Car service. Illegal practice with air conditioning
Poland is flooded with air conditioners of unknown origin, according to the Association of Distributors and Manufacturers of Auto Parts. It is believed that up to 40 percent. domestic demand may come from illegal supplies.
The website motofocus.pl informs that in accordance with the EU MAC (mobile air conditioning) directive, from January 1, 2017, refrigerants used in air conditioning systems must have a GWP (Global Warming Potential) value not exceeding 150. The higher the GWP value, the greater the impact on the climate.
Meanwhile, R90a, used in cars since the 134s, had a GWP value of 1430. A new refrigerant was chosen. This is R1234yf with a GWP value of 4. Thus, its impact on global warming is incomparably less than that of the previous factor.
In addition to the removal of R134a air conditioning systems from new vehicles, the EU directive has significantly restricted and is increasingly restricting trade in this factor in the European Union over time. The problem is that the air conditioning systems in cars manufactured before 2017 are overwhelmingly not adapted to refueling with the new R1234yf refrigerant.
Another problem is its very high price. At the start of 2018, prices for old R134a rose by 600% in a matter of weeks. Meanwhile, the demand for the old factor is still huge, and the supply is severely limited by EU rules.
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“As is often the case, restrictive policies have contributed to the pathology. Illicit imports of the substance have emerged and developed, says Alfred Franke, president of the Automotive Parts Distributors and Manufacturers Association. – According to our estimates, the value of smuggling and illegal trade in old R134a in Poland is PLN 240 million. The factor, which has not been tested by the EU institutions and is most often produced in China, enters our country mainly through the border of Ukraine and Russia. Today even 40 percent. domestic demand could come from illegal supplies, he adds.
Honest garage owners who have adapted to EU regulations and are buying legal, proven R134a factor at inflated prices - due to huge demand and limited supply - have the most to lose from illegal practices.
Honest distributors who sell legal gas also lose out, because the share of the illegal factor is still growing.
How to recognize illegal gas? R134a refrigerant sold in the European Union cannot be stored in disposable bottles. If there are such refrigerant cylinders on the "shelves" of the workshop, then you can be sure that it does not have approvals and certificates, in other words, you do not know what it really is.
It happens that the cylinders contain substances that are harmful to health and even flammable. Knowingly using an untested refrigerant in your car's A/C system is not only dangerous, it's also illegal.
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