MOTOR has made updates to vehicle chapters using R1234yf refrigerant, increasing labor time for evacuate and recharge to 1.7 hours from 1.4 hours.

MOTOR indicated in a June 10 Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG) inquiry that, “MOTOR will add the AC type differences as a point of discussion for the 2025 GTE update cycle. Any changes or adjustments will be published in the annual November release of the GTE review.”

At this time, no additional information is available in the Guide to Estimating (GTE). Historically, MOTOR makes GTE updates during Q4, according to the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS). Current GTE information is applicable for refrigerant recovery and AC system evacuate and recharge.

DEG says it will continue to monitor any changes and provide the industry with updates.

R1234yf requires additional steps that repairers may not be used to, including a refrigerant identification step before it recovers refrigerant into its internal tank, according to I-CAR’s Jason Hauboldt in a recent SCRS Quick Tip video.

For recharging, a mandatory vacuum test is conducted to look for leaks and ensure the system’s integrity, he said.

“If it passes that, it’ll put 15% of the refrigerant into the system of the charge, and then it’ll prompt you to do a test inside the car underneath the dash,” Hauboldt said. “You turn the car on but don’t start it, and the blower motor on low, the vent to the floor, and you run your sniffer in there on the highest setting for about 5 minutes or so. You want to make sure that there’s no refrigerant leaking out of that evaporator into the passenger compartment, and the reason for that is because 1234yf is mildly flammable.”

He also noted that vehicles with electric compressors, such as hybrids and EVs, should only use the correct non-conductive refrigerant oil.

“If you put the wrong oil in there that’s conductive, you could end up with a ground fault and an error in the system, disabling the whole electrical system in it, and then you’re looking at replacing every single component in that AC system to correct that,” Hauboldt said. “It’s not a mistake anybody wants to make.”

Last year, Ducker Carlisle confirmed that R1234yf is OEMs’ refrigerant of choice in plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

Ducker Carlisle said at the time that OEMs should consider options to provide effective thermal management because it’s critical to battery range and lifespan, such as a CO2 heat pump.

In July 2023, the differences between recharging R1234yf and R-134a systems were discussed at a Collision Industry Conference (CIC) meeting as both are commonplace in the marketplace. However, an Environmental Protection Agency mandated R-1234yf in 2021 for all new cars. R-134a is being phased out.

In another recent SCRS Quick Tip video, Hauboldt provides an overview of the differences between R-1234yf and R-134a refrigerants:

“OEs, in partnership with SAE and the EPA, they’re always looking for more environmentally friendly options to provide cooling in your vehicle,” he said. “1234yf is just the next step in that progression, and like that progression, they’re working on more in the future, so this probably is not the last time we’ll have this conversation.”

Barry Dorn, with Dorn’s Body & Paint and SCRS past chairman, and Hauboldt stated in the video that repairers should always review refrigerant machine service information and OEM vehicle information.

Images

Featured image: Barry Dorn, with Dorn’s Body & Paint and SCRS past chairman, and I-CAR’s Jason Hauboldt discuss A/C refrigerant types and machines during an SCRS Quick Tip video. (YouTube screenshot)

Secondary image provided by SCRS and DEG

More information

‘Repair U’: R-1234yf not going away, so auto body repairers, insurers need to be ready