I have an '04 and '08 TL. I took them both in to my mechanic today and he refilled the refrigerant. My AC doesn't even feel that much colder in either car. The '08 feels like it may have even gotten warmer, which leads me to believe that it was overfilled. I'll have a temperature gauge on Monday so I can check the temp of the air. From what I've read, the temp should be about 30-40F, correct? Is there anything else I should be checking? I paid $200 to have them both refilled, but the AC is far from ice cold like it should be.

 

Why have refrigerant added if not needed? If needed, there is a leak as the system is sealed and refrigerant shouldn't "leak" out.
The proper way is to discharge, vacuum, then fill by weight, but having gauges on the system when charging, one could get fairly accurate by adding refrigerant until gauges indicate system is filled, or at least in the proper psi readings. If overcharged you'll have the same results as undercharged, warm air.
Stick a temp. gauge in the center outlet, max, recirculate and see reading. The outlet temp would be dependent upon ambient temp.

 

I've owned my 04 for 6+ years and in that time refrigerant has never been added. I can't go another Arizona summer of 110 everyday without decent air conditioning, so I'm almost certain refrigerant needed to be added since the air blowing out wasn't super cold. Anytime it's 90+ here and I have the AC on my car is just barely tolerable enough to drive in. The 08 is what my wife drives our baby in and there have been too many times when the baby is sweating all over. The mechanic told me he would use a UV dye to check for leaks and apparently there were none. Like I said, I'll have a temperature gauge on Monday to check how cold the air is that's blowing out, but I wanted to get an idea if there are other things which may be causing the air to not be as cold as I expected. I do appreciate the reply!

 

There are other items that could cause poor a/c performance, heater control valve, HVAC door problems, but let's see what the thermometer reads during the test.

 

I just replacedmy Schrader valves, pulled a vacuum for 20 min. then filled with approx 22 oz of freon. My center vent temp on recirc was 32 degrees. I have an 04 tl and it was 78 degrees and humid outside. My local dealer wanted 400.00 to do this, it cost me about 35.00.

 

You're going on this whole red herring chase if there's no leak..




^^This

So many people feel like (If A/C =/= Cold, Add refrigerant), when that isn't always the solution and can cause more harm than good..

 

you need to put some gauges on it and get pressure readings and then if those check out verify that your FANS are working, your cabin air filter is clean and IMHO tint your windows. the heat rejection provided will definitely make a difference.

 

just got same thing done on my car - $120 at my mechanic