I wonder if my air conditioning really needs servicing every 2 years. It's not been touched yet after 4 year, and I've still only covered 22000 miles. The air conditioning hasn't been used often, it's very cold when wanted, and it doesn't smell.   Will a a normal Škoda agent service show whether or not it needs any attention at all?

Gordon

Never touched it in my wifes fabia, still fine at 10 years old when sold.

My sons ford focus would lose pressure in less than a year though. Eventually he gave up with it.

 

Personally I have never had mine srviced but until current car all lease ones changed ar 4 years and about 65k.

If it smells it may be worth doing. However i leave mine on all the time as it dries the air in the winter and that seems to keep it frsh

10 minutes ago, kenfowler3966 said:

Never touched it in my wifes fabia, still fine at 10 years old when sold.

 

 

If it smells it may be worth doing. However i leave mine on all the time as it dries the air in the winter and that seems to keep it frsh

 

+1 on my 11 year old Fabia too.
I did put a couple of cans of this thru it in that time even though there was no smell it freshened it up.

 

This seems to have been covered before, several times. You need to use the air-con regularly to keep the seals lubricated. If you do not they can dry out and you loose refrigerant. I have mine on all of the time and get it re-gassed every two years at an independent garage for about £40/50 . You do not normally realise that efficiency has dropped [about 10% per year] until you have a re-gas. I have never bothered with the anti-bacterial service / air freshener.

 

Colin

If it’s a ‘keeper’ then the answer is always going to be different to a lease IMO.

 

As above - yet to regass the AC on any car I've owned. Current Yeti still blows cold and has covered 70k miles.

 

I do change the pollen filter on a yearly basis and run a can of the AC cleaner from Eurocarparts through (when I remember).

 

 

Needing to make sure you use the A/C regularly to keep the seals lubricated has become a modern myth.

 

The compressors on modern A/C systems run permanently, regardless of which buttons are pressed.

 

As for needing to get it serviced every two years, its typical main dealer upselling.

 

There is no maintenance, if the system requires a re-gas then it's leaking. Either the system develops a leak and stops blowing cold, or it doesn't.

 

Any out-of-warranty compressor or condensor warranty claims might be more successful however if you've had the system serviced, but I'll take my chances.

NO! It does NOT need servicing every 2 years!

 

This is a common dealer scam (same as fortron oil treatment) to try to extract more money from your wallet each service.

 

I have a friend who's service manager at a BMW dealer who tells me that they're targeted with selling AC service to 15 punters a week. They take the money from them and all that *actually* happens is that someone in the back sticks a thermometer in an airvent. If it goes down to the correct temp that's it - they do nothing. And it cost you £80 for the privilege.

 

If it doesn't go down to temp then they tell you there's a problem and ask you for more money to investigate. And still you paid £80.

Sounds like I have been lucky. The independent I have used previously used to give me the print-out of volume extracted from the system and volume put back in.

 

Colin

On 6/11/2018 at 16:19, silver1011 said:

if the system requires a re-gas then it's leaking.

So you're claiming that the AC is hermetically sealed?

I don't know what hermetically means.

 

But for the rest of us, yes air conditioning systems are air tight.

 

If they aren't then a seal has failed i.e. its leaking.

13 hours ago, silver1011 said:

I don't know what hermetically means.

 

But for the rest of us, yes air conditioning systems are air tight.

 

If they aren't then a seal has failed i.e. its leaking.

Domestic freezers and fridges are hermetically sealed as the motor that drives them is hermetically sealed in the system, a car system has a shaft rotating in a seal to the atmosphere that is never going to be as efficient as that.

But saying that my Fabia that I had for 10½ years was never recharged, but it always run for about 5 minutes a month if not being used to distribute the lubrication.

Edited 16 June, 20187 yr by Urrell

I used to get it done annually, but now only when it begins to smell a wee bit fusty, or if I feel it's not as cold as it used to be. 

 

Not sure if it's standard practice, but I've always receive a 'Before & After' printout with my vehicles details on it. 

 

Word of advice, twice after an Aircon Service I've found the purple and sky blue 'dust caps' for the AC wedged under the windscreen wiper arms. 

 

On both occasions the service was conducted at a Skoda Dealership. 

Yes, I keep being offered A.C. service, oil treatment and Terraclean type cleaning when my 5 year old TT goes in for servicing each year even though it's only done 7500 miles which I always decline.

 

It's only done low miles but rarely does short journeys. 

 

If it was true that these additional treatments were needed it doesn't say a lot for the car manufacturers. The most important thing in my book is regular oil and filter changes.

 

On 6/15/2018 at 10:09, 137699 said:

BMW dealer

 

Big Money Worry dealer then.

Got mine serviced at Skoda dealer for free as compensation for bad service. Roomster is in 4th year and I found no difference after the re-gas. Brother-in-law's Ford Galaxy went for 10 years . Just a matter of luck rather than judgement

If it blows cold, leave well alone.