Ross White
Excellent
Fill in the form and we'll be in touch to confirm your booking.
If your air con is blowing warm air on a hot Shire summer day, a car air con regas is often the fix. Over time, the refrigerant gas your system relies on slowly leaks out, even when nothing is obviously broken. The result is weak cooling, longer wait times before cold air arrives, or no cold air at all. At our Kirrawee workshop, we recharge the system properly and check why the gas dropped in the first place, so you're not back again next month.
Most people notice the cooling has gone soft before they think about the refrigerant. The change is usually gradual, so it's easy to put up with for a while. Here are the common signs it's time for an auto air con regas:
A small drop in performance often points to a slow leak. Refrigerant doesn't get "used up" in a healthy, sealed system, so if levels are low, the gas has escaped somewhere. That's why a regas on its own isn't always the whole story, and why we look closer before topping up.
We start by connecting your vehicle to our air con machine and checking the existing pressures. From there, the old refrigerant is recovered and measured, so we can see exactly how much was left in the system. That measurement tells us a lot. A near-empty system usually means a leak that needs finding, not just a refill.
Our process generally includes:
If we suspect a leak, we can introduce a UV dye or use electronic detection to trace it. We'll always talk you through what we find before doing extra work, so there are no surprises on the invoice. Modern vehicles, including many European and Japanese models we service regularly, use specific refrigerant types and exact charge weights, and we match those properly rather than guessing.
A straightforward regas on a system that's simply low is quick and good value. Costs and timing change once a fault is involved. The main factors are:
We don't quote a flat figure online because every system is different. What we will do is give you honest, transparent pricing once we know the condition of your air con, and never recommend work you don't need.
We're a local, owner-operator workshop in Kirrawee with over 30 years of hands-on experience and more than 18 years serving the Sutherland Shire. We're not a dealership and we're not a quick-fit chain. That means dealer-level diagnostic equipment and know-how on European and Japanese vehicles, paired with fair pricing and straight answers.
When you bring your car in for an air con regas, you get honest advice with no upselling. If your system only needs a top-up, that's all we'll do. If there's a leak worth fixing, we'll explain it plainly and let you decide. Alongside air con work, we handle logbook servicing, diagnostics and fault-code scanning, and performance tuning, using genuine and genuine-equivalent parts that protect your manufacturer warranty.
If your air con isn't keeping up, Call Us Today or Book Your Free Inspection online, and we'll get your cooling sorted right here in Kirrawee.
Whatever your needs we have you covered, see some similar services below or click “See All Services” to explore our full service offering.
Why Choose Us
We've been looking after cars in Kirrawee and the Sutherland Shire for over 18 years. Owner-operated, honest to the core, and equipped to handle European and Japanese vehicles properly.
Deep experience across European and Japanese makes means faster, more accurate diagnosis.
We tell you what's needed and what it costs before we start — no hidden extras.
We inspect the whole AC system so faults get found before they become bigger problems.
Whatever your needs chances are we have you covered, see other brands we service below or click “See All Brands” to see the full list of brands we service.
Getting your air con recharged at Shire Tune & Service is a straightforward process from booking to back on the road.
Book your free inspection online or call us today and let us know your air con isn't cooling properly.
We test system pressure and check for leaks before recharging, so we're not just topping up a faulty system.
We evacuate old refrigerant, confirm the system holds vacuum, then recharge to manufacturer specification.
We verify outlet temperatures are correct before you leave, so you drive away with a properly cold cabin.
We source parts from reputable suppliers to keep your vehicle running reliably. Quality components, fitted right the first time.
Enter your rego and pick a time online, or drop by the workshop — we'll be in touch to confirm your booking.
Fill in the form and we'll be in touch to confirm your booking.
Browse the answers below to find what you need. If your question isn't listed, give us a call and we'll sort it out.
The clearest sign is that your air conditioning isn't cooling as well as it used to. If you're running the system on its coldest setting and the air coming through is barely cool, the refrigerant level is likely low. Other signs include the system taking a long time to cool the cabin, or blowing cool air intermittently. A quick pressure check will confirm whether a regas is what's needed or whether there's an underlying leak that should be fixed first.
We connect your vehicle to a refrigerant recovery and recharge machine, which draws out the remaining refrigerant, measures what came out, checks for contaminants, and then recharges the system to the correct level for your vehicle. We also check operating pressures while the system runs to confirm it's working as it should. The whole process typically takes under an hour for most vehicles, and many customers wait on the day.
The cost varies depending on your vehicle's refrigerant type, how much refrigerant is needed, and whether any faults are found during the process. Older vehicles use R134a refrigerant, while newer models use R1234yf, which is more expensive. We give you a clear price before we start, so there are no surprises. If we find a leak or another issue during the regas process, we'll let you know what's involved before any additional work is done.
Running a low-refrigerant system puts extra strain on the compressor, which is the most expensive component in your air conditioning system. Over time, inadequate lubrication from low refrigerant levels can cause the compressor to wear prematurely or seize. In a hot Kirrawee summer, a failed air con is also a real comfort and safety issue, particularly for families with young children in the car. Addressing it early is usually a much smaller cost than replacing a damaged compressor later.
Most vehicles benefit from a regas every two to three years under normal use, but this varies. Air conditioning systems are sealed, so they shouldn't lose refrigerant quickly under normal conditions. If your system needs regassing more frequently than that, it's worth having it checked for a slow leak. We always check pressures and look for obvious signs of leakage during a regas so you're not just topping up a system that will lose its charge again soon.
Under ACCC guidance, Australian consumer law generally does not require you to have your vehicle serviced at a franchised dealership to maintain your manufacturer warranty, provided the work is carried out to the required standard using appropriate parts and materials. This applies to air conditioning servicing as well. That said, this is general information rather than legal advice, and it's worth checking your specific warranty conditions. We're happy to talk through what's involved and what records we keep.
A musty smell is usually caused by bacteria and mould growth on the evaporator, not low refrigerant, so a regas alone won't fix it. The evaporator sits inside the dashboard and stays damp after the system runs, which makes it a breeding ground for odour-causing bacteria. An air conditioning system deodoriser or evaporator treatment is the right approach for that issue. That said, if your system is also not cooling properly, a regas may still be due at the same time.
It depends on the cause. If the system stopped working due to low refrigerant, a regas will often restore it. However, if the compressor has seized, there's a blocked expansion valve, or the system has an electrical fault, a regas alone won't resolve it. We diagnose the system before we regas to make sure we're actually fixing the problem, not just adding refrigerant to a system that has a bigger issue. That way you're not paying for a regas that won't solve anything.
Yes. We check system pressures and inspect accessible components for signs of leakage as part of the process. If we find evidence of a significant leak, we'll let you know before proceeding, because regassing a leaking system means the refrigerant will escape again and you'd be back to square one. For hard-to-find leaks, we can introduce UV dye into the system, which makes the leak point visible under a UV light during a follow-up inspection.
We handle air conditioning regassing at our workshop in Kirrawee, which serves customers from across the Sutherland Shire including Caringbah, Miranda, Gymea, Jannali and surrounding areas. We use proper refrigerant recovery and recharge equipment, and we'll check system pressures and inspect for leaks as part of the service. Most vehicles can be done the same day. Call Us Today or Book Your Free Inspection online and we'll get your air con cooling properly again.