Hmmm....Good to know. The problem still remains though. There's not gonna be any R134A to use. Like I've been sqawking about all along. R134A is going bye bye. Keep a sharp eye on the price of 134. That's when you know the powers that be stopped producing it. You CANNOT stuff 1234yf into an R134A system. Not compatible. Then the gold rush begins on what's left of 134 in stock. Been there in the late 70's-80's. SAME situation. Then the car manufactures force you to buy a car using 1234yz. It's the same old scam with the chemical companies and the bean counters. They don't care about any ozone layer. They already admitted switching to R134A made no improvement to the ozone layer. Complete scam,,,again....And the poor schmuck driver gets it dry...,,again
How to recognize an overcharged AC system
- Thread starter Snagglefoot
- Start date
According to those making r134a, as long as there is a demand for it, the suppliers will continue making it, so not to worry, it will be a decade or two before that demand declines enough to possibly have production cease.
Sorry, I don't believe the makers of R134A. There was still a demand for R12, and they came out with a " conversion kit" to switch you're car from R12 to R134A. ( They were compatible, rubber seals needed to be replaced in the R12 cars, and there were plenty of R12 cars on still on the road) It was a total flop. Just received my stash of R134A today, along with some compressor oil. I'm good. Once burned, twice learned.
I buy 120 pounds of R134a a year, Small potato's here in Texas. A busy general repair shop can though 500+ pounds easy. I buy in the off-season when refrigerant prices are lowest with a added discount.
134a prices have been pretty stable unlike R12 6+ years into the 134a change over. Even then cheap R12 was available via Mexico.
Exactly.
The big difference was R12 was banned from being installed in new cars after 1994 and production was banned after the end of 1995 by the govt. This is not the case with r134a.
Totally different situations.
For the regular Joe Schmo, like me, it was a nightmare. We all relied on our local parts stores for freon, in those little 1 lb cans. They disappeared 1st. The 20lb cans were still around. Doesn't matter, I got my supply of small 1lb cans now. Thank you BITOG for tipping me off. I won't have to go thru that again. Just need to be concerned about my 3 cars. Not buying anything new, anytime soon. Thanks again 
Our local Walmart and parts stores still have the small cans of R134a. Years ago, I bought three 30 lb. tanks of R134 and still have two full ones. I should be good for a long time. I also still have a mostly full 50 lb. tank of R12 that I still use for my 92 Cavalier.For the regular Joe Schmo, like me, it was a nightmare. We all relied on our local parts stores for freon, in those little 1 lb cans. They disappeared 1st. The 20lb cans were still around. Doesn't matter, I got my supply of small 1lb cans now. Thank you BITOG for tipping me off. I won't have to go thru that again. Just need to be concerned about my 3 cars. Not buying anything new, anytime soon. Thanks again
It's what replaced R134a in newer systems. Less damaging to the ozone layer.
Don't you believe that Jetronic. They said the same thing about R12 vs R134A. It made no difference in the ozone layer. This is about chemical companies and the bean counters. The only way to shrink the hole in the ozone layer is not to release the freon into the atmosphere. They have done a good job with that. Especially with those re-usable cans,,, the ones where you just hit the trigger and the freon comes out, then stops. Unlike the old cans. You punch a hole it it, don't use it all, and let the remaining fly so you can take you're fill hose back. Ultimately, the correct way is a shop. But, not everybody has the $$$$ for a shop evacuate/ refill, including myself. When you put a fridge out for trash in New York, you have to pay $ 75 for a company to suck the freon out of it, and pay extra for the town to pick it up. About $ 100 bucks to throw a fridge out in New York.
it was 1993 and it was a disaster for me as i couldnt afford a new 1994 car
THANK YOU !!!!!! SOMEBODY REMEMBERS !!!! We didn't have the shop "connections" to get the R12. Just Joe Schmo's with hot A/C trying to find a 1 lb can of R12. Remember the cost of the " retrofit to 134A" for you're R12 car. It was insane !!!!!!! That was a shop job. Change 0 rings...and it didn't work anyway. It was a scam !!!!!!! I'm glad there are some po folks out there like me ( I don't know if you're still poor/ lower middle class anymore ). Some of these guys are too rich for my blood in this forum.
