Hi Guys

I was talking to a mechanic at local dealers about aircon, he said it should never need topping up, if it does, theres a leak, that makes sense .

He also said as the compressor is always turning when the engine is running, the seals should never dry out, i am a bit mystified, is this right, i thought it was good practice to run the aircon for a few minutes on a weekly basis

Please advise !!

most run when required and should be exercised at least every couple of weeks to keep the seals wet -- I believe newer compressors run all the time but in "bypass" when not needed --my understanding is that most will lose up to 15% gas per year

The Fabia MK1 has the early type of compressor which is fully disengaged when not in use, the Fabia MK2 is the same. The MK2 Octavia, MK2 Superb, MK3 Octavia have the other type where the compressor is always driven, just under less load.

On the mkI the compressor only runs when the clutch in the pulley engages, so it only works when it is turned on. So yes you should run it regularly.

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He's definitely talking rubbish about them not needing re-gassing! I run mine every other week to keep things moving. Can't see any harm in it so I'll continue to do so. In cold weather (below 5c) I believe the air con won't activate anyway to prevent things from freezing up.

Hi Guys

I was talking to a mechanic at local dealers about aircon, he said it should never need topping up, if it does, theres a leak, that makes sense .

He also said as the compressor is always turning when the engine is running, the seals should never dry out, i am a bit mystified, is this right, i thought it was good practice to run the aircon for a few minutes on a weekly basis

Please advise !!

Name and shame the dealer. The A/c compressor has a clutch on it, so it's clearly not "always running", and even if it were always turning, that doesn't mean that it's circulating refridgerant and hence lubricant in the system.

I never switch mine off.

 

DB

I only use it in summer. Didn't know it had to be run regular. hmmm 

same as above, havent turned mine on since october :/

I never turn it off. In summer it cools, in winter its a dehumidifier.

Here's VW's description of the system as on Polo from 2002, I think Fabia Mk1 shares the same system, not sure which years though, possibly only later ones?

Go to page 50 of the pdf and read the following pertinent words:

 

" -pulley drive with integrated overload protection and no magnetic clutch"

 

and the last sentence on the page:

 

" The compressor continues to run via the V-belt

drive when the air conditioning system is

switched off. The delivery volume of the refrigerant

is set to less than 2%."

 

I interpret this to mean that a trickle of refrigerant is always circulating. So no need to run it except when you want it.

Many thanks to all.

And from the Fabia 1 Workshop Manual:

The compressor continues operating even when the air conditioning system is off with a minimum power supply requirement.

And from the Fabia 1 Workshop Manual:

The compressor continues operating even when the air conditioning system is off with a minimum power supply requirement.

 

That is correct - so all teh system "rubber" seals are continuously getting "wetted" with system oil circulating.     On the subject of "losing gas" - any all systems fitted to cars/trucks that include "rubber/plastic" elements will lose some gas over a period of time, the environmental laws governing the control of these "F" gasses takes that into consideration. Having said that, I would expect a normal car system to last at least 10 years before its chiller had dropped down in performance as to get noticed by the owner - that last bit is also based on personal experience. These systems do not have hermetically sealed chillers and rigid metal interconnecting pipework like a fridge/freezer.