Be Warned: South Korea uncovers explosive, flammable and corrosive automotive refrigerant from China!

It looks like we’ll have to watch out for more than just melamine-tainted milk from China – your car’s air conditioning compressor might be dodgy as well! South Korea’s Joong Ang Daily carries a rather worrying report today – apparently a Mercedes-Benz owner complained about problems with his car’s air conditioning system after replacing his refrigerant just two months before.

Upon checking out the Mercedes-Benz’s engine bay, they found the air conditioning compressor covered with orange rust. An inspection by police later revealed that the refrigerant was dangerous and contained flammable chemicals, that could explode if it came into contact with something like a cigarette butt or something similar.

The refrigerant was found to contain chloromethane, a colorless gas which according to a South Korean police officer can cause an explosion even if it comes into contact with air. Other than the matter of the potential explosion risk, some other chemicals found in the refrigerant was found to be corrosive to iron, aluminum and rubber, a recipe for leaks.

South Korean police suspect that about 60,000 cars in South Korea contain the faulty refrigerant as it was sold in car centers in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon and Busan. Police are advising car owners who recently replaced their refrigerant between April and June this year to get their cars checked as soon as possible.

An arrest warrant has been applied for the head of the company that imported the faulty refrigerant from China. The company sold a total of 41 tons of the 50 tons they brought in so far. Police have managed to confiscate 13 tons of the 41 tons sold so far, but 28 tons are ‘missing’ – they’re likely in the 60,000 cars!

Unfortunately Joong Ang’s story doesn’t name the source of the faulty refrigerant. But they did say that they believe it costs about 40% to 60% cheaper than ‘legit’ brands. I’m sure that South Korea is not the only country that the Chinese supplier sold the refrigerant to! Please be careful when refilling your car’s refrigerant no matter where you are!

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • mystvearn on Aug 06, 2010 at 4:24 pm

    I’m amazed how China can afford to cut corners everywhere. More like what International markets demand higher quality products then what they give their own market.

    Example:
    Buildings bridges from rubbish
    Soaking vegetables in sewage water to increase gross weight
    Making cooking oil from sewage water

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    • Rinnegan on Aug 06, 2010 at 4:40 pm

      To mystvearn:

      I second your opinion. As a matter of fact, I still remember the case of fake engine oil sold to some taxi drivers a few years back. Initially, the engine oil smelled like strawberry (more or less). After a few weeks of using, the oil started to hardened (caking) inside the engine, causing a major overhaul to the entire engine. The important question here is, how do we protect ourselves from these unscrupulous businessmen and their hazardous products?

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      • torque on Aug 07, 2010 at 8:33 am

        We can…just banned any products from China globally (yeah I know, it’s impossible) till it may knock to their senses that when making any products, “DON’T CUT CORNERS!”. What da’heck man…from poison susu, paint in toys, bad engine oil to explosive air conditioning refrigerant…gila punya orang!!!

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  • mitlanevo on Aug 06, 2010 at 4:26 pm

    damn these Chinese ppl!! from fake chicken eggs to melamine milk to dangerous automotive products, WTF!!!

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  • tempoyak on Aug 06, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    this is just horrible :(

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  • normal_user on Aug 06, 2010 at 4:47 pm

    Is there any way Malaysian consumers can really identify & ascertain where the refrigerants come from?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • ismail on Aug 06, 2010 at 4:58 pm

      must have serious thinking about all product from China..no wonder all is cheap if coming from there…hmmm..now thinking Cherry brand now.

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    • bobdbilder on Aug 07, 2010 at 11:40 pm

      Chloromethane carries the trade designation of R-40(others R-10, R-40/23); CH3Cl. It was a refrigerant used in industries. Like the now banned CCl4. It has some limited case of being a carcinogen. CCl4 was to replace CH3Cl. Being a much non flammable material. It needs 8%vol/vol to start to become explosive.

      If you look on the refrigerant cylinders, they would typically contain markings as to the type of gas (std now is R-134a). Also hazardous markings NFPA 704 aka Fire Diamond. It contains 4 boxes showing the level of toxicity (blue), flammability(red), stability (yellow) and special white box. Numbers in these boxes indicate their severity. The lower the number, the safer it is.

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  • “can cause an explosion even if it comes into contact with air”
    lately we hearing a lot of car burn in crash, maybe this chemical is the culprit…

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  • azrai on Aug 06, 2010 at 4:53 pm

    Is it te way Koreans counter the uprising of Chinese automotive industry?

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    • Jimmy on Aug 07, 2010 at 12:01 am

      Stupid you. Are you a Chinese like me, who are ashamed of China??? So, it must be New Zealand or Australia that ‘fitnah’ China for their melamine-milk. Chinese are mostly typical selfish unethical businessman.

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  • Johnny on Aug 06, 2010 at 5:05 pm

    thats what happen is u want everything for cheap

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    • Jimmy on Aug 07, 2010 at 12:06 am

      Unfortunately there are Chinese businesmen who sell low quality things for high price, cheatinglah, lou chean. Do you think if you pay RM 2000, you can get a really good quality vacuum cleaner from China? In the market, there are really such things!!

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  • armandd on Aug 06, 2010 at 5:05 pm

    this is horrible!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Jimmy on Aug 07, 2010 at 12:07 am

      Yeah, say NO to all China products, to teach them a lesson. Parents, no China sweets please.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • TonyT on Aug 06, 2010 at 5:15 pm

    Like it or NOt, China will dominate the world again like it was 500 years ago, or shall i say since few thousand years ago.

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    • mkrafz on Aug 06, 2010 at 10:36 pm

      ya.. in your dream,
      if China keep producing low quality and hazardous product,
      they will loose a huge market.
      because nowdays, people are more educated and environmental concern than 500 years ago or perhaps a few thousand year ago!
      get a life…

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    • Msia_Chinese on Aug 06, 2010 at 10:50 pm

      The way that Chinese (from China…I must emphasize this!) do business will not bring them anyway further. They don’t care about long term prospect, just short term benefit. No bloody professional ethics! This kind of mentality need to change, or else I don’t see any so called “domination” kind of thing in the near future. Most of these Chinese just aim for profits, and only profits, nothing else!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Jimmy on Aug 07, 2010 at 12:09 am

      I wish God has a pair of eyes and will not let those hack-sam-kuai fatt tatt, and I definitely do not hope a country like China to dominate the world until they really control the things that happen in their own country.

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    • Rinnegan on Aug 07, 2010 at 2:27 am

      To TonyT:

      Yes, they could. By flooding the entire world with sub standard and hazardous goods which will eventually kill us all one way or the other. Way to go PRC (People’s Republic of China)! You don’t even have to dispatch your PLA (People’s Liberation Army)!

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  • fffuuu…silent death!

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  • swoosh3553 on Aug 06, 2010 at 5:35 pm

    Paul… do appreciate it if you could help us dig out the source or refrigerant involved. At least we could avoid it on our next aircond service…

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  • CarOwner on Aug 06, 2010 at 5:38 pm

    Does it mean the car imported from South Korea will have potential of containing these refrigerant??????

    need advice urgently!!!

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  • lolypop on Aug 06, 2010 at 6:58 pm

    Even hair growth shampoo also contain chemical increasing risk of cancer…

    http://big5.ifeng.com/gate/big5/finance.ifeng.com/news/special/bawang/

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    • Jimmy on Aug 07, 2010 at 12:11 am

      Hope those black-hearted China businessmen sang cai mou si fatt or chit ci chit sun.

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  • mufasa on Aug 06, 2010 at 7:42 pm

    1. from the link ….. “A police inspection revealed that the new refrigerant was a cheap and dangerous type imported from China that contained flammable chemicals.”
    >so the police officer make inspection? that really good….look like well organize country
    2. “a Mercedes-Benz owner ”
    >so not all korean loyal to their brand? or Hy and K not yet to have good high end car?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • if you visit Korea, you will be able to see how loyal the locals are toward their own brands. they purchased their local brands not because they are cheap, but because they have confidence in their own products.

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    • Korean on Aug 06, 2010 at 11:21 pm

      Respect your logical thinking.

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    • MoFaz on Aug 07, 2010 at 12:10 am

      only high-end brands like BMW and Mercedes are worth to import into Korea. any other car, especially those below 2,000cc are not due to high import tax. BMW is their biggest import.

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      • autojohndoe on Aug 07, 2010 at 6:56 pm

        but last time when i was visiting korea… there are more Audi’s and VW compared to Merc and BMW…

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    • JonLing on Aug 07, 2010 at 8:53 am

      from what i know previously, because Korean govt wanna protect their own car manufacturing industry, they have imposed import duty (quite a lot) on all the imported cars, limited the no. of imported cars, or ban some cars from entering the country totally. Kinda forget which of the mentioned policy / policies have been implemented, but i know as a result of that, it’s quite difficult for Koreans to get some imported cars, so for many of them, imported cars, esp european cars, are more superior than Hyundai and Kia of their own. that’s why whenever you watch the Korean series a few years back, those super rich people in the series will always drive something that didn’t have “H” or “Kia” logo attached to them, most likely they were driving BMWs or Mercedes Benz’s.

      But that was few years back, and I am not sure if this is still the case or not, coz Hyundai and Kia have been improving a lot both on the looks and quality of their products in recent years.

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      • S.Korea Import duty is only 8%. less than EU.
        it is not like malaysia 300% duty.

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        • scgtimk1 on Aug 09, 2010 at 12:40 pm

          Malaysia import duty is only 30%. Import duty from Japan is already 0%

          get you facts right… or get a life……

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          • motorist on Aug 10, 2010 at 12:15 pm

            Dont forget the Excise Duty & Sales Tax on top of the original Import Duty.

            For ASEAN CBU cars below 1800cc
            ie. Total tax incurred = Import Duty + Excise Duty + Sales Tax
            eg: Import Duty = CIF (cost, insurance, freight) x 30%
            Excise Duty = Import Duty x 75%
            Sales Tax = Excise Duty x 10%

            So, Total Tax incurred is 150.25%

            For NON ASEAN, Import Duty is 5% + 30%, with Excise Duty & Sales Tax remaining the same, thus Total Tax incurred is 162.76%

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  • mmmm.. the news came soon after Geely confirm purchase of Volvo.. Is it a media game or is it true? Cant I say there is direct competition between Korean car makers and China car makers?

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    • Jimmy on Aug 07, 2010 at 12:15 am

      Don’t buy Volvo anymore, who knows it may got some black-hearted components that may risk our lives. Alj please buy more China candy & sweets for your children.

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  • Msia_Chinese on Aug 06, 2010 at 10:48 pm

    The way that Chinese (from China…I must emphasize this!) do business will not bring them anyway further. They don’t care about long term prospect, just short term benefit. No bloody professional ethics! This kind of mentality need to change, or else I don’t see any so called “domination” kind of thing in the near future. Most of these Chinese just aim for profits, and only profits, nothing else!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • JonLing on Aug 07, 2010 at 9:14 am

      I can’t agree totally on what you say. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) for all of us, China will still dominate to a certain degrees in the near future. Why?? Because of the way they do business. I m not sure about this particular case though, but from what i have heard from those who had dealt with chinese businessmen in China, especially for industrial products, the chinese will give you whatever quality of products that you desire. That means, they will make the products according to your budgets. If you want them to make the 1000 products for RM1000, they will make it for you; if you want 1000 products for RM100,000, they will try to make that to you too. The difference is, of course, lies in the quality of the products itself.

      And since the articles didn’t mention very clearly, so I couldn’t see why I should blame chinese businessmen solely for the incidents. You see, even if the businessmen in my town know very well the “possible business deals” that i have just mentioned, and my town is not a very big one, you think the businessmen in Korea wouldn’t have noticed that first hand?? And if they did, why they still wanted to buy those low-quality refrigerant??

      no offense, honestly, i don’t think every businessman in Korea will put ethics before profit. they are no saints.

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  • Korean on Aug 06, 2010 at 11:17 pm

    CHINA IS COMING UP, I AM VERY AFRAID!!! TIME TO DIG BONE INSIDE THE EGG AND CREATE SOME HAVOC.

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  • Gajen on Aug 07, 2010 at 1:51 am

    1st it was the melamine in milk like the rabbit sweet…then now this…they emphasis just on profit and thats where the other important criterion are neglected…

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  • New Hyundai Fan on Aug 07, 2010 at 9:02 am

    Can our government take immediate action to check if there is any faulty automotive refrigerant imported from China & ban it from selling here?

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    • motorist on Aug 07, 2010 at 12:48 pm

      BolehLand has all the rules & regulations, as good as they can be, many on par with western standards but….

      enforcement is (& always be) an issue.

      Semua boleh di selesaikan. Semua boleh di uruskan. Semuanya boleh & OK

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      • bobdbilder on Aug 10, 2010 at 12:34 pm

        Safety issues in Malaysian industries are termed ‘Self Regulated’. There is a thick list of dangerous material and goods that made its way into the OSHA regulations. Yet the control and management is left to the industry to decide. Only when there is an incident with loss of life or danger to public security does the authority steps in.

        The main reason for non intervention is maintaining the attractiveness of the country towards Foreign Direct Investments. FDI’s don’t like regulation. Buoyed by the hope of getting investments, Countries are willing to set aside enforcing a few regulations here and there. The whole concept of a liberal financial market let to the global meltdown. A liberal Industry would create a non sustainable development of the country that FDI brings.

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  • motorist on Aug 07, 2010 at 12:21 pm

    Ppl buy cheap China stuff b’coz of GREED.

    Greed for quick profit by seller.
    Greed for cheap product by buyer.

    Buyer nowadays dont care. It’s all the same to them. All they want is cheap, cheap, cheap.
    Seller in order to make profit sells China cheapo product cos’ buyer wants cheap & dont care.

    China, on the other hand, is laughing to the bank.

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  • Holywods on Aug 07, 2010 at 3:08 pm

    When you’re looking for some cheap alternatives, BE PREPARED! Any cheap things made from any nation will be dangerous, not only china.

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  • rexis on Aug 07, 2010 at 11:47 pm

    Frankly speaking, I am still okay with those goods who has labeled “made in China”. Except milk powder, I believe any parents will too.

    I am very afraid to those that do not have any information about the origin, but have “nano technology”, “Japanese Technology”, “German Technology” or Japanese characters printed all over it.

    People tends to print hiragana on their products to make it feel more high class.

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  • TonyT on Aug 08, 2010 at 5:48 pm

    Totally agree with JonLing, instead of solely blaming the chinese, why not blame the middle man also. They are the one who want the chinese manufacturer to produce at the lowest cost as possible, so that they could make more profit. It’s not the chinese can’t produce quality products, but is the buyer who demand them. Where on earth you can buy cheap and quality products ???!!! I’ll buy from you if you have any.

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  • Mackironi on Aug 08, 2010 at 10:04 pm

    @Jimmy
    I am very curious why are you so furious and hate china men? All the facts you list above are NOT TRUE AT ALL! I have been buying things made in china since i was born until now, and they do offer quality products if you pay the right price for them! The malamine incident is a tragedy no doubt, but still lets not make a sweeping statement here.
    And i also notice you keep saying stop buying candy made from china, did your girlfriend ran away with a CEO of a candy company?

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    • I doubt Jimmy doesn’t have any Made in China product at his house.. this people sit on virtual platform (which a lots of component Made in China) and does not see real world…. come on Jimmy talk with fact and don’t get emotional by throwing something to other people family.. think 1st..

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  • cordoba1 on Aug 10, 2010 at 5:09 pm

    I am of the opinion that many Chinese businessmen and manufacturers cannot reconcile their communist teachings and beliefs with the demands of materialism. The Chinese have no religious backing and they have no fear of God or the concept of retribution so they cannot understand that their actions will cause sufferings for others. All they are interested now is to pursue their materialistic dreams, like buying the latest Mercedes Benz, buying the most expensive this and that…

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