Hissing A/C Now no longer working

[jjscruff]

Hot day and as i pulled in to park at home and turned the engine off, the ventilation system lett out a hissing sigh.

Now its unable to produce cold air.

Could just need an AC gas top up? I don't think its ever been done (2012 car)

Or does this point to a leaking system?

It was functioning perfectly fine before the hissing noise

Cheers

[RUM4MO]

Best plan is to hand it into a proper AC place for checking which will mean recovering any R134 left in the system - and weigh it, apply a vacuum to dry the system and at the same time check that it is leak free enough to get recharged/refilled.

All these mobile Car AC systems do lose a small amount of their AC gas charge - that is because they have "rubber" flexible pipes and similar O-ring seals, so eventually having it ending up being "short of gas" during a hot period of weather is not too surprising at its age.

[jjscruff]

thanks for your reply.what should i look for in finding a proper AC place?

[RUM4MO]

Maybe even try a local ATS if you have them nearby - and check online for any discount codes.

[callumhind]

The hissing is characteristic of a system that is low on refrigerant. Has it been hissing for a while, or has it very suddenly started happening?

If it’s been going on for a while, I would hedge my bets at it just needing a recharge (make sure to get a proper garage to do this as they will need to pull a vacuum on to test for any major leaks and to also dry out the system of any moisture). If it’s come on very suddenly, it could be a leak, but I would personally look at a recharge as a first point of action.