Time to Stock up on R134A

[WhiteHawk]

So a little public service announcement here. I just found out through my work (to be clear this is not anything secret though) that the government is phasing out R134A - which has been the main refrigerant in most of the cars built up until the late 20 teens. The only place that most OEM's are still using it is in HD and bigger trucks, where it is still allowed. To get the automakers to switch to R1234YF, they have been giving generous CAFE credits for making the change early, so most auto companies have switched by now.

The US government (I am guessing the EPA) issued proposed rulemaking recently that wanted to eliminate US use of R134A by 2026. It is already banned in Europe, so we are under pressure to do it too (thanks Joe Biden!). Most of the OEM's pushed back and asked for 2028, since 2026 is literally only a couple years, and in terms of vehicle production, and it takes a while to change that stuff over. Nobody knows if the EPA will delay it to 2028 or stick with 2026. So if they go with 2026, it will be unobtanium in two years.

The final decision is coming in October of this year. Once they make the final decision, they are going to put a cap on how much R134A can be produced per year, with less per year until the phase out is complete, so the price will probably start going up immediately. If you have a car or truck running this refrigerant that you plan on keeping until 2028 or later, now is a good time to buy, because it will probably never be cheaper. If you don't know, there should be a label when you pop the hood telling you what the refrigerant is, and how much is in the vehicle.

-Geoff

[camaromann]

That’ll be fun since R1234YF is flammable lmao

[WhiteHawk]

That’ll be fun since R1234YF is flammable lmao

Yea, just what we need in EV's, right?

-Geoff

[4Gas$]

Thank you Geoff, good info!

[Atrus]

So a little public service announcement here. I just found out through my work (to be clear this is not anything secret though) that the government is phasing out R134A - which has been the main refrigerant in most of the cars built up until the late 20 teens. The only place that most OEM's are still using it is in HD and bigger trucks, where it is still allowed. To get the automakers to switch to R1234YF, they have been giving generous CAFE credits for making the change early, so most auto companies have switched by now.

The US government (I am guessing the EPA) issued proposed rulemaking recently that wanted to eliminate US use of R134A by 2026. It is already banned in Europe, so we are under pressure to do it too (thanks Joe Biden!). Most of the OEM's pushed back and asked for 2028, since 2026 is literally only a couple years, and in terms of vehicle production, and it takes a while to change that stuff over. Nobody knows if the EPA will delay it to 2028 or stick with 2026. So if they go with 2026, it will be unobtanium in two years.

The final decision is coming in October of this year. Once they make the final decision, they are going to put a cap on how much R134A can be produced per year, with less per year until the phase out is complete, so the price will probably start going up immediately. If you have a car or truck running this refrigerant that you plan on keeping until 2028 or later, now is a good time to buy, because it will probably never be cheaper. If you don't know, there should be a label when you pop the hood telling you what the refrigerant is, and how much is in the vehicle.

-Geoff

Thanks for the head's up - looks like I'll be hoarding a bit. My WK and F-Body both need a topup right now, and I do plan on running some 2000-2008 era vehicles for years to come.

That’ll be fun since R1234YF is flammable lmao

Dang, I didn't know that!

[WhiteHawk]

Most cars and trucks only need one or two 12 oz cans for a complete fill, but when the car or truck gets old, it usually all leaks out at once. I am going to get a half dozen. You should look for some bulk container for that kind of fleet! The problem with those 12 oz cans is that once you pierce them, that is pretty much it. So if you need one and a quarter cans, you need two.

-Geoff

[1BADAIR]

R1234 machines SUCK!!!!!

[Atrus]

Most cars and trucks only need one or two 12 oz cans for a complete fill, but when the car or truck gets old, it usually all leaks out at once. I am going to get a half dozen. You should look for some bulk container for that kind of fleet! The problem with those 12 oz cans is that once you pierce them, that is pretty much it. So if you need one and a quarter cans, you need two.

-Geoff

Yeah, I think when I filled my Suburban last summer after repairs, it was like 3.2lbs complete, IIRC? I have the Suburban and Yukon, so those are in the 3lb range, my WK (needs a topoff right now, I think), and my '00 Camaro (also needs a topoff right now). I may see if I can just get a case (12) of them for a reasonable price.

[dave89iroc]

Yeah, I think when I filled my Suburban last summer after repairs, it was like 3.2lbs complete, IIRC? I have the Suburban and Yukon, so those are in the 3lb range, my WK (needs a topoff right now, I think), and my '00 Camaro (also needs a topoff right now). I may see if I can just get a case (12) of them for a reasonable price.

past 5+ years I've been buying cases(12x12oz cans) from Ollies Discount, I need to go buy more, they have been the cheapest I've found around

[dave89iroc]

R1234 machines SUCK!!!!!

agreed