Air Con

[LSainsbury]

Hi all,

My A/c decided to pack up today - nice day for it!

All it does it pump out warm air when the temp is set to 16 degrees.

I'm assuming that it's either broken / can't cope or just need regassing.

Any idea how much this would cost and do I have to take it to Skoda or elsewhere?

Cheers

Lee

[andyfr]

Best case, it needs a regas, worst case either the compressor or some other component has gone.

The best thing to do is go to Kwik Fit and get them to do a regas, it's £45 but if it doesn't work then you get your money back. If it doesn't work then you will know it's something more involved and expensive.

[Nickynibbles]

Regassing is common enough the cure, before letting Kwik Fit loose on the car test the guys knowledge little by asking what the process is etc as the time i went to my local branch a kid who looked like he was playing truant was assigned to help & he really didnt fill me with confidence he had done it often! A decent regass should be a couple of hours to drain the system, pressure test it & then refill it completely with fresh gas. Anywhere that wants to spend 15mins topping you up is cutting corners & not worth the cash! Also the pressure sensor on the condenser can go faulty which is a £50 part & 5 mins to fit it, this will show up on a vagcom scan as faulty so if you can scan it'll be worth it.

[lexuslover]

Halfords are doing a free level check at the moment with a £10 + cost of gas top up if needed.

My sons RS has also packed up. Gas level OK but no power to either side of Fuse15 (Gas Pump). Has any one any idea how the power gets to this fuse? All dash side looks OK. I suspected low pressure switch but gas check seems to rule that out.

Thank you.

[Dr Zoidberg]

At Kwikfit they don't need to understand the process at all - they have completely automated machines that do it all for them.

They just plug the hoses onto your aircon system , enter the vehicle data into the system and it does what it needs to with no operator input.

How old is the OPs car?

If it's 4 years old or more then a regas is quite possibly all that's needed. The aircon clutch doesn't fall apart like it does on the Mk1.

[Sparki]

Hi all,

My A/c decided to pack up today - nice day for it!

All it does it pump out warm air when the temp is set to 16 degrees.

I'm assuming that it's either broken / can't cope or just need regassing.

Any idea how much this would cost and do I have to take it to Skoda or elsewhere?

Cheers

Lee

Hi Lee,

I am in exactly the same situation as you.

A week ago my cars air-conditioning started pumping out warm air no matter what temperature it was set at.

I called the garage where I bought my car and they scheduled me to take it in.

It spent about 1 1/2 hours with them and they told me that they had done a service on it and re-gassed the system but that this did not solve the problem so they would need to spend more time on it. (although the diagnostic tool said there was nothing wrong)

They told me that I would need to pay for the service and re-gas but that the further reapirs would be covered under the warranty.

I questioned them as to why it was sold to me without servicing and with so little gas. (I only bought this two weeks ago) Skoda approved used car.

They have now agreed to cover the cost of the service, re-gas and fix the air conditioning under the warranty.

All being well it should be fixed by monday.

[Dr Zoidberg]

I had a similar problem with my Mk2. Every so often it would refuse to do anything other than blow hot air , no matter what temperature it was set to.

Turning the car off and on again fixed it and Skoda insisted that I was mistaken as there were no fault codes logged.

It never failed completely so I just lived with it for three years.

[soapywalrus]

JUst had mine sorted a couple of weeks ago. My car is only 18 months old and the aircon had always been warm or, at best, it pumped in air from outside at ambient temperature.

Originally the dealer (Claybank) said it needed re-gassing. I told them that it shouldn't unless ther's a fault, so they said they'd do it, and if it fixed the problem then they'd charge me for it.

They re-gassed it, all the gas came hissing out (you could literally hear it for about an hour until it had emptied it all into the atmosphere!).

They took it back in, relaced a cracked hose and then a switch (which I think was the aircon clutch as referred to as being a common fault on the Mk1) and since then it has been brilliant.

Two parts to this story -

1) top marks to Claybank in Eccles. They've had some bad press on here but they were excellent with me, apologising when they couldn't fix the fault straight off, but arranging the parts quickly and sorting me with a courtesy car while they did the warranty repair, no questions asked.

2) my aircon is now PROPER cold (like, put your hand in front of it for 2 minutes and get cramp style cold) so don't accept it if your dealer says that it's ok. I have heard various people say that the aircon on the Octy just isn't that strong. That is wrong. It's brilliant, when it's working properly.

SW

[Micky 32]

How old is the OPs car?

If it's 4 years old or more then a regas is quite possibly all that's needed.

My uncles car in the US is 12 years old and never had to get his regassed and it's still as cold as ice.

[Dr Zoidberg]

My uncles car in the US is 12 years old and never had to get his regassed and it's still as cold as ice.

That's probably old enough to be using different refrigerants in a car of that age.

I'm sure the the newer gas that they use is more environmentally friendly but more susceptible to leakage.

[Micky 32]

That's probably old enough to be using different refrigerants in a car of that age.

I'm sure the the newer gas that they use is more environmentally friendly but more susceptible to leakage.

I thought if it was more susceptible to leakage it would mean it less enviromentally friendly :confused:

[Dr Zoidberg]

I thought if it was more susceptible to leakage it would mean it less enviromentally friendly :confused:

The older refrigerants are CFCs - very bad for the Ozone layer when released and have now been phased out.

The newer ones aren't as harmful when they do escape or get released but as I said , I believe they do leak out more easily.

[soapywalrus]

I thought if it was more susceptible to leakage it would mean it less enviromentally friendly :confused:

It leaks more, but the polar bears really like the smell, so it's greener...

[Organist]

It leaks more, but the polar bears really like the smell, so it's greener...

:D That made me laugh!

[soapywalrus]

glad to be of service.

Can I open a can of worms and say that I think global warming is a truck-load of cow poo...

[richardjh]

the cooling on my climatronic also stopped working a couple of days ago.

Ah driving along the motorway with the windows open and my back stuck to the seat. this bring back memories.

[JazzyDSG]

it happened to me also, last week, aircon full blast, windows open, back dripping with sweat stuck to leather seat! turns out the compressor has siezed. has anybody tried changing the compressor themselves? I was quoted upto 2hrs labour, does it involved dismantling half of the engine?

[Sparki]

Just an update:

My compressor should be getting replaced on Thursday/Friday.

[skodakid]

Unfortunately summer ends on Wednesday...

[Tech1e]

Just an update:

My compressor should be getting replaced on Thursday/Friday.

If the compressor has died then make sure they are also replacing the drier, expansion valve and are flushing the system, if they dont it will be another compressor in a week or two.

Oh and I saw a MK5 Golf a little while back that ac wasnt working. Kwik fit had it, regassed it and filled it with 900g of R134a, the system should only have 550g in it, the result was a very broken compressor. The reason it wasnt working originally was the flap motor was stuck.

[Micky 32]

Are the AC in the Octy 2 that troublesome?

[Dr Zoidberg]

Are the AC in the Octy 2 that troublesome?

No.

[richardjh]

mine has now been diagnosed with a failed compressor. the garage is waiting for the part to come in.

[sms]

after my pressure valve went it took them a couple of hours, but when i had it regassed after i got it i think it was maximuim an hour they spent on it.

[eeperman]

My Mk2 VRs was suffering from weak a/c so I took it into Kwik Fit who regassed it for me. Come the next hot day it was apparent that the a/c was really only capable of pumping ambient temperature air into the car.

I mentioned this to my local dealer when it went in for a service and they had a look at the Kwik Fit regassing report. Kwik Fit had removed 200g from the system (which holds about 550g) suggesting a leak, but they had regassed with 700g. Apparently the system has an overpressure sensor which causes the a/c to cut out so it is just as bad to have too much as too little coolant.

The dealer has regassed the system properly and injected a dye so they can spot any further leaks.

The moral (for me at least)? Leave the maintenance to people who know the car...