Bu99er!! £800 AC repair quote.

[happyclappy65]

My AC stopped working during lockdown when the car sat unused. Local Skoda dealer’s just quoted me £800 for parts and labour to replace the condenser. That’s not going to happen so looking for lower priced possibilities. So, any recommendations/suggestions for reliable independent AC specialist in the North West?

 

• The car’s a 2013 Skoda Superb 1.4 TSI base model estate.

 

Many thanks

[ashfan]

I went to Chill Out in Bretherton near Leyland about 4 weeks ago. Cost me £420 fitted to my 2010 2.0 diesel elegance estate

[rover220]

That's the sort of price you get when they don't really want the job. 

[happyclappy65]

26 minutes ago, ashfan said:

I went to Chill Out in Bretherton

Thanks for the pricing. Presumably this included the regas, but did it also include a new dryer (dessicant?)?

15 minutes ago, rover220 said:

That's the sort of price you get when they don't really want the job. 

Well that worked, cos I wont be "giving" them the job :-)

[ashfan]

Yes, regas included. He tried a regas first, discovered it wasn't working and tested the condenser, discovered it wasn't working so I was booked in a few days later to have a Sanden unit fitted. I don't know anything about a dryer. 

Edited 25 August, 2020 by ashfan

[happyclappy65]

3 minutes ago, ashfan said:

Yes, regas included. He tried a regas first, discovered it wasn't working and tested the condenser, discovered it wasn't working so I was booked in a few days later to have a Sanden unit fitted. I don't know anything about a dryer. 

 

Many thanks, much appreciated. Now I have a ballpark figure because the Skoda dealer quote didn't include the dessicant. ATB!

[J.R.]

50 minutes ago, ashfan said:

Yes, regas included. He tried a regas first, discovered it wasn't working and tested the condenser, discovered it wasn't working so I was booked in a few days later to have a Sanden unit fitted. I don't know anything about a dryer. 

 

Short of being blocked or obstructed there really is no way a condensor could not work, its a passive device, sounds more like parts bingo to me.

 

Not even sure how you could test a condensor.

 

Its true that if the system has been open & moisture got into the system, the dessicator saturated & moisture in the AC gas the efficiency of the cooling will be reduced but a condensor not working? thats a new one on me but I'm still learning & welcome anyones explanation.

[ashfan]

5 minutes ago, J.R. said:

 

Short of being blocked or obstructed there really is no way a condensor could not work, its a passive device, sounds more like parts bingo to me.

 

Not even sure how you could test a condensor.

 

Its true that if the system has been open & moisture got into the system, the dessicator saturated & moisture in the AC gas the efficiency of the cooling will be reduced but a condensor not working? thats a new one on me but I'm still learning & welcome anyones explanation.

I don't know anything about that. All I know is my aircon wasn't working and it is now. This thread is the first time I've heard of the system having dessicator in it. I'll have to ring them back to see if it was put in although he did mention oil.

[happyclappy65]

29 minutes ago, ashfan said:

I don't know anything about that. All I know is my aircon wasn't working and it is now. This thread is the first time I've heard of the system having dessicator in it. I'll have to ring them back to see if it was put in although he did mention oil.

 

This might be my bad. I've always presumed there is a desiccant in the AC system. Google shows that on some Skodas there seems to be a combined fluid reservoir/dryer.

 

Regret any confusion my notes & presumptions may have caused.

[ashfan]

No need to feel any regrets, I've learnt something else here about my car. 

[Breezy_Pete]

Seems to be confusion between compressor and condenser here. Sanden is compressor, no? 

Dryer is usually part of condenser.

[J.R.]

Ooops, my bad 🥴

 

I have vision problems & missed the Sanden completely, or more likely read it but failed to register the significance.

 

Sounds a reasonable price, I paid £130ish for Chinese Sanden units.

[ashfan]

My bad also. With my lack of most things mechanical I assumed condenser, compressor, pump where all names for the same thing

[Breezy_Pete]

Condenser is the big flat heat exchanger sitting in front of the coolant radiator. 

Edited 26 August, 2020 by Wino
sp

[happyclappy65]

5 hours ago, ashfan said:

My bad also. With my lack of most things mechanical I assumed condenser, compressor, pump where all names for the same thing

 

My problem is that the condenser has a leak, and although I haven't checked personally, I presume that could have been caused by a stone or perhaps even corrosion.

 

I discovered a handy video on youtube that you might consider is Skoda's attempt to sell the idea of an aircon service. The links here and its only a minute and a half long. What I like about it is that it helped me understand how all the bits come together to make either cold air for comfort, or to make air that has reduced humidity for demisting

 

Happy motoring.

 

[lichfielddriver]

did they put the dye in and use a sniffer?

 

can they bypass the pressure sensor to test the pump/compressor?

 

[ashfan]

14 hours ago, lichfielddriver said:

did they put the dye in and use a sniffer?

 

can they bypass the pressure sensor to test the pump/compressor?

 

The bloke who fixed mine connected something to my battery (looked a bit like my Optimate battery charger but bigger) then plugged it into my compressor and said to me something like "if these two lights don't light up (or vice versa, I can't remember) then the compressor is knackered"

 

I don't know if he was blinding me with science, easy to do, but all I know is with my new Sanden compressor I now have aircon.

 

He did try to check the pressure sensor but he couldn't get it off, it was very tight and he was frightened of damaging the pipe that it was connected to.

 

Before changing the compressor the system needed topping up to 525 (I think, according to the plate on the panel above the radiator). I had about 300 in the system. Doing this didn't help. He included a dye to check for leaks then. 

Edited 28 August, 2020 by ashfan