your air con job

Matchanic is launching in Surrey. How Matchanic works · Matchanic in Surrey