Hi, I have a 09 1.9 Octavia Estate.

It is not 2 years old until August and has done short of 20k miles.

The aircon has stopped working and just blows warm air.

My local Skoda dealer is to look at it on Monday. They say however if it just needs recharging then it isn't covered by the warrenty and will cost me £69. If there is a compressor probelem or split hose etc then it will be covered.

Anyone else experienced this?

Should it be covered by the warrenty if just recharging is required after 20months / 19k miles?

Exactly; a warranty covers you against unexpected mechanical failures but not against "fair wear and tear". Would you expect to be warranted against running out of fuel, oil, screenwash...?

Exactly; a warranty covers you against unexpected mechanical failures but not against "fair wear and tear". Would you expect to be warranted against running out of fuel, oil, screenwash...?

I obviously don't know as much about air con as you do.

Of course I wouldn't expect to be covered against running out of fuel, oil or screenwash!

I have however had various cars in the past for 5+ years where the air con hasn't needed recharging.

If you are suggesting that 20 months is a reasonable time then fine just say that!

Thought it was a resonable question from someone with limited knowledge, obviously not.

Is less than two years and it needs recharging 'fair wear and tear'? I wouldn't have said so?

Is less than two years and it needs recharging 'fair wear and tear'? I wouldn't have said so?

+1

A/C will gradually loose it's pressure and therefore effectiveness, but I would be expecting 3 - 5 years before it needed re-gassing, if as you say it is not cooling the cab down any more than the heater on cold then I would expect it to be leaking somewhere.

Eric, don't be put off from using this forum by the few idiots on it, there are never dumb questions...... only dumb answers. My take would be (and I have spoken to an Air Con specialist friend of mine) that it would be reasonable to expect an Air Con system on a reasonably new vehicle to heat or cool air. My vehicle is currently 5 years old and the A/C is still very effective.

Speak to the garage involved, explain that you think it unreasonabe to have to pay them for this and add that IF it is merely a top up, you wish to go elsewhere for this to be done.

This negates the possibility of a garage replacing a split hose under warranty not telling you, topping up and pocketing the £69.

I have had recent experiance of a Landrover Garage carrying out warranty work, telling the customer it was not covered by warranty AND being paid twice for the one job (by customer and warranty company/Landrover)

They were caught out when the customer concerned went to an independant garage who looked at his paperwork and actually rang the warranty people.....

Not for one minute suggesting that your garage is under hand at all, I am just suspicious by nature..... ;-)

Agree with the above - I would expect at least 4 years out of the gases. My last 2 Octavias (current one included) have only lasted jsut over 2 years before requiring re-gas. My Mk1 Octavia also had to have a new compressor.

Speak to the garage and work out a compromise

Agree with the above - I would expect at least 4 years out of the gases. My last 2 Octavias (current one included) have only lasted jsut over 2 years before requiring re-gas. My Mk1 Octavia also had to have a new compressor.

Speak to the garage and work out a compromise

I'm fairly sure that you're "advised" to get the aircon serviced (anti bacterial + regas if required) every 2 years, though the only link I can find that states this is from my dealers web-site rather than Skoda's. I wouldn't expect it to actually need regassing after just 19 months though.

Eric, don't be put off from using this forum by the few idiots on it, there are never dumb questions...... only dumb answers. My take would be (and I have spoken to an Air Con specialist friend of mine) that it would be reasonable to expect an Air Con system on a reasonably new vehicle to heat or cool air. My vehicle is currently 5 years old and the A/C is still very effective.

Speak to the garage involved, explain that you think it unreasonabe to have to pay them for this and add that IF it is merely a top up, you wish to go elsewhere for this to be done.

This negates the possibility of a garage replacing a split hose under warranty not telling you, topping up and pocketing the £69.

I have had recent experiance of a Landrover Garage carrying out warranty work, telling the customer it was not covered by warranty AND being paid twice for the one job (by customer and warranty company/Landrover)

They were caught out when the customer concerned went to an independant garage who looked at his paperwork and actually rang the warranty people.....

Not for one minute suggesting that your garage is under hand at all, I am just suspicious by nature..... ;-)

Thanks for your answer.

I won't be put off, I realise from reading this forum that by far the majority on here are very helpful.

At the end of the day if we were all 'experts' it would negate the need for a forum!

Thanks for your answer. I will speak to the dealer once they diagnose the problem.

It is a new dealership and the first time I've been there and they know my service is due soon and are going to quote me at the same time.

I assume if it is just a top up and they want my future business a compromise will be reached.

I'm fairly sure that you're "advised" to get the aircon serviced (anti bacterial + regas if required) every 2 years, though the only link I can find that states this is from my dealers web-site rather than Skoda's. I wouldn't expect it to actually need regassing after just 19 months though.

Thanks very much

Might be worth trying to find out what interval VAG specify between top-up services. Reading around, I've heard of recommendations of top-ups between 18 months and 3 years, varying by manufacturer ...

This is what I never understand with Aircon and the whole 're-gas' thing:

My grandad bought a 6 month year old Pugeot 405 back in 1994. In 2006 I bought it off him. My grandad wrote everything down that had been done to that car, and it NEVER had the gas topped up or replaced. Or even any part of the A/C replaced.

I have sold the car now, but the Aircon was perfect, even colder than my Octy.

Before my Octy I looked at a Clio 172. The A/C was cr*p, the garage owner said it just needed topping up. - IT NEEDS TOPPING UP BECAUSE THERE IS A LEAK!! How long will the 'top up' last?

Gas obviously is more difficult to seal than fluids. The majority of garages have been sealing fluids for decades, but gas is a different matter (ok A/C has been around for ages I know).

The best thing to do with A/C.... is USE IT (or lose it )

If it is blowing warm air then there Will be a problem with the system. A car with no air con Will blow coldish air anyway. If the gas has run out after 2years then there must be a leak.

The efficiency Will reduce over the years but not just stop unless there is a leak or another fault.

I would say 100% warranty. Perhaps you could get an air con engineer or even kwik fit to see how much gas there is in the system before going back to the dealer.

Do you have the full climate control or just climatic?

If it is blowing warm air then there Will be a problem with the system. A car with no air con Will blow coldish air anyway. If the gas has run out after 2years then there must be a leak.

The efficiency Will reduce over the years but not just stop unless there is a leak or another fault.

I would say 100% warranty. Perhaps you could get an air con engineer or even kwik fit to see how much gas there is in the system before going back to the dealer.

Do you have the full climate control or just climatic?

Not sure, how do I tell?

Before the Octavia I had a Renault Laguna for 7 years and the air con gas lasted for almost all of that time. The only reason why it leaked out was because i was a way over the summer so the car sat on the driveway for four months without being driven. As the seals in the air con are lubricated by the liquid refrigerant when the compressor is running they dried out and perished. Provided the air con is run at least once a month the gas should last for years.

One point I forgot to mention, but is touched on above, the Air-Con has to be used to maintain integrity. I was under the false impression that Air-Con costs a fortune to run. My friend the Air-Con tech agrees that this was the case in older cars when the compressors were a lot larger.

He reckons (and I would agree having tried it over a few hundred miles) that running A/C all the time will not make a huge dent in your wallet at the pumps as modern compressors are relatively small and efficient in comparison.

I think a few folk view the A/C as a luxury they should only use in extreme weather, not true in my experience. I agree, use it or lose it.

I think your approach in respect of the new garage providing good service and repeat business is a good one. Although they are not there to provide service for free, I think that if you speak with them and they are reasonable then a compromise could be reached which is mutually acceptable.

I am fortunate in the fact I have a mechanic with a large amount of VAG experience (ex workshop boss) at Cameron’s VW/Audi, Perth for a long time. He has his own business in Perth now, picks my car up and brings it back when finished servicing/repairing. He lives near me. He will not do work that is not required (last MOT on 06 plate vRS cost £48ish) will advise on work required in the future and I trust him 100%.

If anyone wants his number, I will PM you no problem. (We are not related/It's not me/I am not on commission) Lol

Good luck Eric......

Not sure, how do I tell?

The full climatronic is an automatic system that allows you to regulate dual temperatures (driver and passenger) and has two little LCD screens with the temperatures displayed.

Hi Woodworm,

That is the case on my 06 vRS but on my 11 plate Octavia it is displayed on the Bolero stereo screen. Not sure about Eric's car....

Easiest way to find out Eric, look at the handbook for operation of A/C.

The handbook will show pictures of A/C controls and also the different controls for Climatronic system. You can then simply compare controls on your vehicle with the pictures in the handbook.....

Either that or move to Scotland where you only need A/C for 3 days of the year!

Good luck

Before we go grilling dealers and people on here don't assume your car has warranty for every fault.

Ac not working? Whose to say a stone hasn't gone into the condenser? It's possible so don't be suspicious of the dealer pre warning you that it might not be covered until they have first looked at it and can then tell you what is wrong. They can't just regas it without checking system integrity first, it's illegal.

...Should it be covered by the warrenty if just recharging is required after 20months / 19k miles?

YES.

If your a/c went from working well to not working in short time, then there is an even chance that the condenser has been punctured or corroded by road salt. As Techie is suggesting, damage would not be covered by the warranty and it is good that the dealer is warning you.

Your system has been damaged, is leaking or has a fault. You need the problem fixing. A recharge on it's own is NOT a fix.

There are limits on the acceptable leakage for a/c systems and losing enough refrigerant in 20 months to lose all cooling is above that limit. They need to fix the leak before recharging and if the leak was not caused by damage then it should be covered by warranty.

Been there on my last car air con failing, noticed a leak on an aluminum pipe coming out of the condenser, it was caused due to brackets broken which in turn meant the pipe was allowed to move and rub off the subframe to the point a hole was made on the pipe and all gas leaked out.

The car was well out of warranty so I did the fix myself and got it re-gassed professionally.

You can get a can of leak detection dye that might help you locate the leak (there has to be one) at least if you can be armed with as much info as possible before approaching the garage with the car then that will help you're case, if it's a bracket thats broke due to being plastic and caused unwanted vibration or movement then you may have your case? Also if your pollen filter has not been changed regularly it will restrict air flow as it will be clogged.

Good luck

I had the same on 2.0 FSi about 2 yrs 9 months into its warranty. Repairers said it should not just be a gas problem at that age and mileage (low) and in fact it was the compressor. Replaced, and therefore system re-gassed, under warranty.

I had the same on 2.0 FSi about 2 yrs 9 months into its warranty. Repairers said it should not just be a gas problem at that age and mileage (low) and in fact it was the compressor. Replaced, and therefore system re-gassed, under warranty.

The dealer has checked it out and the pressure is ok, no damage but the compressor is not kicking in. New compressor needed but covered by the warrenty so no big deal. Glad it's in warrenty as I believe the part alone is in the region of £600 ! Thanks for all the advise.