My air conditioning has lost its refrigerant. Doesn't go cold and got these errors:

005697 - Please check DTC Memory of A/C Controller

P1641 - 000 - - Intermittent

00229 - Refrigerant Pressure

002 - Lower Limit Exceeded - Intermittent

In the Haynes manual it says because the AC compressor has no clutch it shouldn't be driven because the refrigerant is the lubricant for the compressor.

Does anyone know if that's correct? Can I drive the car (just until I get the AC fixed) with the AC off (Economy button pressed). Car (Octavia) has Climatronic AC.

Edited 27 September, 201213 yr by wfdTamar

Compressors usually engage/disengage using an electromagnetic clutch, anyway the system has a cut off that is activated when a fault is present, you 'should'nt' even be able to switch it on until it has been re-gassed, so yes it is OK to drive.

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Edited 27 September, 201213 yr by 07 vRS Taxi

You can't turn the compressor off, so yes, you need to get this system looked at before the compressor starts eating itself.

The a/c controller is reporting as faulty, so it could be that the system has enough gas. The only way is to put it on an a/c station and read the gauges.

Compressors usually engage/disengage using an electromagnetic clutch, anyway the system has a cut off that is activated when a fault is present, you 'should'nt' even be able to switch it on until it has been re-gassed, so yes it is OK to drive.

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There is no magnetic clutch. It is a variable displacement compressor and runs all the time.

Go with what Mr Baldwin says, I am qualified but I was unaware that Skoda do not use a magnetic clutch. If. It was to me Id fit a smaller belt and remove the whole system, the problem is finding a belt that would fit.

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Biggest waste of space IMHO is Air con... all that extra gubbins and for what exactly???

Cool air on about 3 days a year!

Pity you cant get rid of it altogether!

Pity you cant get rid of it altogether!

You probably can. Remove the compressor and get a aux belt for a model without aircon and fit that....hey presto...no aircon.

Trouble is, no one will ever want to buy your car off you with knackered a/c.

The last 3 summers have been pretty bad. But up to then we had a run of fairly good summers.....if they happen again, (which they are bound to with global warming and all that) and it's 30 degrees you'll be screaming for the Aircon!