A/c recharge

[Joaco135]

Getting my evap replaced as we speak, all under warranty of course. According to my SA it's a common issue on our cars, go figure!

[WP1]

Originally Posted by houtan

my ac was blowing warmer out the drivers vents vs the passenger's vents. still under warranty so i took it to the dealership. they were just going to refill the refrigerant but i insisted on checking for leaks. turns out the evaporator was leaking and after it was replaced the AC is ice cold. only downside is the entire dash and center console has to come out. thankfully, dont hear any rattles.

Since Saturday, my 135i convt been having the same issue - driver vs passenger's vents. Were your covered by the CPO? or you were under 4 years?

Did the dealer told you what the issue was?

[whitebimmer09]

I just got mine back, it was covered by CPO. I had it recharged a few weeks prior and it was .65 pounds light already. My dash board no longer makes noises. The smell that I smelled on really hot starts when the A/C kicked on is no longer there. So glad I got this fixed.
They will try and tell you that it is low but they cannot find any leaks, refill it, charge you $180 and send you on your way. When it is low and they can't find the leak, insist that it is the evaporator, these things do not lose any refrigerant just because.

[WP1]

Originally Posted by whitebimmer09

I just got mine back, it was covered by CPO. I had it recharged a few weeks prior and it was .65 pounds light already. My dash board no longer makes noises. The smell that I smelled on really hot starts when the A/C kicked on is no longer there. So glad I got this fixed.
They will try and tell you that it is low but they cannot find any leaks, refill it, charge you $180 and send you on your way. When it is low and they can't find the leak, insist that it is the evaporator, these things do not lose any refrigerant just because.

THANK YOU!

[Fone Phreak]

had my evaporator replaced at 30k - dealer destroyed my car!! scratched or damaged virtually every interior piece of my car! BMW-NA had to get involved - dealer had to eat new radio, new climate control panel, new center console, new headliner, new a pillar covers, new gauge panel lens, new center vents. To this day i hear a million little rattles behind dash! The good news is I just came off warranty and its broken again!!! was quoted around $2200+ from dealer

[houtan]

Originally Posted by WP1

Since Saturday, my 135i convt been having the same issue - driver vs passenger's vents. Were your covered by the CPO? or you were under 4 years?

Did the dealer told you what the issue was?

I am within the 4 yr warranty. I just said the vents are warm, there us a funny smell when the ac is initially turned on, I get a film on the inside of the windshield, and that I I did a lot if research online and typically a leaking evaporator is the issue. After that I asked them ti do a leaj down test of the system instead of simply refilling the refrigerant and they said OK. The leak down test confirmed a leaking evaporator.

[WP1]

Originally Posted by houtan

I am within the 4 yr warranty. I just said the vents are warm, there us a funny smell when the ac is initially turned on, I get a film on the inside of the windshield, and that I I did a lot if research online and typically a leaking evaporator is the issue. After that I asked them ti do a leaj down test of the system instead of simply refilling the refrigerant and they said OK. The leak down test confirmed a leaking evaporator.

Great for you. I called the dealer and first I have to pay $325 for eval & recharge and if they find any leaks then dealer will look at the CPO and see what is can be done.

[whitebimmer09]

$325 is mad expensive for that test. That is crazy. Mine was 180. They always just try to fill it up and send you on your way.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by Fone Phreak

had my evaporator replaced at 30k - dealer destroyed my car!! scratched or damaged virtually every interior piece of my car! BMW-NA had to get involved - dealer had to eat new radio, new climate control panel, new center console, new headliner, new a pillar covers, new gauge panel lens, new center vents. To this day i hear a million little rattles behind dash! The good news is I just came off warranty and its broken again!!! was quoted around $2200+ from dealer

Holy crap that sucks.

[1N4ttro]

I figure I revive this since I am experiencing low cooling on hot days now. If outside temp. is in the 80s or below AC is great, +90s not so good. So after reading this post the consensus seems to be "No" to the Can and "Yes" to test/empty/recharge. But based on my symptoms it's likely that I might just have a real tiny leak and not enough refrigerant. I know that the Can is frown upon but I think the Can with gauge might work well under my stated condition. I think sudden loss or rapid decline of AC would be when not to use the Can and get tested. I used the Can with gauge on my older AllRoad with slowly fading AC and two summers later AC was still strong, wished A/T stayed strong too but that is another subject. Anyone used the Can with long term success on their 1er?

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by 1N4ttro

I figure I revive this since I am experiencing low cooling on hot days now. If outside temp. is in the 80s or below AC is great, +90s not so good. So after reading this post the consensus seems to be "No" to the Can and "Yes" to test/empty/recharge. But based on my symptoms it's likely that I might just have a real tiny leak and not enough refrigerant. I know that the Can is frown upon but I think the Can with gauge might work well under my stated condition. I think sudden loss or rapid decline of AC would be when not to use the Can and get tested. I used the Can with gauge on my older AllRoad with slowly fading AC and two summers later AC was still strong, wished A/T stayed strong too but that is another subject. Anyone used the Can with long term success on their 1er?

Id argue too that a recovery/vac/refill by mass is the best approach.

If you have a leak, however small, you really are obligated under the clean air act to fix the leak first. These cars can be known for leaky evaporators.

All that said, the issue with cans isn't the refrigerant, rather, the cans that add stop leak. Do not ever use that. Period. The other concern is addition of air from lines. Big issue for cooling performance.

If you use a can with no additives, add slowly monitoring vent temperature, high and low side pressures, and add conservatively, and ensure upfront that all lines are free of air, there's no big deal. Do make sure the condenser has an extra fan forcing air over it.

Also, verify that the condenser is clean.

[mackeroni]

Originally Posted by 1N4ttro

I figure I revive this since I am experiencing low cooling on hot days now. If outside temp. is in the 80s or below AC is great, +90s not so good. So after reading this post the consensus seems to be "No" to the Can and "Yes" to test/empty/recharge. But based on my symptoms it's likely that I might just have a real tiny leak and not enough refrigerant. I know that the Can is frown upon but I think the Can with gauge might work well under my stated condition. I think sudden loss or rapid decline of AC would be when not to use the Can and get tested. I used the Can with gauge on my older AllRoad with slowly fading AC and two summers later AC was still strong, wished A/T stayed strong too but that is another subject. Anyone used the Can with long term success on their 1er?

My '11 135 is still blowing cold. When it does need a boost, I would not hesitate to use an AC Pro refill canister. I used this product on my old Mazda 3 when it started to blow lukewarm air and was able to get two more seasons out of the AC before I sold it. Check out the YouTube video at

. Then, go to http://acprocold.com/.

Peace... Mack

[JHZR2]

Mack, that stuff has system leak sealant. Many shops will not touch a system with residues of that stuff in it as it ruins refrigerant recovery systems.

No car worth keeping should ever have leak sealer in it, regardless of how safe they claim it might be...

[1N4ttro]

I did a further research on sealant on an AC system and you guys are right, this is a band-aid that might cause further problems down the road. I looked for a Can without the sealant in it but could not find any. I will just go to an Indy for service. Thanks for the response and suggestions.

[JHZR2]

Look a little harder

DuPont, interdynamics (spelling may be off) and others offer pure 134 cans.

Maybe not with a nice squeeze nozzle and cheap pressure gauge though.

Highly recommended to add watching high and low pressures (requires a real gauge/manifold set), and vent temperatures. You can if careful, add very slowly and watch vent temperatures drop. Then you'll hit a point where adding doesnt continue dropping temps... and eventually, if pressure is too high, temps will start to increase! That's why you must be very careful not to let air in (trapped in the lineset you hook up, must be purged) or overfill.

[twinboost_MD]

I use pure (PURE) r134a from interdynamics.. cars will slowly leak overtime and as the 135 gets older were going to start see more and more discussions like this.

However, I made sure I bought a high quality recharge hose with a good gauge, this allows you to just buy the recharge bottle instead of the kit with the hose attached, which is crap. Its very important to monitor the pressure going into the system, I actually bleed mine a little first so I don't overfill. R134a is basically the same stuff you use for CO2 pellet guns and such, idk why people on here are complaining about it hurting the environment while driving a sports car everyday..

If you can top off your oil, you can recharge A/C it's pretty simple just use the right stuff. I have no clue how some of you guys are paying 300+ to charge a system that's going to leak either way. FYI, I havent had to recharge my A/C for two years and I'm driving in 95 degrees plus. Cheers

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by twinboost_MD

R134a is basically the same stuff you use for CO2 pellet guns and such, idk why people on here are complaining about it hurting the environment while driving a sports car everyday..

Most of what you said is reasonable, but this boggles my mind. R134a is not CO2. Also, fortunately I can return >30 mpg highway from my 135i...

[ShocknAwe]

Do yourself a favor and get HF manifold gauges, vacuum pump, and do it properly with straight R134a by weight after vacuuming out.

[ExigeS]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Do yourself a favor and get HF manifold gauges, vacuum pump, and do it properly with straight R134a by weight after vacuuming out.

Agreed. You can pick up almost all of this on Amazon for the same or less than it'll cost you to get everything re-charged, and then you're set for life except for buying more refrigerant which is pretty cheap, and so long as auto systems still use R134a.

Do your research though; charging the systems is simple, but it's important to get every step right, including vacuuming the system and ensuring that it's holding a vacuum. If the system is empty, charging by weight makes the whole process very easy.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by whitebimmer09

I just left the ac shop and it was low 1/2-1 pound. No leaks just slightly low on refrigerant, slightly low enough where I could notice. Cost me $60. If it is a condenser, hopefully it will break soon so it is covered by my CPO.

I was driving the car all morning, the real test is when I leave work when it is 95 and hot in the car.

If it was low, there is a leak.

[jesh4622]

Originally Posted by JHZR2

Most of what you said is reasonable, but this boggles my mind. R134a is not CO2. Also, fortunately I can return >30 mpg highway from my 135i...

R134 is being phased out for something that IS basically CO2.
Maybe he got confused.

[1er_vert]

Where is the low side AC port in my 2010 128i?