If your car is experiencing air conditioning (A/C) issues, you may be able to take care of it yourself. That’s the message from one woman who was able to circumvent a potentially costly repair with a $35 purchase from AutoZone.
The DIY video comes from creator Lesha (@ithinkthatseesh). Lesha posted the video on Sunday. It has since received more than 2.2 million views and 167,000 likes.
“If your A/C is blowing out hot air, don’t call the mechanic, baby, because you are the mechanic,” she begins, before going to AutoZone and purchasing a can of B’laster R-134a Refrigerant Kit with Stop Leak and UV Dye, which is listed on the website as $34.99.
She then walks viewers through the steps for using the A/C recharge kit, starting with, “Go home and use two fingers to pop the hood open—that bad boy up—and prop this up,” referring to the hood.
She notes you should look around the engine for a nozzle with an “L” on the cap. “Here is one very close with an ‘H’ on it. Don’t use that one.”
She then shows how the recharger is used, pointing out the gauge on the top of the can. She instructs viewers not to let the charger get into the red zone, especially if it wasn’t that low to begin with.
“If you attach this nozzle and it does not say you’re low, you don’t need to do this,” she points out. “It might be another issue with your air conditioning.”
In the final scene of the video, she goes back around to the driver’s seat, starts the car, and lo and behold, the DIY repair has worked.
Will the A/C AutoZone product work for you?
On the r/MechanicsAdvice forum on Reddit, someone posited a question two years ago: “Are AC Recharge kits bull[expletive] or worth the money?”
“If it isn’t leaking adding more refrigerant isn’t going to make it colder,” one pointed out. “It will however raise the pressures in the system and those will find out which part(s) are weak. Usually it kills the seals or compressor.”
“Adding refrigerant doesn’t make it blow colder,” opined another. “Cleaning out the system and/or replacing parts might, but overcharging a system that doesn’t leak will just make it find somewhere to leak from.”
Yet, someone else countered with, “I disagree. I bought an A/C recharge kit and used it because my A/C was blowing lukewarm air when it was set all the way low. Upon connecting the hose, my pressure was at 28, they recommend around 50. I added refrigerant until I got to 50 and now my air is ice cold.”
The consensus echoed with Lesha noted: For specific situations, a recharge kit will do the trick, but not all A/C problems can be dealt with in this fashion.
Others weigh in
The video’s comment section included one warning worth heeding: Not all refrigerants are the same.
“Mechanic here! PLEASE double check which freon your car takes! Most cars 1993-2015 use R134A, but they switched to R1234YF [starting in 2017]. Put in the right freon or you may be looking at a SEVERAL thousand dollar repair bill!”
“Also make sure the bottle of refrigerant is upside down as it fills so all the air goes to the top of the can!” advised another.
“Also check your coolant!!” someone else counseled. “I thought my AC went out and I immediately called my dad. He and my brother told me to check the coolant and it was low. I filled it to the line and let it run, the cold air came back!”
One comment prompted a response from Lesha. “The pipe should be cold to the touch if it’s going in correctly.”
She said in response, “THIS! I thought my hand was going to freeze off if I held it any longer.”
While many of the comments were about the repair itself, one took the occasion to discuss what the repair might signify.
“This just gave me the realization that we may just have to be the men now,” they wrote.
@ithinkthatseesh ** Make sure the car is ON & the AC is on full blast while doing this! ALSO, be sure to actually get the right refrigerant for YOUR make / model! & Lastly, Try at your own risk. This worked perfectly for me but I accept no liabilities if this goes terribly wrong for you. Please do your own research The associates at the store may also help you put it in if you ask nicely
** I was today years old when I learned about this. Summer is HERE! Repost for someone who may not know this trick! Also the PSI ended up being closer to 45 on the gage. #airconditioning #car #ac ♬ original sound – iesha | WFHM
The Daily Dot has reached out to Lesha via TikTok and Instagram direct message and to AutoZone via email.
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