Shops that still have R12 Freon in Southern California?

[paulviriyapan]

Help, help, help!! The weather is gettin extremely hot, and my car is black on black. I had the A/C checked. The pressure is good and there are no leaks, but the Freon is nearly gone. I've been trying to find a shop that still uses R12 but I have had no luck. Anyone know of a place in Southern California that still will recharge the R12 freon?!? (I really don't want to swap over to the R134a because I don't think it will be as cold, and it is pricey to boot).

The mechanic which worked on the NSX when it was the previous owner's, has it in stock and will sell it to me. The ony problem is that he is in Texas and I'm in California, and will only sell it in person and won't ship it because of regulations against shipping a potenially explosive gas. If there are no shops in Southern California, ummm, is anyone here planning a road trip from El Paso Texas to California that could bring me back some R12? Thanks.

 

[nsxtasy]

(I really don't want to swap over to the R134a because I don't think it will be as cold, and it is pricey to boot).

Reports from owners who have converted their cars to R-134a have indicated that the A/C in the converted NSX is plenty cold with the more environmentally-friendly refrigerant. R-134a is much, much cheaper than R-12, and as you can see, it is also much easier to find. The conversion is inexpensive (the kit lists for ~$60 and takes ~2 hours) and once it's done, you won't have to worry about finding R-12 any more. Converting to R-134a is really your best bet.

Incidentally, if the R-12 is nearly gone, there must be a leak somewhere. If you recharge it without finding the leak, the odds are that it's going to leak out again and you're going to be paying for another expensive recharge all over again...

 

[Joel]

I have the 134a in my car.
It's plenty cold.

 

[Russ]

I have the 134a in my car.
It's plenty cold.

My experience confirms this. IMO there's no reason to stick with R12, the conversion to 134a had no downside.

 

[Doug]

You say the pressure is checked and there are no leaks. If any freon is gone, then there is a leak. AC is a closed system. It should never need a recharge if it is leak free. Slow leaks can sometimes be blanketed with a recharge every year or so, but there is still a leak somewhere.

 

[Soichiro]

R12 Availability

You can buy R12 on eBay for reasonable prices. I just bought a bunch of cans from Texas and had them shipped ground to Illinois, no problem. You will need a license to buy the stuff ANYWHERE and that may be a problem. Have you tried your Acura dealer? They may stock it too, but the price will be higher than the wholesale price.

 

[greggv]

With Pride Auto Air Conditionong at 1248 W. Holt in Ontario, has lots of R12, and are good at A/C. (909) 391-4894 ask for Ron