My 93 400 sel had the evaporator / drier the whole shooting match replaced in 2004.

At the end of last summer it stopped blowing cool , and I brought it to my Indy. It was low on Freon and he put about 1lb in it , then realized his Freon can was empty and it was after 5 Pm so he did not charge me anything and said come back another day and we will fill it.

Now its 8 months later and it works well so far,but with summer coming , I brought it to my new Indy to fill. I figured when it gets warm running it half full is probably not a good idea.

He said he was out of freon till next week and said I should buy a can of Freon at Auto Zone or someplace like that , and fill it myself.

Does anyone agree or disagree with just adding a can without knowing how much is in there. He even said he would help me to put it in, when I bring the car next week to change the motor/tranny mounts. If you guys think its ok , is it a simple thing for me to do on my own?

Or should I insist on him filling it at around $60, versus just adding a can from a store myself or with his help.

Since I have solved my bogging down under load dilemma , I have decided to maintain my car better, and am going to do maintenance work before problems develop. It has 83K miles and still runs like a dream.

I changed plugs, caps/rotors/ , coils and 3 plug suppressors , fuel filter, brake booster hose , radiator cap, had MAf cleaned , and now I am going to change motor and tranny mounts.

Let me know your thoughts on Freon filling

You said it's working well now, so just do it when the guy has freon again, why take an extra step when it's working?
Gilly

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What type of freon is in the system - R12 or R134? If it's R134, then you can go to the parts store, buy a can and a hose and put it on yourself or have him help you. The can should only be $10 or so.

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1989 500SEL Euro
1966 250SE Cabriolet
1958 BMW Isetta 600

I would have it done by someone who has the right equipment to do the job, youll be saving a money down the road

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1986 300SDL, 211K,Dealership serviced its whole life
1991 190E 2.6(120k)
1983 300D(300k)
1977 300D(211k)

The 140s were designed to use 134A, you need to be carefull about over filling.

Auto zone has a Quest 134a with 2oz of sub zero booster and with a gauge for $26.99

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/catalog/accessories/accProductDetails.jsp?counter=5&categoryDisplayName=Air+Conditioning+Refrigerant+and+Accessories&fromString=search&itemIdentifier=532242_0_0_&productId=532242&sortType=&parentId=1308-10&filterByKeyWord=FREON&categoryNValue=101308&navValue=101150&fromWhere=&itemId=1150-10&displayName=17+oz.+of+R134a+and+2+oz.+of+Sub-Zero+A/C+booster+with+shelf+saving+dispenser&store=5282&skuDisplayName=17+oz.+of+R134a+and+2+oz.+of+Sub-Zero+A/C+booster+with+shelf+saving+dispenser&brandName=Quest

It says synthetic and no tools required. I can find out how much is in there now using K6JRFs method. Do you think it is safe for me to try myself.

I like to be able to familiarize myself with my car by doing simple DIY things myself . Also if it does not take it all , can I save it for future use ?
Is Quest a good brand

No comment on the brand as one cannot buy R134 in Canada without a course, and small cans are definately a no no...
However, it's not hard to do. Just a few simple instructions to follow. There should be a chart somewhere on the forum about the atmospheric temps, and the pressures to use. Freon is added while the car is running....

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'95 S320 LWB
'87 300SDL
'04 E500 wagon 4matic

Don't buy the stuff with ANY additives. You don't need any of the stuff. It is not likely to help anything, and it has the potential to really screw up your system.

But no matter what you add, be sure to purge the hose(s) of any AIR before you connect to the AC system. You don't want air in the system. Somehow, this vital bit of instruction seems to be left off of these junk kits.

And just to satisfy my pedantic side, Freon is R12. R134a is known by the trade-name Suva. I'd avoid Quest. Look for Du Pont.