Any ideas what should be covered under warranty if the aircon stops working?

 

E.g. pay for re-gas / service or expect it to be covered as a fault

 

Thanks

Tricky question as my VW dealer was very keen to upsell "A/C servicing" as a cost extra during year 2 service, I'll expect the same comments at year 3 service time!

 

Bottom line being, I'd expect the A/C to still be working beyond its warranty period, though if you complained about the performance being a bit lower than usual, then I think that you would get charged for a re-gas/service, if I were you, and that car is still within warranty, I'd need that A/C back working without any damage to my wallet - the only exception being that it might now have a hole in the condenser from being hit by something thrown up from the road, no warranty can be expected to cover that accidental damage.

 

So from where I am standing, you will need to get your Skoda dealer to diagnose the issue - just in case it is a warranty claim.

Edited 10 July, 20187 yr by rum4mo

I think I've fallen foul of the 'year 2 upsell' which is what I'm being told I now have to undertake to provide the diagnosis...

 

 

Just hope honesty prevails and if it is a "broken/failed part" other than stone damage, then the cost will be covered by the warranty. 

My wife's 2015 Polo has been in for warranty work and I had spotted a split lower wishbone rubber mounting which I'd expect has been caused by "one pothole too many" - I checked if that would be covered warranty and if not I would have replaced that myself - it was covered by warranty, pity the original clunking is back though, time for another visit!

Just been out and it's working again, not sure if it's found a bit of gas left.  I'll have it checked over anyway if it's getting unreliable. 

 

Thanks 

Edited 10 July, 20187 yr by louigicornetto

Are you using the Aircon regularly even during winter ?? 

 

You need to run the AC at least weekly to lubricate the compressor bearings and lubricate the seal with pag oil in the gas 

 

My ac is never off 

 

 

Yeah, give it a regular spin all year round

12 hours ago, malcster said:

Are you using the Aircon regularly even during winter ?? 

 

You need to run the AC at least weekly to lubricate the compressor bearings and lubricate the seal with pag oil in the gas 

 

My ac is never off 

 

 

 

Not so with these variable displacement compressors, they run continuously but at low displacement if the A/C is not switched on, so there should never be any issues with seals and pipe inners "drying out" as a small amount of oil will get carried round the system with the minimal quantity of R134A being circulated.

1 hour ago, rum4mo said:

 

Not so with these variable displacement compressors, they run continuously but at low displacement if the A/C is not switched on, so there should never be any issues with seals and pipe inners "drying out" as a small amount of oil will get carried round the system with the minimal quantity of R134A being circulated.

Well I didn't know that! So my March 2017 1.2TSI Fabia Mk3 has a "variable displacement a/c compressor" and I never need to bother using the aircon if I don't want to in cold weather? Thanks for that snippet. I'll no longer need to keep harping on at my wife to use the aircon in winter. One thing less to argue about.

Having checked further I believe that since around 2014 air con systems in cars are filled with a new refrigerant called R1234YF. This is not only flammable but more prone to leaking and costs 4x as much as the old R134A to replace. "Honest John" website reader feedback suggests that 75% of this R1234YF gas leaks out after only 2 years and re-gassing is required before this. As to whether Fabia III compressors are the "variable displacement" type I do not know but even if they are then the practice of keeping the seals from drying out by using the air con regularly is good practice especially as the new R1234YF gas is 4x more expensive and more prone to leakage.

wiganken1, have you checked the refrigerant label under the bonnet of your car? 

 

Edit:- did you not read the bit that I wrote about these systems sending  fridge gas, and so oil mist round the system even when the A/C is "OFF"?

Edited 11 July, 20187 yr by rum4mo

rum4mo, Yes I did read the "gas circulating when OFF" bit which put my mind at rest somewhat.

 

Here is a picture of my Fabia air con label: -

That, as you are finding, is not a pretty picture, the future has just hit you!

Even the Mk1 Fabia from 1999/2000 had a variable displacement compressor, so the talk about using the system often/all the time is long out of date.

22 hours ago, wiganken1 said:

Having checked further I believe that since around 2014 air con systems in cars are filled with a new refrigerant called R1234YF. 

This is not true, my 16 plate has the old refrigerant, R134A in it, so the changeover date is later than 2014. 

OK. Fair point. I think the date is actually 2017. See https://www.maes-group.co.uk/air-conditioning/servicing-r1234yf-air-conditioning/

5 hours ago, Wino said:

Even the Mk1 Fabia from 1999/2000 had a variable displacement compressor, so the talk about using the system often/all the time is long out of date.

 

And its a load of rubbish anyway, it is totally out of world to think that an 'O' ring can dry out if you don't use the air con for 6 months of the year.

 

The hundreds of pneumatic actuators I used to look after had tons of 'O' rings in them, in a dusty, hot environment and the only lubrication they saw was rusty water that came through the 40 year old steel air lines

 

 

12 hours ago, SuperbTWM said:

 

And its a load of rubbish anyway, it is totally out of world to think that an 'O' ring can dry out if you don't use the air con for 6 months of the year.

 

The hundreds of pneumatic actuators I used to look after had tons of 'O' rings in them, in a dusty, hot environment and the only lubrication they saw was rusty water that came through the 40 year old steel air lines

 

 

 

I don't think that you gave this much thought before posting, an A/C system is a sealed system and is small car A/C systems are critically loaded, so have very little tolerance to any loss of refrigerant charge before the performance drops off.  Typically a pneumatic system is a total loss system and gets continuously recharged by a bank of compressors - so losses are typically not known or bothered about, with just the odd "hiss" and traces of air borne compressor lubricating air betraying a leak site.

Also, understand one thing, most if not all refrigerants are by their chemical build up very good solvents, so even on a "sound" fridge system with no oil being carried round with the refrigerant, any "rubber" surfaces would get their plasticisers leached out of them and that tends to harden and shrink them leading to leaks. So the fact that oil control is never 100% is a very good thing for fridge systems.

Edited 13 July, 20187 yr by rum4mo

2 hours ago, rum4mo said:

 

I don't think that you gave this much thought before posting, an A/C system is a sealed system and is small car A/C systems are critically loaded, so have very little tolerance to any loss of refrigerant charge before the performance drops off.  Typically a pneumatic system is a total loss system and gets continuously recharged by a bank of compressors - so losses are typically not known or bothered about, with just the odd "hiss" and traces of air borne compressor lubricating air betraying a leak site.

Also, understand one thing, most if not all refrigerants are by their chemical build up very good solvents, so even on a "sound" fridge system with no oil being carried round with the refrigerant, any "rubber" surfaces would get their plasticisers leached out of them and that tends to harden and shrink them leading to leaks. So the fact that oil control is never 100% is a very good thing for fridge systems.

I agree in some respects and am fully aware of the differences but I’ve never seen any evidence to suggest not running your air con through winter causes it to fail prematurely, it’s just something that people say that there may or may not be any truth in

 

I mean I used to be one of the ones that used to preach about using air con all year round but after obtaining my grandads 15 year old fiesta with fully working air con, knowing full well he hardly ever drove the car and NEVER used the air con, that was enough of a case study for me that it’s not the be all and end all. 

 

I mean it it doesn’t even run once it gets near freezing anyway

I have not always proactively looked after the A/C systems in my cars, well the ones with a clutched compressor drive, and my 2000 VW Passat, as far as I knew, only lost gas via an in-line connector, now it could be that not running that system frequently caused that leak, when I asked my VW dealer to change that O-ring and recharge the R134A partly under a special pre summer A/C deal, they just screwed my over and charged for a recovery, vac out, reload and added “ you can never see fridge gas leaks they are invisible” - so that leaking O-ring was left untouched because I was dealing with experts!

 

When I answered that there was and still is an oily dirty area at that connector I was given the brush off, complete idiots!

 

There are some other words to describe these not so smart people.