What the owner reported
The aircon was taking a while to cool the cabin. The owner thought the gas might be low and asked us to check it while the car was in for other work.
This Mercedes-Benz CLA 180 Shooting Brake was taking a long time to cool down. When our team checked the aircon, refrigerant gas was leaking from both the cooling coil and the expansion valve. A gas top-up leaked out again. We replaced the cooling coil and expansion valve together with OEM parts. The aircon repair carries a warranty of at least 6 months.
Job completed: October 2026
| Car | Mercedes-Benz CLA 180 Shooting Brake (X117) |
|---|---|
| Symptom | Aircon slow to cool down the cabin |
| Fault found | Refrigerant gas leaking from the cooling coil and the expansion valve; a gas top-up leaked out again |
| Repair done | OEM cooling coil with expansion valve replaced, with the whole dashboard removed and refitted. Same visit: engine oil leak repair (turbo coolant and oil pipes, water pump, oil level sensor, flywheel oil seal), engine oil change, battery, front brake pads and discs, reconditioned front left driveshaft, tyre patch at no charge. |
| Parts | OEM cooling coil and expansion valve |
| Time taken | Car dropped off 25 October; all work finished 30 October, alongside several other repairs |
| Cost | $1,300 nett agreed for the aircon cooling coil and expansion valve, before a further discount on the combined bill for the visit |
| Warranty | Warranty of at least 6 months on the aircon cooling coil and expansion valve repair |
The aircon was taking a while to cool the cabin. The owner thought the gas might be low and asked us to check it while the car was in for other work.
The cooling coil, also called the evaporator, is the part that makes the cabin air cold. The expansion valve meters refrigerant into it and connects straight to the coil. On this CLA our team took the whole dashboard out to replace the cooling coil and expansion valve together. Our team set aside two full days for that part of the job.
Our team checked the aircon and found refrigerant gas leaking from both the cooling coil and the expansion valve. They topped up the gas, and it leaked out again.
So a top-up was never going to last. The expansion valve connects to the cooling coil, so both were replaced together.
An aircon system is sealed. If the gas runs low, it has escaped somewhere. Topping it up only refills what will leak out again.
In Singapore the aircon runs almost every time the car moves, so a slow leak shows up quickly as weak cooling. The real fix is to find where the gas escapes and replace that part.
We removed the dashboard, replaced the cooling coil and expansion valve with OEM parts, and refitted everything.
The car was also in for an engine oil leak our team had found earlier. We replaced the turbo coolant and oil pipes, the water pump, the engine oil level sensor and the flywheel oil seal. The flywheel oil seal needs the gearbox taken out, so that work ran alongside the aircon job. The engine oil was changed and a new battery fitted.
While the car was in, our team found the front brake pads worn out and the front left driveshaft boot cracked. With the owner's go-ahead, we replaced the front pads, discs and sensor and fitted a reconditioned front left driveshaft. Two nails in a tyre were patched at no charge.
The car was dropped off on 25 October and all the work was finished on 30 October.
From our team's record of this job. Number plates are pixelated.
The cooling coil and expansion valve replacement was agreed at $1,300 nett with OEM parts. That price covered taking out and refitting the whole dashboard. The owner then got a further discount on the combined bill for the visit.
Cooling coil prices vary by model. WhatsApp us your car model and we will quote before any work starts.
If the aircon is getting weaker, don't keep topping up the gas. A system that needs gas has a leak. Each top-up costs money and the gas escapes again.
Have the leak traced early. Then you replace only the part that is leaking, before you get stuck in traffic with warm air.
This Mercedes-Benz CLA 180 (Aircon cooling coil and expansion valve replacement) was handled at 1 Car Service, an independent workshop in Sin Ming AutoCity, Singapore. For Mercedes-Benz, we use dealer-level XENTRY diagnostics. The work is backed by a warranty of at least 6 months. We hold a 4.9★ rating from 1,861+ Google reviews.
WhatsApp us your car model and how the aircon is behaving. If the gas keeps dropping, the source of the leak needs to be found and fixed. Topping up gas when the system is leaking is a short-term fix.
On this CLA 180 the OEM cooling coil and expansion valve were agreed at $1,300 nett, including removing and refitting the dashboard. Prices vary by model, so WhatsApp us your car model for a quote.
On this CLA our team took the whole dashboard out to replace the cooling coil and expansion valve together, then refitted it.
Not if the system is leaking. On this car the gas leaked out again after a top-up. The leaking cooling coil and expansion valve had to be replaced.
Yes, if the leak is found before parts are swapped. On this CLA our team found the gas leaking from the cooling coil and expansion valve and quoted the job before starting.
A warranty of at least 6 months on the aircon cooling coil and expansion valve repair.
Yes. We use XENTRY, the dealer-level diagnostic system for Mercedes-Benz.
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