Ford Focus air conditoning system?

Question

I own a 1999 Ford Focus 1.8 petrol Ghia and just have a few questions about the air conditioning system:
1) Although the manual with the car does not mention servicing the air conditioning (I bought the car with 2 previous owners and have no evidence that any has been done), should I consider doing it now and how much would it cost?
2) How long roughly should the compressor, condenser, receiver dryer and evaporator last for (miles or years) ? many thanks.

Answer 1

The ac is a sealed system. dont mess with it unless something starts to act up. as far as life expectancy really depends on use.
But figure it was designed to last as long as the car.

Answer 2

Look to your owner's manual but I've never heard of yearly or preventative servicing.

Almost all A/C problems are expensive ones, except maybe the belt. An A/C system could run for the life of the car, years or two or three. If a bit of rust gets in there and stuck in the wrong spot, the refrigerant can't do it's job and it's costly. So, unless it's a car make with known issues on the A/C failing, it's hard to say.

The only preventative servicing I could suggest is to run it every so often. That would help contact the refrigerant with the seals and maybe prevent a slow leak.

Answer 3

there are no user servicable parts to the ac unit except for the fan belt. The unit is sealed. It should go for several years without needing any work. The most common problem, is a small leak, allowing the freon gas (R134) to leak out, causing the unit to work less and less well. If you notice this problem, it needs to be inspected for a leak, and the proper amo8unt of freon added. This can only be done by a trained A/C service tech. I't not too expensive, depending on the cause of the leak. On rare occasions, the a/c pump itslef can go bad. This can run 2-300 dollars to replace and recharge.

Answer 4

The AC should be cleaned and re-gassed at least once a year. At every service if possible, if Ford are servicing the vehicle then they should be doing this without question. If you are using an unauthorised dealer then it may cost you up to thirty pounds. Do do it though as the smell of an unclean AC, especially if you have cloth seats can permeate a car and when it is damp or hot can be extremely offensive.