hi, wonder if anyone can help,we have recently bought a an octavia 2.0glxi(year 2000)which has air con,we used to have a peugeot 306tdi and the aircon packed in after a winter(in rural andalucia)when we didnt use it.Can anyone tell me the best way to keep this in working order i.e.

do we need to run it regularly and for how long and at what strength.

thanks

I think the general advice is at least 1/2 hour a month. Not running it will cause it to depressurise faster. Also the coolant contains oil and the AC needs to be run to lubricate the system. I personally leave it on and forget it as the decrease in MPG is barely noticeable.

I'd agree; just leave the air on. My car has the Climatronic system, and the trip computer, and switching between auto and econ modes makes no visible difference to the instantaneous fuel economy.

You can head off mechanical faults by running it regularly to keep the coolant / lubricant circulating, although I did have to re-gas my 'never turned off' air con earlier this week. The other cause of faults is to do with the electronics of course, and the amount of time you use it is unlikely to make a difference there. Like any part / system, you can reduce the likelihood of it packing up, but you can't make it go on forever - then again, basing your experience on a Peugeot is always going to give you a pessimistic outlook!

Like the others have said, as long as you don't leave it off for months on end, you'll have done as much as you can to protect the system...

just wondering, the CTS was changed a few weeks ago, but the a/c (manual ac) has not been cooling as before the cts was changed. could they be linked?

First up, try getting someone with VAG-COM to reset the flap motors...