Hello everyone!
I am new to this board but I'm glad I found it. I am having a problem with my air conditioning that has been compounded by a new problem. Let me explain...
I have noticed that my air conditioning is not as cold as it used to be. It still blows cold but it's only so-so in coldness. I had suspected that maybe it was low on freon but I wasn't sure. It's a '99 323i. My co-worker said that those little cans of synthetic freon at Autozone were great and that I should give it a shot because the guys there will help you with it, gauging it and everything to make sure it goes fine. I figured, what could I lose except the $20 or so bucks for the freon?
Today I went over to Autozone to look at the product and saw the cans with the little built-in pumps on top. I talked to the guy there for quite a while about the product and how I would know if I needed it. He didn't offer to help me do it, nor help with the gauging or anything (of course) but told me that I would have to go buy all the equipment. I asked if it was necessary to have the gauges and he said to get a precise amount, I would need the gauges, but he said the can was so small that it wouldn't do any harm and that it would just "top it off". He said either way, it would stop filling if it was too full because there isn't that much pressure in the cans compared to in the system and that it would just shut itself off. I was a little hesitant and this is when I should have made the right decision and just left the store and found another one that would be more helpful in running the gauge equipment for me. But instead of doing this, I decided to buy the can and put it in myself. At first I couldn't find the right tube (I found the larger one in the front but not the one in the rear), so I asked the guy to help me find it and he found it. So I did what I was supposed to, started up the engine, and put the air on full blast. I inserted the tube and began to fill when I heard the sound of the fan getting higher and higher. I stopped for a second and waited, and then finished dispensing the can because I thought maybe that was just normal. When I got back into the car, I noticed that now the air was really warm, the condenser was turning on a off and there was a rough-seeming idle now that was fluctuating. I turned it off and went back inside to tell him what happened. He seemed really nervous and said that I just needed to go have it checked out. Someone else was there that he referred me to that was just starting his shift and he told me to ask him about it. The new guy came out to listen and said "oh maybe there's not enough, or it could be too full". I said, well it didn't do that before, so I am safely assuming that it's too full. He didn't really know and offered me no help. So I left the store and didn't use the air at all because I didn't want to break anything, but now I think it's too full and I don't know what to do. I called Autozone to tell them what a terrible experience I had at there store and that I was told by several people how helpful Autozone is and how they would help me do this properly for free. That was not my experience at all, and now I wasted almost $20 to make my car worse and possibly have messed something else up. I called their regional office to complain and see if they would help me, but now I am really concerned that more damage has been done, or that I will have to pay more to have it all taken out and reconfigured, when that probably wasn't even the problem to begin with (I am guessing maybe there was a temperature sensor problem or something?) If anyone on here can offer some help or advice, I would really appreciate it. This kind of stuff ALWAYS happens to me where I go in and get treated much differently than other people have who recommended something to me. I am pretty upset about this.
I am new to this board but I'm glad I found it. I am having a problem with my air conditioning that has been compounded by a new problem. Let me explain...
I have noticed that my air conditioning is not as cold as it used to be. It still blows cold but it's only so-so in coldness. I had suspected that maybe it was low on freon but I wasn't sure. It's a '99 323i. My co-worker said that those little cans of synthetic freon at Autozone were great and that I should give it a shot because the guys there will help you with it, gauging it and everything to make sure it goes fine. I figured, what could I lose except the $20 or so bucks for the freon?
Today I went over to Autozone to look at the product and saw the cans with the little built-in pumps on top. I talked to the guy there for quite a while about the product and how I would know if I needed it. He didn't offer to help me do it, nor help with the gauging or anything (of course) but told me that I would have to go buy all the equipment. I asked if it was necessary to have the gauges and he said to get a precise amount, I would need the gauges, but he said the can was so small that it wouldn't do any harm and that it would just "top it off". He said either way, it would stop filling if it was too full because there isn't that much pressure in the cans compared to in the system and that it would just shut itself off. I was a little hesitant and this is when I should have made the right decision and just left the store and found another one that would be more helpful in running the gauge equipment for me. But instead of doing this, I decided to buy the can and put it in myself. At first I couldn't find the right tube (I found the larger one in the front but not the one in the rear), so I asked the guy to help me find it and he found it. So I did what I was supposed to, started up the engine, and put the air on full blast. I inserted the tube and began to fill when I heard the sound of the fan getting higher and higher. I stopped for a second and waited, and then finished dispensing the can because I thought maybe that was just normal. When I got back into the car, I noticed that now the air was really warm, the condenser was turning on a off and there was a rough-seeming idle now that was fluctuating. I turned it off and went back inside to tell him what happened. He seemed really nervous and said that I just needed to go have it checked out. Someone else was there that he referred me to that was just starting his shift and he told me to ask him about it. The new guy came out to listen and said "oh maybe there's not enough, or it could be too full". I said, well it didn't do that before, so I am safely assuming that it's too full. He didn't really know and offered me no help. So I left the store and didn't use the air at all because I didn't want to break anything, but now I think it's too full and I don't know what to do. I called Autozone to tell them what a terrible experience I had at there store and that I was told by several people how helpful Autozone is and how they would help me do this properly for free. That was not my experience at all, and now I wasted almost $20 to make my car worse and possibly have messed something else up. I called their regional office to complain and see if they would help me, but now I am really concerned that more damage has been done, or that I will have to pay more to have it all taken out and reconfigured, when that probably wasn't even the problem to begin with (I am guessing maybe there was a temperature sensor problem or something?) If anyone on here can offer some help or advice, I would really appreciate it. This kind of stuff ALWAYS happens to me where I go in and get treated much differently than other people have who recommended something to me. I am pretty upset about this.
