PETER’S AUTO WORKS

VOLVO

AIR CONDITIONING

Some of you may be aware of the change in Freon (refrigerant) from R-12 to R-134A. Volvo made this change in 1993 for all models. The manufacturing of R-12 stopped at the end of 1995, but it will remain available until reserve supplies are exhausted. The bad news is that the price of R-12 has gone through the roof - up to $75 per pound (average car takes 3 pounds).

We have found that even minor repairs on a car equipped with an R-12 system can easily reach $350, while a conversion to R134A can cost as much as $1100. We recommend a conversion if the repair cost exceeds $500-600, or if the air conditioning compressor or other major component needs to be replaced. This will be our 6th year of doing A.C. conversions so we have the knowledge and expertise to do the job right.

If a shop works on your car and adds Freon to the system, make sure that it is EXACTLY the same type that the system has in it. There are several aftermarket manufacturers that have butane (highly flammable) or other substances in the mix. If your system gets contaminated with dissimilar types of Freon (any combination of R12, R134a, R22, Freezone, Freeze-12) then most shops will not work on your car until ALL the contaminated Freon is removed from the system and properly disposed of.

Please call 503-684-3188 to schedule an appointment

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