Finding yf (2019 Refrigerant Update) - MACS (2024)

By Steve Schaeber, MACS Technical Editor (May 20, 2019)

©2019 Mobile Air Conditioning Society Worldwide

As part of our continuing effort to document the industry’s changeover to R-1234yf, MACS once again attended the Philadelphia Auto Show to see the new models, open a few (actually all of the) hoods, and see what refrigerant is being used. This year we skipped a few brands we knew had already changed, and scoped out those we had missed in previous years, as well as some we were really curious about. Here’s what we found.

• Since dealers sold the last R-134a Jeep (Patriot MK74) in 2018, and now having converted the remaining “old” minivans (Caravans built on the RT platform were supposed to be discontinued but have held on due to high fleet demand), the only remaining FCA model that has yet to be yf converted is the Abarth 124 Spider, which we don’t expect will happen anytime soon. It’s built in Japan by Mazda and finished by Abarth in Italy, so until Mazda converts (any) of its vehicles over to yf (this one’s a cousin to the MX-5 Miata), we expect it to remain R-134a for the time being.
• The only newcomer we saw from Ford was the Transit Connect van, which is made in Europe and has been the subject of controversy for some time as many are imported as passenger cars and later converted to avoid a 25% US tariff.
• Mitsubishi may only sell three models in the US, but one of them holds the all-time record for the lowest refrigerant charge of any newly manufactured vehicle. Mirage uses only 9.5 ounces of R-134a! Eclipse and Outlander use yf.
• We didn’t check any of the BMW models as they switched their entire lineup for 2018. Same goes for all JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) and Minis. We also tied off other brands that have fully switched this year, including Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, GMC, Jeep, Lincoln and VW.
• We could only find two holdouts (without verifying Volvo and Infinity), and not surprisingly they are Mazda and Mercedes. The latter makes sense, as there was quite a controversy over the new refrigerant more than 5 years ago that included MB recalling 432 SL-Class yf vehicles through US dealers back in 2012. And now that EPA’s MY2021 cutoff has officially been revoked, there’s a real possibility that we may not see Mercedes use yf in the States for many years (if ever). As it stands now the only reason they would want (or need) to switch is if they really need the CO₂ credits (which most manufacturers of large, heavy vehicles with big engines need to meet EPA targets). But Daimler is in a unique position as they build some of the most expensive, high-end luxury vehicles in country, and as such they command a premium which likely includes a few dollars to “purchase credits” from other OEMs who have extra to sell (such as those who focus on smaller, lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles with smaller engines, hybrids and/or BEVs). Mazda on the other hand is just exactly that. 2019 Mazdas average 28.2 mpg with their lowest (CX-9) getting 23. Meanwhile MB models average only 20.9 mpg, and with both around 2% market share, you’re not dealing with huge offsets anyway.
• Acura converted ILX, MDX and RDX production over to yf, but not all variants. MDX hybrids still use R-134a with ND-OIL11 (POE). And now that Honda uses yf in the HR-V, they have only to change Fit to complete their lineup.
• Hyundai switched a big portion of their systems this year, too. Santa Fe, Sonata, Tucson, and Veloster now use yf, which gives Hyundai a 2/3 internal majority. And in most likelihood, two of the models we saw with R-134a (Elantra and Santa Fe XL) were probably built right before the factory switch to yf, considering that Elantra GT and Santa Fe base already use it. If that’s the case, they saved hybrid models for last to switch, and as we’ve seen with others, this too makes sense given their added complexity.

Note: If you’re a regular reader of my “Service Port” column in MACS ACtion®Magazine, you may have noticed that we didn’t include our usual chart in the April 2019 issue, and the reason is simple: It’s just too big! This year we decided to list out every make and model that we’ve been following over the years, and compile one master list that includes exactly what you’ve been asking for: what uses what. So we’re posting it here on our MACS WordPress BLOG, along with this expanded version of the print article.And while you’re here, make sure you check out the other A/C articles we’ve posted as well.

Thanks for reading!

Oh, and by the way, this article, and the contents of the chart below are (as all MACS works are…) ©2019 Mobile Air Conditioning Society Worldwide. So, PLEASE don’t copy our work and try to pass it off as your own (you know who you are). That’s called plagiarism, and you’ve been told not to do that since you were in grade school. It’s not nice to steal from others, so you shouldn’t do it, and also, it’s just plain wrong.Thanks!

Note: Unless otherwise noted above, all vehicles are 2019 model year.

Except Infinity (2018)

Except Volvo (2018)

Please report any comments, errors or omissions to steve@macsw.org

Thanks!

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