Fabia Vrs losing air con gas and hissing vents?

[TimAce]

Hello all...

Wanted to pick your brains really.

I've got a Fabia Vrs 55 plate, which has developed a frustrating problem with the air con. It starts with a hissing sound from where it sounds like its coming from the centre vents well inside the dash. At this point the aircon becomes less and less effective until finally (after a few days) gives up working altogether.

When it first happened in May the car was under an AA warranty and went to an independent garage they had recommended. They regassed the system (£80) and said it should be fine after that.

However about six weeks later the annoying hissing sound from behind the dash started again and yet again the system slowly but surely ceased to work. After phoning the AA I was sent back to the garage and I explained at great length what had happened etc, they said it wouldn't be anything behind the dash and would track the problem, Upon picking the car up they said they had found the problem which was a damaged or perished seal near the air con radiator, changed this and topped up the gas and that it should be fine.

Again the air con worked very well for a while.. however the annoying hissing sound returned and slowly but surely the air con stopped working. The car has since had a service at a Skoda garage and they confirmed that the system has lost all of its gas. My warranty has since expired with the AA. The Skoda garage said also that it wouldn't be anything behind the dash but said the only way would be to regas it and trace the leak. I am concerned that I will have to fork out for another regass which will get lost into the atmosphere with the system still not working.

Sorry for the long post... but I was wondering if any of you guys had suffered the same problem and what the cure was. Or suggestions for the best course of action.

Thanks

Tim

[MoggyTech]

Really needs to go to an aircon specialist, who will have the special UV lamp to find the leak. It can be done DIY with a lot of patience. You need a top up canister of R134a, a spray bottle with soapy water. You top up the system, then go over all joints with spray bottle and look for bubbles.

Given your description of the source of the hissing sound, I would say probably the seals on the bulkhead where the aircon connects to the heater system.

Thing is, you would have to rip out half the dash to check all connections, so probably best to use an aircon specialist.

[kev12sheds]

I had/have exactly the same problem as you....Turned out to be a tiny leak under a little rubber and steel clamp on the drivers side , bottom of the radiator which holds the air con pipe from moving around.

Unfortunately the aforesaid clamp causes the Alu pipe to corrode and subsequently two tiny holes let the gas out over a couple of weeks.

Please let me know how/if you solved your problem

I live in hope of fixing mine

ps I realize it's an oldish post

[cooliospoolio]

Hello all...

Wanted to pick your brains really.

I've got a Fabia Vrs 55 plate, which has developed a frustrating problem with the air con. It starts with a hissing sound from where it sounds like its coming from the centre vents well inside the dash. At this point the aircon becomes less and less effective until finally (after a few days) gives up working altogether.

When it first happened in May the car was under an AA warranty and went to an independent garage they had recommended. They regassed the system (�80) and said it should be fine after that.

However about six weeks later the annoying hissing sound from behind the dash started again and yet again the system slowly but surely ceased to work. After phoning the AA I was sent back to the garage and I explained at great length what had happened etc, they said it wouldn't be anything behind the dash and would track the problem, Upon picking the car up they said they had found the problem which was a damaged or perished seal near the air con radiator, changed this and topped up the gas and that it should be fine.

Again the air con worked very well for a while.. however the annoying hissing sound returned and slowly but surely the air con stopped working. The car has since had a service at a Skoda garage and they confirmed that the system has lost all of its gas. My warranty has since expired with the AA. The Skoda garage said also that it wouldn't be anything behind the dash but said the only way would be to regas it and trace the leak. I am concerned that I will have to fork out for another regass which will get lost into the atmosphere with the system still not working.

Sorry for the long post... but I was wondering if any of you guys had suffered the same problem and what the cure was. Or suggestions for the best course of action.

Thanks

Tim

I had the "hissing" sound on both my Peugeots and my mobile aircon guy told me the noise is the system cavitating what gas remains in it, although if there is a leak eventually it will shut down the compressor when the system loses pressure. It's difficult to identify where the leak is coming from, it literally could be from anywhere. One of mine was a blown seam on the condensor (radiator thingy) which was a simple manufacturing defect as it was only 8 months old and we'd never seen this before.