My 1.4 DSG Octavia is due for its first service, and as an optional extra, the dealer offered to disinfect the air conditioning for £29.  I turned it down because the car is only a year old, and smells sweet inside.

Has anyone else been offered this?

Is it really necessary?

 

Thanks

Stewart

I'm usually the first one to stand up for things like AC servicing but at a year old that's just a money making scheme.

On one hand you can't blame them trying to make money and survive but on the other it's really not required.

Slap them with a wet fish.

It depends on how much you use the aircon.

 

If it is not used frequently bacteria can build up in the system and cause an offensive smell when it's run. The only way to remove the smell is to use one of the cleaners. 

 

You can get the cleaner for around a tenner.

Get an air con bomb from your local motor factors for £6.99 job done £23 saved, because that's all they do.

As your vehicle is still under warranty, it may prove beneficial to have Škoda carry out the a/c service on an annual basis.

If there is ever an issue with your a/c in the future it will be recorded on your Service History that you had these services carried, and it MAY improve your chances of getting a contribution from Skoda.

Due to the number of faults/failures I have suffered with my vehicle, Skoda reimbursed me the full cost of my after market warranty When I pointed out to them all my servicing and Mot's had been conducted by them.

Get an air con bomb from your local motor factors for £6.99 job done £23 saved, because that's all they do.

They really don't. The bombs just circulate a fragrance (and a waste of time as they just mask the root cause and stink the car out)

A proper job will be to clean the condenser unit and drainage pipes associated, however that is accessed, which is where the bacteria build up will be. Which is what smells.

Edited 23 August, 20169 yr by Mallettsmallett

They really don't. The bombs just circulate a fragrance (and a waste of time as they just mask the root cause and stink the car out)

A proper job will be to clean the condenser unit and drainage pipes associated, however that is accessed, which is where the bacteria build up will be. Which is what smells.

 

Can't imagine any dealer going to all that trouble for £29. Not in a million years. They will empty a can of stuff into it and nothing more.

 

EDIT: If you look here http://www.skoda.co.uk/owners/service-and-maintenance/simply-fixed/default/ it states £75 for an air con service. Whatever the op has been offered, it isn't a 'service' of the air con system.

Slap them with a wet fish.

 

They really don't. The bombs just circulate a fragrance (and a waste of time as they just mask the root cause and stink the car out)

A proper job will be to clean the condenser unit and drainage pipes associated, however that is accessed, which is where the bacteria build up will be. Which is what smells.

Evaporator not condenser.

^ Which is completely inaccessible to do anything more than spray something towards, no?

Can't imagine any dealer going to all that trouble for £29. Not in a million years.

It may be a special offer. In March this year Škoda were doing a Brake Fluid Change and Aircon Service combo for approximately £75, saving around £40/50.

^ Which is completely inaccessible to do anything more than spray something towards, no?

Correct.

Thanks guys

I reckon I use the air conditioning just average for the UK, but I only drive about 3000 miles per year, so I think I'll just wait for a smell and then zap it with one of the suggestions made above.  Halfords probably have something.

A thought has just popped into my head, isn't there an air freshener aerosol with an anti bacterial ingredient that could be sprayed into the air intake?

Might be something to try, although I don't know what the pollen filter is made of and I wouldn't want to dissolve it.  Maybe not something to try during the guarantee period.

When using such a spray you take the pollen filter out and refit the cover.

About all you can do that's better than a odour bomb is google something like 1z Klima cleaner buts it's somewhat risky.