Air con compressor failed, Skoda won't contribute

[Duck_Pond]

Apparently without a full Skoda service history, they won't offer any sort of goodwill gesture towards my failed compressor. Even though the car has done less than 60,000 miles. It is a 59 plate though.

 

Hence I'll either have to fork out probably close to a grand to get this sorted on the car.

 

Any suggestions for saving money on this will be welcome. Not impressed with this to be honest, and is something for anyone who considers using VAG specialists for servicing, to be warned about.

 

So much for being able to get a car serviced anywhere...

 

I've been told this by a Service Manager of a Skoda dealership (via my brother-in-law). Is it worth me emailing Skoda UK directly?

[Duck_Pond]

If anyone knows the part number and if there are alternatives, that'd be handy too. TIA.

[AlleyCat`]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SKODA-YETI-AC-Compressor-NRF-32146-/271225348146

 

Is that what you are after?

 

You can get one for the superb and octy II model from germany for at least £100 cheaper, not sure what the difference is.

Edited 9 July, 2013 by AlleyCat`

[Duck_Pond]

Could be... seems to be right for the car. Just have a distrust of Ebay for anything costing more than £100.

[AlleyCat`]

Was more to give you the codes than anything else.

Don't think i'd want to get it on ebay either, although this does appear to be a proper business using ebays "marketing" power than some guy chucking stuff out of the garage.

 

Is this better:-

 

http://www.autoairconparts.co.uk/Skoda-YETI-2.0-Tdi-Diesel-Man/Auto-May-09-to-/-Car-air-conditioning-compressors-pumps-aircon-radiators-and-more/

Edited 9 July, 2013 by AlleyCat`

[Duck_Pond]

Indeed it might be. Thanks. They're local to me too.

 

Might not be such a disaster after all. £300 for the part(s), plus fitting and regassing.

Edited 9 July, 2013 by Duck_Pond

[AlleyCat`]

A quick look around the interweb and even this forum in general it doesn't look like the A/C units are VAG's finest creations.

 

I know for every complaint you'll find there are lots of happy customers but it seems to be one of the most common parts of the VAG "fleet" that seem to cause upset.

 

If the car was serviced in line with the manufacturers requirements, at the correct times, then i find their stance of offering no gesture of good will a bit weak sauce.

If they'd offered to cover the labour costs it hasn't, in my opinion, really cost them much at all and certainly would make you more liable to choose their product again.

I think any reasonable person expects that parts of a car will fail but the expensive bits shouldn't be imploding just outside warranty.

 

Hopefully you've managed to get that £1K down to something less horrible.

Edited 9 July, 2013 by AlleyCat`

[rockhopper]

I had one replaced on my previous Octavia. Cost me the best part of £1300. They wouldn't just replace the compressor and I had to have other parts replaced as well, otherwise it would not be covered by any warranty.

 

Take a look in the Octavia 2 forum. there are plenty of threads about it.

[JCP]

Although what a service manager has told your bro in law may turn out to be so I would ask your dealer-he may process the claim sympathetically if he thinks you are a potential sale.....

[j0hn]

Indeed it might be. Thanks. They're local to me too.

 

Might not be such a disaster after all. £300 for the part(s), plus fitting and regassing.

 

You need to get the system completely flushed before you add more gas and oil in case there is any debris from the compressor breaking.

I think part of the reason they fail is because the systems are of a fairly small capacity so any loss or reduction on coolant over - what, nearly 4 years on a 59 plate, could mean the lubricant isn't being spread through the system causing the compressor to seize.

 

I had one done in early 2012 with a new 2012 spec Sanden compressor fitted, system flushed and recharged for £460. I think I've got a hole in my condenser now as the a/c was serviced only 6 weeks back and had lost nearly all of the gas.

[Duck_Pond]

Thanks for the additional comments. The car has been serviced at Toyota, where my bro-in-law is the service manager. He's ex VW so knows about the cars, and made sure the right work was done. Then the last service was through a friend who used to be a VW master tech, and has set up his own VAG garage. He's the chap who has offered to fit it, and I think Toyota might end up regassing it. 

 

Those are the only services I've had done since buying it, and trust both parties to do the right job. Oh well, looks like Skoda have done themselves out of the labour (at least) plus a bit of bad press about the car. 

Edited 9 July, 2013 by Duck_Pond

[looby]

You can hardly expect a goodwill gesture from VAG if you do not have your vehicle serviced by them.....

[jlwah]

I'm sorry you've had a major component failure with your car, but I think if you have your car serviced outside the makers service network (irrespective of how good or competent they are) you can't moan if they don't offer to help out with a problem that occurs after the warranty runs out.

 

Skoda would only have your word as to how good these other service centres were, whereas they monitor their own network and train all the technicians. It may have been that signs of a premature failure would have been picked up by the manufacturers servicing agents that your choosen service agents wouldn't have seen.

 

Anyway, hope you get it sorted out as cheaply as possible.

[jlwah]

You can hardly expect a goodwill gesture from VAG if you do not have your vehicle serviced by them.....

Looby, you summed up my thoughts far more succinctly then I did

[trundlenut]

As long as you can prove it has been serviced in line with manufacturers requirements by a vat registered garage, then you should be able argue your case. Given that I don't believe the Skoda service schedule includes anything explicit relating to the air con system you wonder how Skoda could argue its your fault.

If the compressor breaks up inside it will not necessarily show a fault. The Skoda dealer I bought my Octavia from didn't notice the air con was broke on my car when they sold it to me.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

[Paul52]

I'm afraid I'm with Jooby and jlwah on this one. It is unfortunate for you that you have had the problem but if you've not been taking the car to a Skoda dealer for its services (and in your circumstances presumably had no intention of doing so in the future) and the car is out of warranty I honestly can't see any logical reason for Skoda to show goodwill - there really hasn't been a customer/dealer relationship. I think trundlenut makes a fair point if the car was still in warranty - you could argue that if Skoda was rejecting a warranty claim the onus should be on them to demonstrate that the work/servicing had not been carried out in accordance with manufacturer's requirements and that this directly led to the fault -  but that isn't the case here. I've taken out the extra two year warranty on my Yeti and intend to have regular services carried out by a Skoda dealer, accepting that it might cost me a few pounds more than elsewhere but it gets the right stamps in the book and hopefully if the worst were to happen Skoda would see me as a customer they want to retain and act accordingly. But then I also believe in the Loch Ness Monster and flying saucers so what do I know?Despite all the above, good luck for getting things sorted at a reasonable price.

[rog737]

A quick look around the interweb and even this forum in general it doesn't look like the A/C units are VAG's finest creations.

 

 

I am with you on that. I had a Fabia and the aircon failed after a year, and now I have a Yeti and the aircon failed after 18 months. Apparently a leaking condenser which was replaced (under warranty so no complaints there), but it is now very noisy, so I am just awaiting the compressor disintegrating !

 

No problems with aircon in any other brands I have owned.

[Tech1e]

+1 on the above comments about the system requiring flushing. Also would need a new drier too, they don't like the flushing fluid running through them.

[littleade]

I'm afraid I'm with Jooby and jlwah on this one. It is unfortunate for you that you have had the problem but if you've not been taking the car to a Skoda dealer for its services (and in your circumstances presumably had no intention of doing so in the future) and the car is out of warranty I honestly can't see any logical reason for Skoda to show goodwill - there really hasn't been a customer/dealer relationship. I think trundlenut makes a fair point if the car was still in warranty - you could argue that if Skoda was rejecting a warranty claim the onus should be on them to demonstrate that the work/servicing had not been carried out in accordance with manufacturer's requirements and that this directly led to the fault -  but that isn't the case here. I've taken out the extra two year warranty on my Yeti and intend to have regular services carried out by a Skoda dealer, accepting that it might cost me a few pounds more than elsewhere but it gets the right stamps in the book and hopefully if the worst were to happen Skoda would see me as a customer they want to retain and act accordingly. But then I also believe in the Loch Ness Monster and flying saucers so what do I know?Despite all the above, good luck for getting things sorted at a reasonable price.

Well put. I feel sorry for the OP but realistically I dont understand why anyone would think Skoda should do anything when a car is outside the warrenty and doesnt have a full dealer service history. Skoda are in business, not operating a free service Im afraid. Skoda do offer goodwill gestures to owners but its a 2 way thing.

[The Plumber]

Worst I've had for A/C comp failure was our previous Corsa; ate through 7 or 8 compressors in 3 years. Vauxhall just kept replacing them and never bothered find what was causing the failures. After nearly four years with the thing we swapped back to a Fabia.

 

Back to Yeti and this is one of the reasons when the dealer asked if I wanted to pay for the privilege on an A/C service while they were running a special offer price, I said yes please   Then add in the cars been main dealer serviced every 10k T&D rather than variable; cannot ague she's not been looked after.

 

 

TP

[Bigfoot]

Taken from Honest John      re Octavia 2    2004 - 2013

 

Failure of Zexel or Valeo a/c compressors is common, usually a year or two out of warranty and dealers

can quote £1,304 for a new compressor, condensor and expansion valve. Sometimes goodwill of about

£300 is offered. But cheaper to buy a new Sanden compressor for £287 and have it fitted by an

independant a/c specialist for about £150. Internet forums, particularly in USA are full of postings

concerning failures of Zexel and Valeo compressors, seems a case of "when not if".

 

 

 

Whether these are the same components as fitted to the Yeti or not, I don't know,

 

 

 

 

[Duck_Pond]

To be honest, I agree with most folks' comments on here, even those saying "hard cheese", as it's perfectly logical with my business head on that a company that isn't normally getting trade should offer help. I was all ready to foot the bill for the job when it was suggested to me that such a component shouldn't be failing after such a short period. I was also told that the compressor is a common problem with VWs. Hence Skoda might be more willing to offer some sort of gesture.

 

Probably work out cheaper for me not to involve them. I still love the Yeti; I once spent £1850 on a service on my Impreza, and foolishly retained that... 

 

I think it's just me and Skodas. Heater never worked in the Fabia, though the air con was ok for 6 years. Mind you, the turbo blew up on that. D'oh! Maybe I should save up for an Ewok...

[Tech1e]

Trust me the Ewoks aint any better...lol

[Duck_Pond]

I know, it was in jest with a nudge and a wink to the other thread on here at the mo.

 

They also cost a fair bit more to service and repair!

[Duck_Pond]

Well, after another day driving a courtesy car (Yaris, with barely an engine) I've had the Yeti dropped back to me, with the new air conditioning compressor fitted and now re-gassed. It's nice to feel cold air coming from the dashboard again!

 

Costs? Got the compressor through the trade for about £230 (inc VAT), my local independent VAG specialist fitted it for £40, and my bro-in-law re-gassed it today. It was a Viper unit they supplied. 

 

Just in time for the heat wave to be over. C'est la vie!

 

Fingers crossed it doesn't go wrong again. Now where are those leather wipes to clean the sweat from the seat?