Air Con Re-gas in Torbay

Around Tor Bay the English Riviera towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham are joined by hills, seafront traffic and heavy summer visitor numbers. Stop-start driving like that puts a car's cooling to the test.

Torbay drivers can bring their petrol or diesel cars to Automaster at Longcombe Cross near Totnes for an air con re-gas. R134a cars are from £50 and from £99 for R1234yf.

Where can I get my car air con re-gassed around Torbay?

We are at Longcombe Cross, Longcombe, near Totnes, and we welcome drivers from Torbay, including Paignton, Brixham, St Marychurch and Ellacombe, as well as from the countryside.

Automaster has full facilities for air con re-gas on all makes and models.

Torbay is a wide area, so we have named the places drivers most often come from. If your part of the bay is not listed, ask for a quote anyway.

What are the four steps of a re-gas?

Old gas comes out first. The system is then vacuumed and checked for leaks. Oil and dye are added next, and the last step is adding new gas and checking the temperature.

None of this is a quick spray-in. It is a sequence meant to leave the system in a known state.

This is a proper workshop procedure, so it is worth understanding what you are paying for before you book or turn up.

• Gas removed
• Vacuum and leak check
• Oil and dye
• New gas and temperature check

What is the price for R134a and R1234yf?

From £50 for R134a, the older refrigerant. From £99 for R1234yf, the newer gas fitted to more recent cars.

Check the label under the bonnet or the handbook for yours. The two gases are not interchangeable, and R1234yf is typically found on cars from around 2017 onward.

Prices begin at the levels above because the gas type changes the job. Your quote will confirm what applies to your car.

Do I have to book?

For R134a, no. Turn up and wait while it is done. For R1234yf, call the quote line or use the quote form.

That makes the R134a option easy to fit around a day out on the bay.

Hills and seafront queues are hard on any cooling system, and the signs of a tired one are easy to list: warm air, slow cooling, a musty smell and a noisy compressor. If you recognise any of them, a re-gas is the usual starting point.

How can I keep my air con in good shape?

Run it regularly all year, not only on hot days. Watch for warm air, slow cooling, musty smells and compressor noise.

Systems lose gas slowly, and one that leaks badly will not hold a re-gas for long, so the leak check matters.

A garage visit now can save a sweaty drive later. Heavy summer visitor numbers around the bay mean slow traffic, which makes weak air con even more noticeable.