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MG MGF Technical - Air conditioning

Hi Guys,

I own a TF 135 Spark regd 2005 - I am interested in having air conditioning fitted to the vehicle - can anyone recommend a garage that can carry out this? I live in the North West.

Thanks
Katrew

It could be done AT A PRICE!
From the factory it was near to £1200.00 on a TF.
My 99F has it and it is wonderful in this heat.
Not sure who you would go to and the labour cost would be huge as so much of the car would have to be dismantled.

Tony
Tony Harrison

Mike Satur used to have one (and only one) advertised for £1000 plus fitting - don't know if he still does but worth a go.

Cheers,
Tim
Tim Jenner

And fortunately Mike Satur is in the North West! Check out his website: http://www.mikesatur.co.uk/
Rob Bell

My F is going to be inspected for a possible fitting of an aftermarket unit here in HK (when it arrives). Or there is an F in the breakers yard with an ac unit. I hope to get the work done for about 500 quid.

The latter is more likely I as cant see how they would fit a unit meant for a saloon car into the F.
Paddy

The Aircon was Dealer fit, so you might be able to find an ex Rover dealer willing to do the work. I think B&G in Balldock had the kits for sale a while ago, so you could give them a try. My car has Aircon and whilst it is useful, It does require regassing frequently, even though they can't find a leak. Was also looking on another site (As my aircon doesn't seem as good as it used to be) and they say that keeping the condenser (front radiator) clean is a must, preassure wash it to get rid of the stuff blocking it up. So I'll have a go at that. I watched them regas the ac this time. They weigh the tank of refirdgerent and stop when it gets 620 grams lighter (matches what it says on the label on the car), so i know that it's gassed correctly but still isn't as good as it was.
Keith

The A/C from MY 2000 was a Factory fit option and was not shown in the Dealer Optional Extras brochure with a Kit part Number.
Mine has not been re-gassed from new (5 1/2 years). The only problem has been blockage of the water drain lip seal.
New parts individually would be an exhorbitant price so a kit from a breakers would be the best option however not many UK cars had it fitted although most Japanese re-imports do.
Geoff F.
G. Farthing

Re poor aircon performance...

My '96 Jap import F had very poor aircon performance when I first got it last year... It also had a burnt out low speed fan resistor...

Whilst dismantling the aircon unit to gain access to the resistors - I noticed the evaporator (the part that gets cold in the incoming airflow) was absolutely chocka with dead leaves, and other such sludge! A good thorough clean and the performance is now superb - its even good enough to run it on full cold with the roof down and still get a good chill! Well worth a check if your aircon is not as good as it used to be. Careful though, its a bit fiddly down there!

Dave
Dave

I think the air con was only ever a factory fit option, with Mike Satur the only person I heard offering a retro fit. The air con requires changes to the enginebay, cabin and front of the car - not the sort of thing you wouild trust to your average dealer!

In the Far East even the least expensive taxis seem to have air con and I do not believe these guys spend over a thousand quid for this. Some units look distinctly third party so perhaps it is possible to get a unit fitted in HK that never saw the inside of Longbridge.

I am sure Nanny State would not allow them to be used in the UK for fear of breaking some REALLY important EU rule or 'eft-n-safety regulation.

Cheers

Patrick
PA Beet

Dave,I have an import VVC with a/c.Can you tell me exactly where this"evaporator " is so I can check mine out.The a/c seems ok but then I guess I have grown used to it and I am not really sure how cold it really should be.Thanks,MB
MR Blencowe

Patrick,
Contrary to what you say, the air con was indeed a dealer fit option for a few years (parts number JMG 100490 and JMG 100510 were the two kits needed for a RHD car). Don't know if they sold many, but that's another story...

As others have said, regular re-gassing is indeed needed. What is also needed - and very often overlooked - is a replacement of the "Receiver dryer" every few years (4 or 5, I have been told). Part number for early cars (up to 522314) is JRJ100260 and for later cars (from 522315) the number is JRJ100740. Cost should be around £100 for the part.

Apparently, this "Receiver dryer assembly" is the thing that takes the humidity out of ther air, but it gets saturated over time.

I had mine changed a few weeks ago (four year old car) and the air con is now delivering close to freezing cold air through the vents. Brilliant, with close to 40 degrees we have had here in Belgium lately... :-)

Per
Per

This thread was discussed between 20/07/2006 and 22/07/2006

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