Air Con Re-gas in Dartmouth

Dartmouth is a historic port on the River Dart, with steep, narrow streets, ferries, the Britannia Royal Naval College above the town and heavy visitor traffic. Crawling through that on a warm day is much easier when the air con actually works.

Automaster, trading as Clutchmaster at Automaster, is an RAC Approved Garage at Longcombe Cross, near Totnes. Dartmouth drivers can bring a car to us for an air con re-gas on any make and model.

How do I know it is time for a car air con recharge in Dartmouth?

Warm air from the vents is the obvious one. Others include a cabin that takes ages to cool, a musty smell, and a noisy compressor when you press the button.

With steep streets and plenty of visitor traffic, Dartmouth is not a place where you want to be sweating in a stuffy car. A working system makes slow journeys far more comfortable.

• Air not cold
• Slow to cool
• Musty smell
• Compressor noise

What are the stages of an air con re-gas?

It runs in four stages, and the order is deliberate.

The stages are not just ceremony. Removing the old gas and vacuuming the system lets us check it is sound before new gas and fresh oil and dye go in.

• Old gas removed from the system
• System vacuumed and checked for leaks
• Oil and dye added to the system
• New gas added and the temperature checked

What does it cost, and which gas do I need?

Prices start from £50 for R134a and from £99 for R1234yf. R134a is the older gas; R1234yf is fitted to more recent cars, typically from around 2017 onward, but check your own car.

A label under the bonnet or the handbook shows which you have. You cannot swap one for the other.

If you are weighing up whether it is worth doing, a re-gas on an ageing system is simply part of keeping a car comfortable, particularly when summer is approaching.

Do I need an appointment?

Not if your car uses R134a: that is a turn-up, while-you-wait service. For R1234yf, ask for a quote using the form or the quote line, and we will advise from there.

Bring the car to Automaster, trading as Clutchmaster at Automaster, and the re-gas is done at the garage at Longcombe Cross, with the prices above as your starting point. If you want more detail about your own car before you set off, the quote form and the quote line are both there. Dartmouth drivers are welcome.

Do you cover Dartmouth, and where is the garage?

We do. Drivers from Dartmouth, Churston, Brixham, Kingsbridge and Totnes bring cars to the garage at Longcombe Cross, near Totnes.