Market news, 23 July 2024
With the start of a new year comes expected change. 2021 is no different for the Automotive Service Technician with some finalized rules behind Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning (MVAC) service. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the direction of Administrator Wheeler, signed a final rule entitled, “Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning Systems Servicing”, on Monday, January 11, 2021.
Under this new ruling, any person repairing or servicing an R-1234yf MVAC system for consideration “compensation,” must use properly certified Refrigerant Recovery and Recycling (RRR) equipment, meeting SAE J2843, J2851, and J3030 standards.
Technicians who have previously serviced R-134a equipped vehicles need to be aware of new safety requirements, such as new A/C service cart features, refrigerant identification standards, as well as a vacuum decay test.
With the final ruling, any technician completing R-1234yf MVAC service for consideration will need new equipment to adhere to the EPA 609 requirements. Any technician in violation of this requirement can face upwards of $42,000 in fines.
There are roughly 52 Million vehicles now equipped with R-1234yf in North America, and approximately 26 Million are expected to fall outside the manufacturer’s warranty in 2021. Technicians are sure to see increased demand for R-1234yf MVAC service in 2021 and will need to ensure they have the proper equipment to meet these affirmed EPA requirements.
Technicians interested in servicing R-1234yf vehicles can use the SAE website, macdb.sae.org, to ensure the A/C service equipment they are considering is certified to the required standards. Selecting the SAE standard and using the search function will allow any user to easily confirm which manufacturers are certified.
Technicians can learn more about refrigerant identifiers at Neutronics Inc. Bacharach’s Neutronics brand of Refrigerant Identifiers is the trusted solution for all refrigerant identifier needs. The Legend series refrigerant analyzers are the latest handheld devices which provide a solution for all automotive refrigerants, both past and present. Be sure to start your year off right with certified equipment to begin offering R-1234yf service this spring.
