cheers stevos, but the fans didnt run like that a few years ago. the radiator fan would cut in and out as needed. but that fan was changed twice. i wonder if the stealers fitted the wrong fan. originally it had one big fan and a smaller fan. now both are big fans. any ideas?

normally the big fan is for the radiator and the smaller one is for the air con. the air con fan will switch on and off as and when the cabin temperature is reached if the radiator fan is on or not. I would say they should work independantly unless its needing an extra hand to condense. Also you can expect the air coming out of the vents to be around 4 degrees c

the air coming out of the vents is nowhere near 4 degrees c. it is probably around 20 deg c when the engine is cool but the temp then rises until the air coming out of the vents is only about 2-5 deg below the current temp. and to correct my previous post, one of the fans is big and the other small.

Although the temperature coming out of the vents is around 4 degrees that will not be the over all cabin temperature. (Its all to do with thermo dynamics and heat absobtion).

Sounds like a simple re gas is all that is needed. If you are having to get it re gassed often, you can get a dye injected into the system that under UV light shows up any leaks.

Hope some of this is helping

normally the big fan is for the radiator and the smaller one is for the air con. the air con fan will switch on and off as and when the cabin temperature is reached if the radiator fan is on or not. I would say they should work independantly unless its needing an extra hand to condense. Also you can expect the air coming out of the vents to be around 4 degrees c

I had mine serviced last December but it doesn't seem to be chilly like I would've expected. It is cool but not cold. I put a temperature probe in the centre air vent when the outside air temp was 27°C. I put the Climatronic to 'LO' and to 'ECON'. The fan speed was on full and air was blowing at 17.5°C. After a minute or so I switched the 'ECON' button off and a minute or two later the air temperature had dropped to 2°C.

A workmate of mine has a Nissan Navara, and his climate control when set to 'LO' get uncomfortably cold after a while. My Octavia TDi doesn't......

The air coming out the vents is a rough indication as different cars are fitted with different size pumps and they can cope with more duty than others. I checked mine over the other week and its working perfectly, its even colder than my renault traffics A/C.

Its got alot to do with the insulation of the car as well whether the cabin temperature drops to a point where it gets uncomfotably chilly.

Best way to check if the system is charged correctly is to switch on the A/C full fan speed and give the system 5-10 minutes to run and there is return pipe from the A/C (called the suction line) and when the cabin getting down to temperature this pipe will be cold to the touch should even start to have a sweat on it.

where can the suction line be found? pics please

Sorry it took so long to reply to this post been away.The suction line can be found on the mk1 octavia next to radiatior at the top,there is a black pipe which conects to an aluminium cylinder when the a/c is switched on this should feel cold.

(standing on front of the car just right of the driverside headlight is where its located)

all cars leak air-con gas (in the region of around 3 -5 grammes per yr) hence why air con systems need topping up every now and again. the typical car takes around 500 - 700g of refrigerant, the halfords recharge can contains 540g, so depending how empty your system is depends how long the can lasts! there is a sticker on the slam panel, left hand side (when standing in front of engine bay - see pic above) which states how many grammes the a/c system takes. the rubber 'o' rings are usually the culprits whenever there is a noticeable leak, these are in all the connectors at the end of all the pipes. a leak detecting dye can be injected into the system and, using an ultra-violet light, the leak can be detected. just a note as of 1st jan 2010 it will be illegal for unqualified personel to purchase any product containing r134a. also, if you accidently release r134a into the atmosphere, it can carry a fine of £10,000!!

just a note as of 1st jan 2010 it will be illegal for unqualified personel to purchase any product containing r134a. also, if you accidently release r134a into the atmosphere, it can carry a fine of £10,000!!

Best stock up then How can anyone prove you have released r134a into the atmosphere:rofl: gotta love the authorities

Does anyone know the where to get the compressor electrical plug from?

Hello all.

Been reading various threads on the A/C issues but cant find what I'm after.

OK, I've got an 05 Octavia... had the A/C recharged twice by KwikFit this week... there are no leaks but the temp still does not go below 20 degrees... ???

I never got charged for the recharge as they can't get it to go cold... the compressor is running afaik and there is a considerable impact on mpg whilst its on....

There is a lamp in the center of the blower control,,, should this light up ever ???

Any help appreciated.

Many thanks

Just had my car back from garage, was told my compressor has expired :( and will be 900 quid for new replacement. They then said they could try and locate an after sales refurb one. Anyway they got back to me today and said it will be 450 ish quid inc. VAT etc. I think this seems reasonable, what does anyone else thing, apart from finding one from a scrappy or ebay, don't think I'll get it cheaper