Is your car air conditioning no longer blowing cold air? Has it become less effective during the recent hot weather, or does it take much longer to clear condensation from your windscreen?
At Medway Vehicle Services, we provide professional car air conditioning regas and air con recharge services for drivers across Kent. Based in Medway, we regularly welcome customers from Chatham, Rochester, Gillingham, Rainham, Strood, Maidstone, Sittingbourne, Gravesend, Dartford, Ashford, Tonbridge and the surrounding areas.
Using professional Texa air conditioning servicing equipment, we recharge both R134a and R1234yf systems to the manufacturer’s specifications, helping restore cooling performance, improve cabin comfort and keep your air conditioning system operating efficiently all year round.
✔ Professional Texa air conditioning servicing equipment
✔ R134a and R1234yf refrigerant systems covered
✔ Cars, vans and light commercial vehicles welcome
✔ Honest advice with no unnecessary upselling
✔ Experienced technicians and modern workshop
✔ Conveniently located in Medway, serving customers across Kent
An air conditioning regas is the process of safely recovering any remaining refrigerant from your vehicle’s air conditioning system, removing moisture and air from the system, carrying out a vacuum test and then refilling it with the exact quantity of refrigerant specified by the manufacturer.
Over time, small amounts of refrigerant naturally escape through seals and joints. This is normal and is one of the main reasons air conditioning gradually becomes less effective.
If low refrigerant is the cause of poor cooling, a professional air con recharge can restore your system’s performance and improve cabin comfort.
These are the signs we tell drivers to take seriously:
Warm air coming from the vents
Air conditioning that cycles on and off more frequently than normal
Air conditioning that isn’t as cold as it used to be
Unpleasant smells from the ventilation system
Every year, as soon as temperatures begin to climb across Kent, we see a sharp increase in customers booking air conditioning regas appointments.
In many cases, the system hasn’t suddenly failed. Instead, refrigerant has been gradually reducing over several years, with drivers only noticing the loss in cooling once they begin relying on their air conditioning during warmer weather.
From our experience, around seven to eight out of every ten vehicles booked in during summer simply require a professional air conditioning recharge. The remaining vehicles usually need further investigation due to faults such as refrigerant leaks or compressor problems.
That’s why we don’t simply connect a machine and add more gas. Every vehicle is checked first to make sure a standard regas is the correct solution.
Not every air conditioning problem is caused by low refrigerant.
Before carrying out any recharge, we use our professional Texa servicing equipment to assess the condition of the system.
This includes:
Once the service has been completed, the machine produces a printout showing exactly how much refrigerant was recovered from your vehicle and how much was returned during the recharge.
We use professional Texa air conditioning servicing equipment rather than basic recharge equipment.
The system automatically identifies the correct refrigerant quantity for your vehicle, recovers the remaining gas, removes moisture from the system and performs a vacuum hold test before refrigerant is added.
If the system fails this test, it can indicate a leak or another underlying fault.
Occasionally, repeating the vacuum procedure may allow the system to pass successfully, which can suggest a very small leak rather than a major failure. In these situations, we’ll explain our findings honestly and advise you on the most appropriate next steps rather than simply carrying out unnecessary work.
Although air conditioning systems naturally lose a small amount of refrigerant over time, they shouldn’t lose it rapidly.
If we suspect a leak during testing, we’ll explain what we’ve found before recommending further work.
Common causes include:
Simply adding more refrigerant to a leaking system rarely provides a long-term solution.
If further investigation is required, our Vehicle Diagnostics service can help identify the underlying fault before any repairs are carried out.
While most vehicles simply require a recharge, not every cooling problem has the same cause.
If your air conditioning still isn’t working correctly after testing, we can investigate faults such as compressor failures, pressure sensor issues and refrigerant leaks.
We’ll always explain our findings clearly before recommending any additional work, giving you the information you need to make an informed decision.
Most vehicles use one of two refrigerant types.
Commonly found in many vehicles manufactured before 2017.
Typically used on newer vehicles and requires dedicated servicing equipment.
If you’re unsure which refrigerant your vehicle uses, we’ll identify the correct system before carrying out any work.
• Printed refrigerant report
• Correct refrigerant quantity
• Vent temperature checked
• Honest advice
• Explanation of findings
One of the biggest misconceptions we hear is that air conditioning only needs to be used during hot weather.
In reality, running your air conditioning throughout the year helps remove moisture from the cabin, keeps seals lubricated and clears condensation from your windscreen much more quickly during winter.
For most vehicles, servicing the system every two to three years is sufficient unless a fault develops.
We’ve also seen vehicles where the air conditioning hadn’t been serviced for five or six years, and prolonged operation with very low refrigerant had contributed to compressor failure. Regular servicing is often much cheaper than replacing major air conditioning components.
We’re proud to be an independent garage based in Medway, providing honest advice and professional workmanship.
Our workshop regularly welcomes customers from across the Medway Towns, including Chatham, Rochester, Gillingham, Rainham and Strood, as well as drivers travelling from Maidstone, Sittingbourne, Gravesend, Dartford, Sevenoaks, Ashford, Tonbridge and surrounding parts of Kent.
Conveniently located at Unit 3 Cliffe Yard, ME2 4DY, with easy access from the M2, A2 and M20, we’re ideally placed to provide professional air conditioning servicing across the county.
Most manufacturers recommend servicing the air conditioning system every two to three years, although this can vary depending on the vehicle and how frequently the system is used.
A complete air conditioning service usually takes between 45 and 60 minutes.
Yes. Small amounts of refrigerant naturally escape over time through seals and joints, which is why periodic servicing is recommended.
No. If low refrigerant is the cause, a regas will usually restore cooling. However, faults such as leaks or compressor failures may require further diagnosis.
Yes. Running your air conditioning during winter helps remove moisture from the cabin, improves windscreen demisting and helps keep the system in good condition.
Yes. We provide air conditioning regas services for cars, vans and light commercial vehicles.
Phone: 01634 510 780
Email: bookings@medwayvehicleservices.
co.uk
Unit 3 Cliffe Yard, Anthonys Way, Medway City Estate, Rochester, Kent, ME2 4DY
