DIY Air Con Re-gas?...

Cliff

The difference is that a domestic fridge has totally sealed gas system. The compressor and electric motor are in that black can and all is sealed.  A car A/C has a compressor which has a rotating shaft with a pulley on it. It is the seals on that compressor which can dry out over time and gas can leak. That is why they say you should turn on your A/C a few times during winter just to keep the seals in good condition.
It does sound like the OPs A/C has slowly lost its gas, so a quick charge might work. (check the gas type!)  A more expensive and better way is to get it filled professionally and replace the receiver/dryer and check for leaks.

IronGiant

The seals and joints on the Sedona are notoriously leaky so my plan is to have it looked at professionally every couple of years or so and top up myself in between if required.

NorvernRob

You can get a groupon deal for around £35 (assuming it’s R134a which it almost certainly will be), so it’s not worth doing it yourself. I’m not sure how places are still doing cheap deals, as a friend of mine owns a garage and the cost of a bottle of gas has gone up from £60 to £400 in the last year.

mjn

That’s exactly what my mechanic told me in June. Something about the government wanting to phase the gas out.

un1eash

Its the new 1234yf that cost 10 times more than the old r134a gas, older cars can still get cheap regas.

NorvernRob

It’s the 134a that has massively risen over the last year, something to do with new environmental laws. The 1234yf is expensive too though (just had my wife’s car done and it was £100).

Chadford

Thanks everyone.

I decided to go for the DIY route and so far so good, works just fine
If it fails soon I'll take it on the chin and think again. If I need to top up every year or so, then that'll be OK with me.
Time will tell.