Mpg v mph

[Alan Zoff]

Car was regassed last year and a/c still working so I assume it's relatively leak-free. But definitely affects power. When you (AnOther) say it's easy to check for leaks, how do I do that?

[AnOther]

Just like a car tyre over time an aircon can lose pressure but it doesn't necessarily mean there is an actual leak. The standard test for leaks is with a special dye which is injected under pressure and which shows up under UV light so not really a DIY job however it should be routine for any garage offering a recharge service, especially if a leak is suspected, i.e. in a newer car where a loss of pressure would not be expected.

The problem with getting a domestic A/C engineer in is that there is more than one type of refrigerant gas and whilst I'm no expert in the differences and implications of using different types or mixtures I believe the type used in automotive applications may not be the same as that used in the domestic field and it obviously makes sense to use the one the manufacturer recommends.

For what it costs as one off procedure every say 5 years or so it's just not worth cutting corners.

[Alan Zoff]

I have checked with the garage that did the regas last year. They say they tested for leaks as part of that service. They told me that some aircon systems sap more power than others - mine seems to be one of the greedier ones.

It is a niggle with the Xedos that the standard ventilation system is not the best, causing aircon/climate control to be employed more than has been the case with other cars I have owned.

[Théière]

Same with my volvo S40 Alan, must switch off aircon before exiting a junction or bog all acceleration.

Anyone using LPG cars?

[Chancer]

[quote user="Dog"][quote user="AnOther"]

A tip:

If you are going to have an aircon re-gassesd do have it leak tested first. It's easy to do and there is no point in re-gassing if a week later it's all gone again !

[/quote]

.. and get it done by a refrigeration man at half the cost.

[/quote]

Have you seen how much refrigeration men charge in France Dog?

Only very large commercial refigeration units worth more than say €800 are worth regassing with the price these goons charge and then only if you live on the guys doorstep or can deliver it to them for charging as  their frais de deplacement is so high. It would be much cheaper to ask an out of hours medecin to come and do the job..

En revanche car aircon regassing is one of the few things which is relatively fairly priced (compared to the UK) in the fastfit type chains, Roady, NorAuto, Feu Vert etc.

[Dog]

I got charged 75 euros for a top up by the main dealer - in UK a refrigeration guy would do it for £25 cash and he was still making a profit.

This will make you gasp or laugh in the 50's when we living in Canada my dad was running old yank cars and brale fluid was expensive so they'd replace it with water which worked well until winter arrived.

[Théière]

[quote user="Dog"]

brale fluid was expensive so they'd replace it with water which worked well until winter arrived.

[/quote]

And replacing all the brake lines and slave/master cylinders due to rust, that must have also been cheeper than brake fluid. Does tell us a lot about your upbringing though [:D]

[Chancer]

I've done the same thing when stuck in a remote workshop but I used hrdrolastic fluid which is/was just water with anti-freeze and some sort of anti-corrosion additive, it works very well if you keep away repeated hard braking, fast hill descents towing a trailer or track days.

Dont try this at home folks [;-)]

[Alan Zoff]

Followed a guy for some distance down an Alpine road and just as I was saying to my passenger that he seemed to be using his brakes a lot rather than gears, his car shot off and fortunately ended up in some very welcome sand in an escape road. Brake fluid not much use either when it boils.

The driver and his passengers were unhurt but very pale. I think he learned a lesson.

[Dog]

[quote user="Théière"][quote user="Dog"]

brale fluid was expensive so they'd replace it with water which worked well until winter arrived.

[/quote]

And replacing all the brake lines and slave/master cylinders due to rust, that must have also been cheeper than brake fluid. Does tell us a lot about your upbringing though [:D]

[/quote]

Apparently on the old tanks it took some time before rust took hold.

I bet you  have never used toilet paper as an air cleaner either?

[Théière]

No Dog, only ever used toilet paper as a bum cleaner [:D]

[Dog]

[quote user="Théière"]No Dog, only ever used toilet paper as a bum cleaner [:D][/quote]

Théière you are so unimaginative...

[RicandJo]

I take it you mean using toilet paper as an air intake filter? I reckon the car would stink a bit if you used it for cabin air filter.......

[Chancer]

I did a bit of a connerie this evening, on the way back from the piscine there was no traffic so instead of stopping at my home I reset the fuel computer and went up and down the steep hill to the aeroport on tickover in 5th gear, its the closest that I can get to cruise control in my bagnole!

Anyway it is quite happy to trundle along at around 28mph on a closed throttle even going uphill when the idle bypass valve opens to compensate, the economy had already reached 70mpg at the top of the hill and while descending it topped the 99.99 mpg that the system will not calculate beyond, my elapsed mileage at that time was one mile!

I find that the up and down hill method of measuring is very accurate, a bit like the mean of two opposing speed runs, and it was surprisingly relaxing to trundle along on "cruise control" for the duration of the test.

But for winding up the other traffic I would even consider doing it on my next nightime UK trip, in fact when I am towing my large van trailer fully (over) loaded I can only drive at 70kmh on a wide open throttle and darent go any faster on a downhill stretch after a massive brown trouser tank slapper on my last trip, my eonomy drops from 65mpg to 26mpg under these conditions I would quite like to drive on the relatively empty autoroute at 45kmh if it increased the economy considerably but I suspect that it is below the legal limit and would probably attract attention to the questionable legality of my trailer.

Does anyone know if there is a minimum speed on an autoroute and what it is? Dont worry I wont be trying it on the M20 and M25 [:P]

When I returned a couple of weeks ago I decided to forgoe the autoroute at Calais and take the back roads as I was likely to fall asleep driving at 70kmh, I left Calais at 2 am on Easter Monday and had driven for 45 minutes before seeing another car, I think on the whole 90 odd mile trip I was only overtaken 4 or 5 times the back roads were so quiet.

[RicandJo]

Chancer......you really do need to get out more........[B] [:D]

[Chancer]

Hey I was out! [:P] I have found to my cost in the past that its safer to go out to play rather than relieving the tedium within my foyer. 

First time I have got away from my boulot and spoken to real people since I returned on Sunday apart from a very brief chat with a neighbour.

I am going again tonight, happy days [:)] I even found last night that they sell alcohol free [B] in the bureau of my diving club, a bar that we use on the rare occasions that they deign to stay open after 21.00 [:(]