The air-con on my 4 year old Fabia 1.4 16v seems to have stopped working. I have owned the car for 4 months and it used to work fine - I can't tell if it suddenly stopped working or if it was a gradual thing as I haven't had cause to use it much.

It may (?) have first appeared after my big 40k service - when spark plugs and pollen filter were changed.

A. The AC button lights-up but the air temperature is no different to normal. Also the temperature now seems to be either cool or warm/hot with little play in-between.

B. I don't appear to loose any revs/power when I switch the air-con button on - not can I hear anything kicking into life under the bonnet.

C. I have read on hear it may be the expensive Evaporator Temperature Sensor (or something like that) but was hoping you could advise me on other things to check too . . . .

1. Is there a fuse to check?

2. Is it worth removing the pollen filter to see what happens? (I had this replaced not that long ago).

3. Someone mentioned a clutch lever or something (under the plastic engine cover?) that can fall off . . . what is this and where can I find it?

4. What else is there for me to check under the bonnet?

5. Will my delaer do a free diagnostics to see if there is any fault code?

6. Is it worth having the system re-gassed with UV dye?

7. If all else fails and it is the expensive (

7. If all else fails and it is the expensive (

there is a known issue with air-con units in a lot of Fabias, TDIs and VRSs especially..

Air-con Control Units appear to be faulty in batches from 02 plates onwards - my 52 plate TDI had a faulty control unit aswell.. there is a thread somewhere on this forum which detailed all the issues regarding it.. essentially one night my air-con went blazing hot like a furnace - i had constant misting up of the front windscreen when it wasn't on and the motors rotating the vents inside, were not functioning correctly at all (according to Skoda dealer when I took it in).

mine was replaced under warranty. The cost ex-warranty is around

Thanks for the info so far . . . looks like I will have to find time to get it hooked up on VAG-COM/dealer gear before the blistering summer starts (we can but hope).

I'm pretty sure the system has never been re-gassed so I still hold out hope it could be that . . . if not my girlfriend is really small so I may persuade her to get her hands dirty!

We had a similar problem with our last Fabia (W Plate 1.4 16v).If i remember correctly it was the compressor solenoid or something like that.Same symptoms as you describe and although it was fixed under warranty,it was'nt a huge problem for the dealer so should'nt be a mega expensive fix (if it's the same problem of course!).

Took car to local Skoda Dealer today (Williams,Bristol) to have my air-con looked at . . . also recently my EPC light had lit up (for one day only) and disappeared so I thought it was a good time for them to take a look.

They hooked it up on VAG-COM and found 4 fault codes:

P1612 Engine Control Unit - Incorrect Coding (18020)

P0171 System too Lean, Bank 1

P1564 Throttle Valve Control Part-J338-insufficient voltage during basic settings (sporadic)

P0571 Brake Switch (A) Circuit Malfunction (sporadic)

To cut a long story short it seems the first 'fault' listed above was what caused the air-con to stop working - they recoded the ECU and all was fine (air-con works a treat now).

Next two 'faults' on the list I assume had something to do with the rough (up and down) idling I experience once in a while . . . they "Adapted throttle valve & EGR Valve" . . . . . time will tell if my idling will now be for ever smooth and if my fuel consumption increases!

Not sure about the final fault . . . .

Total cost was