My air con has stopped working and I was wondering if anyone had any ideas as to what could be the problem?

I was doing the morning commute and all was OK, then got a really bad smell in the car like burning clutch so initially thought the clutch had gone (but this felt OK). Got back in the car to go home and realised that the air con wasn't working, I'm assuming the compressor may have died :( . I have viewed other posts regarding air con problems but nobody has mentioned the smell of burning clutch.

Does anyone know of a decent Air con specialist in the SE London area?

Any help greatly appreciated.

Does the ac compressor click in?

Probably find the clutch on the compressor has fallen apart, quite common. What happens is the clutch drags overheating the coupling, melting the nyloc on the nut on the end and the lot falls off onto your undertray. Sadly it will require a new clutch, compressor, reciever dryer and regas.

Sadly it will require a new clutch, compressor, reciever dryer and regas.

Suitable parts have been advertised on eBay in the recent past for a fraction of the dealer price.

PS: Further to the above, here is a typical ad. The part being advertised could be the right part for you (but check with a dealer) and is listed at

for the advice, had a feeling it would be expensive.

Lummox, the compressor does appear to kick in as the engines idle speed drops slightly when I set it to Low.

Thanks for the Ebay tip DGW I'll get searching straight away.

I assume I'm looking at around 1,500 quid to get this sorted by a dealer?

The engine speed will drop anyhow.

Grab a torch and try and get a look at the clutch on the end of the compressor. Get someone to turn the system on and off and see if you can see it locking up.

The same refrigerant compressor and electro-magnetic coupling are used in the Golf. I would guess that there must be companies around which specialise in reconditioning and/or repairing the units given how expensive they are to replace.

PS: The possibility of having to pay out for this type of failure is one reason why I have taken out breakdown cover with Warranty Direct. If I have the same problem then the air conditioning compressor pump, condenser, electronic control unit, sensors, magnetic clutch unit and valves, evaporator and reservoir, fan control and sensors are all covered against wear and tear deterioration aswell as mechanical and electrical breakdown. (Failure due to fair wear and tear is not covered for the first 90 days of the policy...)