A sealed system doesn't lose gas
Your A/C is a closed loop. The same refrigerant goes round and round, getting compressed and expanded, picking up heat from the cabin and dumping it out the front of the car. If it's not cold anymore, the gas didn't "wear out." It escaped. Somewhere. That's a leak, even if you can't see it. Topping up without finding it is paying for refrigerant you'll lose again before next summer.
How A/C Actually Works
The compressor squeezes refrigerant gas into a hot, high-pressure state. The condenser (front of the car, behind the grille) dumps that heat to the outside air. The expansion valve drops the pressure, the refrigerant flash-cools, the evaporator (behind the dash) absorbs heat from the cabin, and cold air blows out the vents. It's a loop. Nothing is consumed.
Why Systems Lose Gas
O-rings dry out and shrink. Hoses get porous after a decade in the Queensland sun. Condensers get stone-chipped from rocks off the highway. Compressor shaft seals weep. Schrader valves (the little spring-loaded fittings used to charge the system) lose tension. Any of these will leak a few grams a month. Slow enough you don't notice, fast enough that two summers later you've got no gas left.
Why DIY Cans Are A Trap
The $40 can from the auto store usually contains R134a mixed with sealant and a UV dye. Sealant cures inside the system when it hits a leak, which sounds great until it cures inside your compressor, expansion valve, or our recovery machine. Once sealant is in there, no professional shop wants to touch it. You also can't measure what you've put in, which means you've now got an over or undercharged system on top of the original leak.
What A Real Re-Gas Includes
Recover whatever gas is left and measure it. Dry nitrogen pressure test to confirm the system holds. Deep vacuum down to remove every trace of air and moisture, then hold the vacuum to prove there's no leak. Weigh in the exact factory-specified refrigerant charge with the correct PAG oil for your system. Final vent temperature check. Anything less than this is guesswork.
Seven steps, done properly,
in one visit
Jack has been running JETWASH since 2008. The A/C service is done in house at the Coolum Beach studio, on ARC licensed equipment, by the same person every time. No subbing out, no third party mechanic, no rushing the vacuum hold to get you out the door.
Identify the System
First job is figuring out what's in there. R134a or R1234yf, what the factory charge weight is, what PAG oil grade your compressor takes. We check the under-bonnet placard and cross-reference with the manufacturer specs. Wrong refrigerant or wrong oil ruins the compressor, so this step is non-negotiable.
Recover and Measure
Whatever refrigerant is left in the system gets recovered into our ARC-compliant machine and weighed. This tells us how much gas was missing, which tells us roughly how big the leak is. A system that's near-empty leaks faster than one that's just a bit low. This is data, not guesswork.
Visual Inspection
Compressor, condenser, hoses, fittings, schrader valves, electrical connectors. We look for obvious oil weeping (refrigerant leaves PAG oil residue at the leak point, which is a dead giveaway), stone damage to the condenser, perished hoses, and bad connections. About 60% of leaks are visible if you know where to look.
Dry Nitrogen Pressure Test
We pressurise the empty system with dry nitrogen to roughly the working pressure of a hot day, then sit and watch the gauge. If the pressure drops, there's a leak. We trace it with electronic leak detector and soap solution. Nitrogen is inert, dry, and traceable, which is why it's the proper test method. Backyard "blow and go" shops skip this step entirely.
Deep Vacuum and Hold
The system gets pulled down to deep vacuum to boil out any moisture (moisture turns into acid inside an A/C system, which eats the compressor). Then we hold the vacuum for 30+ minutes and watch it. If vacuum holds, the system is sealed. If it climbs, there's a leak we haven't found yet, and we don't put new gas in until that's resolved. This is the difference between a job done once and a job done four times.
Weighed Refrigerant Charge
Refrigerant gets weighed in to the gram, matching whatever your manufacturer specifies (usually between 400g and 800g depending on the vehicle). Wrong amount means poor cooling and shortened compressor life. We also top up the PAG oil if any was lost during recovery, using the grade that matches your compressor spec.
Performance Test
With the system running, we measure vent temperature with a probe thermometer. A healthy car A/C on a 25°C ambient day should blow somewhere between 4°C and 8°C out the centre vents. We check high and low side pressures with the gauges, confirm the compressor cycles cleanly, and listen for any noises. If anything's off, we find out before you drive away.
R134a or R1234yf?
Get it wrong, ruin the system
There are two refrigerants on Australian roads today. They look similar, they cool similarly, but the molecules are different, the oils are different, and the service fittings are different so you physically can't mix them by accident. You can mix them on purpose though, and people do, and it always ends badly. Here's the difference.
Not sure which one your car runs? We figure it out from the placard before we touch anything. JETWASH services both. R1234yf costs more because the gas itself costs more, not because we're charging more for the same job. Anyone offering to "just put R134a in" your newer car is about to ruin your system.
Flat pricing
No upsells at pickup
Pricing depends on which refrigerant your car runs. Standard service includes recovery, nitrogen pressure test, vacuum hold, weighed recharge, and vent temp check. If we find a slow leak that needs extended hunting (UV dye trace, multiple-stage testing), that gets quoted before we proceed.
Standard Service
- ✓ Most cars, 4WDs, vans pre-2017
- ✓ Full 7-step process included
- ✓ Dry nitrogen pressure test
- ✓ Vacuum hold confirmation
- ✓ Weighed refrigerant + PAG oil top-up
New-System Service
- ✓ Newer cars, roughly 2017 onwards
- ✓ Full 7-step process included
- ✓ R1234yf-specific recovery station
- ✓ Correct PAG-YF oil
- ✓ Higher cost reflects refrigerant price
Extended Leak Hunt
- ✓ For slow or intermittent leaks
- ✓ UV dye trace and lamp inspection
- ✓ Extended pressure-hold testing
- ✓ Electronic leak detector sweep
- ✓ Quoted upfront, never surprise-billed
Prices are starting points based on standard passenger vehicle refrigerant capacities. Larger 4WDs, vans, and dual-zone systems may carry more refrigerant and price up accordingly. Major component repairs (compressor, condenser, evaporator, expansion valve replacement) are quoted separately after diagnosis. All work is performed at the Coolum Beach studio on ARC-licensed equipment.
It's already 28°C inside the car
and rising
Queensland summers don't negotiate. By December the asphalt is 50°C, the dashboard plastics are too hot to touch, and the kids in the back are kicking off because the A/C is "kind of cold but not really cold." Here's when to book a service.
A/C blowing warm or weak
The most obvious sign. Cold for the first minute then fades, or just never gets properly cold.
Musty or sour smell from the vents
Usually mould on the evaporator. Different issue from refrigerant, but worth flagging when you book.
Clicking or whining when A/C kicks on
Compressor noises usually mean either low refrigerant or a clutch starting to fail. Catch it early, save the compressor.
Pre-summer check, October to November
Get it sorted in spring, not when it's 38°C and every shop on the Coast has a two-week wait.
Pre-purchase or pre-sale check
Buying a used car or selling one. A/C is one of those things buyers test on the test drive. Get ahead of it.
Fleet, work ute, tradie vehicle
If your car is also your office, A/C is a productivity tool. We can keep records for fleet servicing.
Older 4WD or classic that's never been serviced
Plenty of older vehicles on the Coast that have never seen an A/C service in 15+ years. Worth a check before the trip up north.
Family car with kids or pets
A hot car in a Queensland car park is a safety issue, not a comfort one. A/C reliability matters more with kids in the back.
Done once properly,
or four times badly
Anyone with a recovery machine and an extension lead can put gas into a car. ARC licensing exists for a reason though, and so do the steps people skip. Here's the difference between a "blow and go" $99 special and a proper service that holds for years.
If you've used a $40 "fix-a-leak" can from the auto store, please tell us up front when you book. Sealant in the system contaminates our recovery equipment, which is a real cost to the next customer and to us. We can usually still help, but we need to know what we're walking into so we can isolate the recovery side and quote accurately.