Should the refrigerant be replaced for a 10-year-old car?

1 Answers
StKiara
07/29/25 5:06pm
In theory, the refrigerant in a car's air conditioning system does not need to be replaced regardless of how much time has passed, so even a 10-year-old car may not require a refrigerant replacement. In practical situations, even if there is a refrigerant leak, the usual approach is to simply top it up rather than completely replacing the refrigerant.  Refrigerant is the most crucial component for air conditioning cooling. Therefore, when the central air conditioning system experiences insufficient refrigerant, the primary symptom is that the air conditioning is not as cold as before. You can set the car's air conditioning to the lowest temperature and observe whether the cooling effect has weakened. Another indicator is that when the air conditioning is turned off normally, bubbles briefly appear in the glass sight glass of the air conditioning system. However, if the refrigerant is insufficient, bubbles will continuously appear in the sight glass, which can also help in making a determination. Generally, refrigerant is replenished by topping up rather than performing a complete replacement. However, older air conditioning systems may experience issues such as metal shavings or dust entering the system. In such cases, even if there is no refrigerant leakage, the refrigerant must be drained, the air conditioning system cleaned, and then the refrigerant replenished. Additionally, replacing refrigerant requires specialized charging tools, so it is best to have this done at an authorized 4S service center rather than attempting it yourself.
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