Honda Repair: Air Conditioning, r12 to r134, head ache

Question
I have a 1987/8 Accord 2.0EXI. The air con does not work. It needs regassing and I have been told it needs converting from R12 to R134 which is quite expensive. I've found out that some places can top up the system with RS24 gas which is a substitute especially developed to replace R12 and is a lot less expensive. Would you suggest that I get the conversion done or is the RS24 substitute OK to use?

Answer
Matt,

Great question! Glad you brought it up.

I would NOT recommend using RS24 substitute for several reasons.
1: It does not work as effectivly as R12 or R134.
2: It can be very dangerous and hard to detect when you take it in for service. Most shops do not have a freon detector. Therefore someone may not know that you have this freon in the system. They may go to remove the old freon with thier machine. Thus mixing RS24 with R134 or R12, causing a possibly dangerous situation. Not to mention the head ache of contanimating the machine.
3: Most shops do not deal with this freon. Down the road (when you need a charge again) you will be in the same situation, and if the dealer does not use that freon, you will have to take action again on what you plan to do.

Do yourself and the future technicians a favor. Do not use that freon.
I would suggest converting the system to R134. It may be SLIGHTLY more expensive now, but it will be A LOT cheaper in the long run.

Good luck and hopefully you will take my advise.

Gene/ASE Master Technician/ Honda Platinum technician.