Car air condition leak sniffer, do you know any shop that has one ? Bangkok or Pattaya ?

[sncoem]

hello,,

 

Car aircon is leaking and I do not want to let Somchai work the way he knows nothing.

I want the job done the correct way and I want that they use a gaz leak sniffer and / or dye liquid to find from where it leaks.

If you let them do they want to change the condenser and the compressor without even knowing that it leaks from them, ridiculous !

 

So please if you know a shop in Pattaya or Bangkok that can work the correct way on car air conditioning, please tell me, as the main dealers are also not interested to check properly and just want to change the whole system...

 

if you want to know what is the correct way to detect a leak:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/air-conditioner-leak-detection

 

Thank you for your addresses.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by sncoem

[ctxa]

What is your car brand? 

 

For Mercedes, BMW, Audi and the like I would recommend Thomson Garage in Bang Na (Bangkok). They speak English and do things the right way. I myself take my Merc there for whatever work I need done. 

 

But, be wary that professional work the way they do it, is expensive. And although way cheaper than the Merc dealer, you seldomly see cars such as Toyota Vios or the like being repaired there, mainly because it's expensive!

 

So I don't know, if you really have a leak in the compressor and/or condenser, depending on your car make, probably Somchai can get it done just as good and for cheaper. If you have a leak in a pipe, and Somchai can't even find it cuz he doesnt have the tools, then take it to Thomson Garage.

Edited March 2, 2021 by ctxa

[sncoem]

7 minutes ago, ctxa said:

What is your car brand? 

 

For Mercedes, BMW, Audi and the like I would recommend Thomson Garage in Bang Na (Bangkok). They speak English and do things the right way. I myself take my Merc there for whatever work I need done. 

 

But, be wary that professional work the way they do it, is expensive. And although way cheaper than the Merc dealer, you seldomly see cars such as Toyota Vios or the like being repaired there, mainly because it's expensive!

 

So I don't know, if you really have a leak in the compressor and/or condenser, depending on your car make, probably Somchai can get it done just as good and for cheaper. If you have a leak in a pipe, and Somchai can't even find it cuz he doesnt have the tools, then take it to Thomson Garage.

 

yes, thank you, German car, so I should visit Thomson, but they seem always busy.

can you tell me if you often have to let your car few days ?

Do you think that they will have the sniffer to detect the leak and only change what needs to be changes.

Let's hope that it's not the evaporator as I don't want them to remove the dashboard.

 

By the way, can you give me an idea of prices there ? how much for engine oil and filter or usual service ?

Thanks again !

 

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by sncoem

[ctxa]

1 hour ago, sncoem said:

 

yes, thank you, German car, so I should visit Thomson, but they seem always busy.

can you tell me if you often have to let your car few days ?

Do you think that they will have the sniffer to detect the leak and only change what needs to be changes.

Let's hope that it's not the evaporator as I don't want them to remove the dashboard.

 

By the way, can you give me an idea of prices there ? how much for engine oil and filter or usual service ?

Thanks again !

 

 

 

Yes Thomson is sure as hell busy. But if you contact the owner Eddie on LINE (fantastic guy btw), he will let you know a date in which you can bring the car. And most likely it will be done in the day. I've done several maintenances on my Merc with them and it was done while I was waiting there at their garage, they started working right away on the car. 

 

I only had to leave the car sleeping there one time, while replacing the ECU, (and it's understandable because that is a lot of work). 

 

And yes they for sure have the sniffer for detecting gas leaks. 

 

Prices. Last time I did what Mercedes calls "Service A" with them, car is an E-Class. Their prices as follows: 

 

- 7L of Genuine Mercedes-Benz Oil SAE 5W-30 - 3,003.00 THB

- Engine Injection Cleaning - 840 THB

- Genuine Mercedes-Benz Coolant MB325.0 - 930 THB 

- Genuine Mercedes-Benz Oil Filter  - 680 THB

- Fortron Diesel Additive  - 600 THB

 

Total: Around 6,000 THB

 

This same 'Service A' was around 15,000 THB at Benz Star Flag (last time I did it). So you get the idea. Though obviously 6,000 THB is still expensive, probably Somchai could do it a third of that price using the cheapest oil he could get and likely an oil filter from a different model ????

 

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by ctxa

[kraxlhuber]

On 3/3/2021 at 1:16 AM, sncoem said:

hello,,

 

Car aircon is leaking and I do not want to let Somchai work the way he knows nothing.

I want the job done the correct way and I want that they use a gaz leak sniffer and / or dye liquid to find from where it leaks.

If you let them do they want to change the condenser and the compressor without even knowing that it leaks from them, ridiculous !

 

So please if you know a shop in Pattaya or Bangkok that can work the correct way on car air conditioning, please tell me, as the main dealers are also not interested to check properly and just want to change the whole system...

 

if you want to know what is the correct way to detect a leak:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/air-conditioner-leak-detection

 

Thank you for your addresses.

 

 

 

 

 

In Thailnd all the A/C tech knows is to top up the system w. freon, cars in general use a special freon gas, not same as in your fridge.I have the drive  belt slipping, makes a hell of a rack, a fly by night ac mechanic wants to top up freon for 600 baht, he is not even checking for leaks as freon escaping the system carries  oil and its visible.Now I have to find a competent shop, repairing the drive belt, hard to find a shop here in rangsit.It is prudent to change the freon now, and evacuate the system  w. a vacuum pump,and start w. new gas, could be in the past some  Pfusher/ fiddler topped up the system w. the wrong gas.I am myself an A/C  specialist , repair mainly industrial A/C HVAC  UNITS. but here I lack the utensils for repairs, gauges, ratchets vacuum pump etc.etc. Source,2carpros.com,articles,how a car- airconditioner works.

 

Nowadays refrigerant R134A is used in cars, as it is ozonfriendly, previously R22 was used, wich destroys yhe ozone layer in the athmosphere, CAPITO, thank you.

I  did in the past a lot of OJT  trai ing on electrical and ac systems.

[sncoem]

13 hours ago, ctxa said:

 

Yes Thomson is sure as hell busy. But if you contact the owner Eddie on LINE (fantastic guy btw), he will let you know a date in which you can bring the car. And most likely it will be done in the day. I've done several maintenances on my Merc with them and it was done while I was waiting there at their garage, they started working right away on the car. 

 

I only had to leave the car sleeping there one time, while replacing the ECU, (and it's understandable because that is a lot of work). 

 

And yes they for sure have the sniffer for detecting gas leaks. 

 

Prices. Last time I did what Mercedes calls "Service A" with them, car is an E-Class. Their prices as follows: 

 

- 7L of Genuine Mercedes-Benz Oil SAE 5W-30 - 3,003.00 THB

- Engine Injection Cleaning - 840 THB

- Genuine Mercedes-Benz Coolant MB325.0 - 930 THB 

- Genuine Mercedes-Benz Oil Filter  - 680 THB

- Fortron Diesel Additive  - 600 THB

 

Total: Around 6,000 THB

 

This same 'Service A' was around 15,000 THB at Benz Star Flag (last time I did it). So you get the idea. Though obviously 6,000 THB is still expensive, probably Somchai could do it a third of that price using the cheapest oil he could get and likely an oil filter from a different model ????

 

 

 

 

Your total around 6000 is amazing, I even consider it free compared to what I pay at Benz since so many years...

I will definitively visit them. Can you send a PM with the owner number if it's not the one on google ?

https://g.page/thomsongarage

 

Thank you so much !

 

 

 

 

 

[kraxlhuber]

55 minutes ago, sncoem said:

BTW, do we talk here about sniffer dogs who detect illegal drugs in your car?LOL, or of an refrigerant leak... than we talk about an refrigerant leakage detector?

 

Your total around 6000 is amazing, I even consider it free compared to what I pay at Benz since so many years...

I will definitively visit them. Can you send a PM with the owner number if it's not the one on google ?

https://g.page/thomsongarage

 

Thank you so much !

 

 

 

 

 

 

[canthai55]

14 hours ago, kraxlhuber said:

In Thailnd all the A/C tech knows is to top up the system

Maybe where you took your car ...

Here in Chiang Mai there are shops - one in particular - who is as knowledgeable, as skilled as any found anywhere.

 

[sncoem]

11 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Maybe where you took your car ...

Here in Chiang Mai there are shops - one in particular - who is as knowledgeable, as skilled as any found anywhere.

 

 

Sorry but not sure that you really know what means skilled, because they are very hard to find here...

 

[canthai55]

skilled

adjective

adjective: skilled

1. having or showing the knowledge, ability, or training to perform a certain activity or task well.

    

    

[canthai55]

51 minutes ago, sncoem said:

Sorry but not sure that you really know what means skilled, because they are very hard to find here...

And where do you live ? Where do you find it hard to find skilled people ?

 

[onthedarkside]

A reported flamed post and response have been removed.

 

[Ralf001]

On 3/3/2021 at 2:51 AM, kraxlhuber said:

 

In Thailnd all the A/C tech knows is to top up the system w. freon, cars in general use a special freon gas, not same as in your fridge.I have the drive  belt slipping, makes a hell of a rack, a fly by night ac mechanic wants to top up freon for 600 baht, he is not even checking for leaks as freon escaping the system carries  oil and its visible.Now I have to find a competent shop, repairing the drive belt, hard to find a shop here in rangsit.It is prudent to change the freon now, and evacuate the system  w. a vacuum pump,and start w. new gas, could be in the past some  Pfusher/ fiddler topped up the system w. the wrong gas.I am myself an A/C  specialist , repair mainly industrial A/C HVAC  UNITS. but here I lack the utensils for repairs, gauges, ratchets vacuum pump etc.etc. Source,2carpros.com,articles,how a car- airconditioner works.

 

Nowadays refrigerant R134A is used in cars, as it is ozonfriendly, previously R22 was used, wich destroys yhe ozone layer in the athmosphere, CAPITO, thank you.

I  did in the past a lot of OJT  trai ing on electrical and ac systems.

 

Not all of them are dodgy.

 

The AC in my Skoda over time got warmer and warmer to the point it would not even turn on.

 

I went to a shop in Pattaya recommended to me by a friend, the system was empty so they put in some gas and did a sniffer test.... nothing.

 

So put in some green stuff and topped the system to full, Yay cold air again and was great for a week but slowly it got warmer and warmer and I noticed some green stuff on the ground under the car one morning.

 

I took it back and a second sniff test confirmed leaking from the evaporator.

 

I ordered a new evaporator online and when it arrived I had the same shop fit it, now the AC is nice and cold and has been for months now (touch wood).

[sncoem]

55 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Not all of them are dodgy.

 

The AC in my Skoda over time got warmer and warmer to the point it would not even turn on.

 

I went to a shop in Pattaya recommended to me by a friend, the system was empty so they put in some gas and did a sniffer test.... nothing.

 

So put in some green stuff and topped the system to full, Yay cold air again and was great for a week but slowly it got warmer and warmer and I noticed some green stuff on the ground under the car one morning.

 

I took it back and a second sniff test confirmed leaking from the evaporator.

 

I ordered a new evaporator online and when it arrived I had the same shop fit it, now the AC is nice and cold and has been for months now (touch wood).

 

 

Thank you, useful answer !

Can you PM me what shop ? I would like to see them just to sniff the leak, as I always prefer several diagnostics before fixing anything expensive.

 

 

[stubuzz]

Florescent dye/oil is available here and can be added for a small fee. Soapy water is also easy to use to check for leaks.

[canthai55]

32 minutes ago, stubuzz said:

 Soapy water is also easy to use to check for leaks.

Every time I go for Soapy water I have a leak !!! 555

[kraxlhuber]

3 hours ago, sncoem said:

 

Try COCKPIT, THEY HAVE MANY REPAIR-SHOPS around thailand

there is an AC shop near MACRO superstore.

 

3 hours ago, sncoem said:

Thank you, useful answer !

Can you PM me what shop ? I would like to see them just to sniff the leak, as I always prefer several diagnostics before fixing anything expensive.

 

If your car/house aircond is loosing its coolong capacity, possible it is just dirty, blocking the air-flow, in the condersor/ evaporator, find a shop to perform a good pressure cleaning w. water and check the refrigerant charge.Sometimes the compressor drive belt needs replacing every now and then.

 

[kraxlhuber]

2 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Every time I go for Soapy water I have a leak !!! 555

there are inexpensive leak detectors using a low-flame, when the flame suction hose detects A leaking refrigerant/freon, the color of the flame turns from blue to yellow green.

[canthai55]

This is the soapy water I was referring to ...

 

[Ralf001]

On 3/4/2021 at 5:06 PM, sncoem said:

 

 

Thank you, useful answer !

Can you PM me what shop ? I would like to see them just to sniff the leak, as I always prefer several diagnostics before fixing anything expensive.

 

 

 

The shop is called Seri Air.

 

They also recycle the gas.

 

[ExpatOilWorker]

Check the expansion valve also.

 

One of the first symptoms of a problem with the AC expansion valve or orifice tube is an underperforming AC system. The AC expansion valve and orifice tube work together to regulate the flow of the AC system. If either component fails or has an issue, it can disturb the performance of the AC system, which can cause it to underperform. The AC system may begin to blow noticeably less cold than before and may even begin to blow warm air depending on the severity of the problem.

 

https://www.autoblog.com/2016/01/08/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-expansion-valve-orifice-tube/#:~:text=An expansion valve is an,through the vehicle's AC system.

[suhoaswhas]

So all garages know how to detect and air condition leak ?

 

[canthai55]

6 minutes ago, suhoaswhas said:

So all garages know how to detect and air condition leak ?

Are all women beautiful ? Of course not.

Go to a dedicated aircon shop

[adexbe]

On 3/4/2021 at 5:17 PM, stubuzz said:

Florescent dye/oil is available here and can be added for a small fee. Soapy water is also easy to use to check for leaks.

 

do you know where to buy it ?

 

 

[adexbe]

On 3/4/2021 at 8:22 PM, kraxlhuber said:

there are inexpensive leak detectors using a low-flame, when the flame suction hose detects A leaking refrigerant/freon, the color of the flame turns from blue to yellow green.

 

have you seen it in thailand ?

 

[stubuzz]

On 3/8/2021 at 11:58 AM, adexbe said:

On 3/4/2021 at 1:17 PM, stubuzz said:

Florescent dye/oil is available here and can be added for a small fee. Soapy water is also easy to use to check for leaks.

 

do you know where to buy it ?

You will also need an injector to add the dye/oil. You could also pour it directly into the dryer if you remove the fittings.

Below are the links to Lazada.

Here

Here

 

 

[stubuzz]

The oil injector is here.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/r12r134-i1889952465-s5923662305.html?&search=pdp_v2v?spm=a2o4m.pdp_revamp.recommendation_2.7.3a454915D8zZ2V&mp=1&scm=1007.16389.126158.0&clickTrackInfo=7fca651d-b1be-4a74-9ec3-bbf66f5d4731__1889952465__12906__trigger2i__202835__0.139__0.139__0.0__0.0__0.0__0.139__6__8__PDPV2V__251__null__1498575426 2024240392__0____380.0__0.0__5.0__21__380.0__100116,101724,102684,103150__null__null__null__3650.16544_3650.16540_955.3632__null__13499__null__0.0__0.0__starplus.10__

[ExpatOilWorker]

On 3/3/2021 at 1:59 AM, ctxa said:

What is your car brand? 

 

For Mercedes, BMW, Audi and the like I would recommend Thomson Garage in Bang Na (Bangkok). They speak English and do things the right way. I myself take my Merc there for whatever work I need done. 

 

But, be wary that professional work the way they do it, is expensive. And although way cheaper than the Merc dealer, you seldomly see cars such as Toyota Vios or the like being repaired there, mainly because it's expensive!

 

So I don't know, if you really have a leak in the compressor and/or condenser, depending on your car make, probably Somchai can get it done just as good and for cheaper. If you have a leak in a pipe, and Somchai can't even find it cuz he doesnt have the tools, then take it to Thomson Garage.

 

Thanks for the Thomson tip.

 

[alacrity]

What does OMBD say? Possible first step would be a pressure drop test. If that failed a visual observation of obvious potential fail points should be  carried out. Then diagnosis gets more difficult.

 

For a 'sniffer' to be effective; the system needs to be pressurized with a trace gas compatible within the settings of the 'sniffer' in a controlled environment.

 

Routine maintenance costs and diagnostic maintenance costs aren't related. However the approved dealer for your marque has a plethora of technical information, which many categories of 'Somchai' will not be aware of.

 

Was surprised to find that routine a service of an E-class is cheaper than a Ranger 3.2 Wildtrack though.

 

What price for an S-class?

[ThailandFoodExpert]

On 3/13/2021 at 3:57 PM, stubuzz said:

You will also need an injector to add the dye/oil. You could also pour it directly into the dryer if you remove the fittings.

Below are the links to Lazada.

Here

Here

 

 

 

 

Hi, do you know any Pattaya shop / garage that has this equipment to test air con system ?

Thank you.