I recently took my car for a freon charge cause ac was no longer cold. It worked well for a few days then stopped working. It was inspected and they found freon was low again. However they were not able to detect the leak in the engine compartment. They said it might be inside the dash area and I need to go to an air con specialist. Im a bit confused. Many experience with this before?

 

A good shop will add a fluorescent die to the refrigerant and detect the leak with an UV light.

 

Dajark....this is just a shot in the dark, but you might try the freon with a leak sealer. It's fairly cheap and might work if you have a very small leak...
By the way welcome to the forum....Folks here really try to help..

 

I went to sears for this test. I'm not sure where they would rate as far as mechanics. They did that fluorescent die test and found nothing. I would like to try the freon leak sealant but because it drained so fast wouldn't that indicate a large leak? Im still looking for a reputable mechanic here in southern Cali. I normally use a family mechanic, but his track record in repairs has been slipping lately. And thank you for the help. I love this forum! Thanks for the advice.
mark.

 

Yes, Dajark, that looks like a large leak and that is why I would not trust that particular mechanic. So he was to lazy to look at the system under the dash?

The refrigerant comes in 3 flavors, plain (refrigerant with oil), high mileage (refrigerant, oil and seal conditioner that expands shrinking o-rings) and severe leak stopping variety. Plain and High Mileage are easy to use, just follow the instructions. The severe leak stopping type is a bit tricky. I have been told that it may clog the valve where you add the refrigerant. I won't use it for that reason.