Hello,

   

                      My tsi 110 sel estate had a service on its  climatronic system some months before  I bought it when it was serviced by a Skoda garage.  This month  the same garage contacted me to say the air conditioning needed servicing again at a cost of £140.  I have obtained some alternative  prices from other  places in my area and the cheapest is a mobile organisation that will do the service for £90. Thats not exactly a fortune  I  know but  I am more concerned whether service is really needed.

 

                      I never had the air con serviced at all on my previous Fabia, a  Mark 2 combi tsi.  The Skoda garage did mention it once when it went in for an annual service and  I  declined.  I came across a tip in the motoring press at that time  that said to use the air con regularly including in winter and  I have followed that advice ever since.  I  put the a/c on every time  I  drive the car, half an hour or more and  I havent had any bad smells or hot air when the a/c is switched on or anything else that suggests a problem.  I am very tempted to carry on just running the system every time I drive the car and not have the system serviced.  I  know a concern is that the system can leak gas but  I also understand that regular use suspends the gas in situ.

 

                Are the garage trying their luck or do they have a point in saying a/c systems do need servicing at 2 year intervals? What do Briskodians think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No to the question in the title, yes then no to the question in the posting.

 

You dont even need to use the aircon, the pump always circulates some fluid even when the A/C is switched off.

No they do not need servicing , full stop.

 

If its working ok, cooling etc, not making strange sounds, just leave it alone.

 

The only time it needs maintenance or repair is if it's performance is sub par, usually due to a gradual loss of refrigerant gas over time or its broken down completely which could be anything, for example stone damage to the condensor radiator.

 

You are doing the right thing by running the aircon regularly as this circulates the special ac lubricant around with the refrigerant, helping to keep the seals from shrinking and leaking. Modern ac systems should not leak much, and many will go several years without needing a regas.

 

Dealers nowadays are keen to upsell unecessary work, a practice established by the quick fit places years ago. They are now backed by Skoda UK who publish, advertise and send out fancy postcards, texts etc telling you your aircon service is due, hoping you will think this is obligatory and necessary. It is a downright lie. Ignore it. Don't let anyone  touch your aircon if its working fine. I'm sure you wouldn't consider servicing your refrigerator if it was working ok would you?

 

17 minutes ago, J.R. said:

 

You dont even need to use the aircon, the pump always circulates some fluid even when the A/C is switched off.

 

True, but turning the a/c on regularly does move the gas/oil around more effectively, forces pressures/temperatures to build up and helps keep a fraction of the compressor oil in gaseous suspension which is beneficial to keeping seals from leaking. By regularly, I don't mean constantly, although I have no doubt many mechanics will recommend you do.

 

What you really should do is make a habit of turning your ac off at least a few minutes before your journeys end whilst keeping the fan speed going. This will dry out the evaporator (the unseen radiator that cools the air in your car) which would otherwise be saturated with condensation. This will help stop the growth of bacteria on the evaporator which leads to the classic stink/smell when the ac is not running.  Impossible to clean an evaporator once lots of bacterial growth forms, the aircon cleaning  you will invariably also be offered by dealers etc as an extra chargeable service will just be a short term remedy using an airborne disinfectant treatment. The stink will always return. Great for dealers etc, a high profit service with little labour involved.

 

You can buy the same ac cleaning products for under £10 and do it yourself if you have a stinking ac btw.

 

 

 

Edited 13 April, 20215 yr by xman

I've now had 4 Skodas, all with aircon and none have given me any problem whatsoever nor have any been serviced.

 

My current car is a Mk3 Fabia Montecarlo that was 5 years old in January. I believe that the common factor is that I NEVER turn off the aircon: why would I? The Aircon conditions the air regardless of the time of year or weather. In damp conditions, it helps remove excessive moisture before entering the car; if it is cold, it simply doesn't cool the air any further; and in hot weather it keeps the interior cool.

 

So leave it on all the time and unless there is a physical problem such as stone strike to its radiator or a hose perishes, you should be Ok to ignore services.

 

It's rather like nearly everything else: leave well alone unless it goes wrong! My 2002 installed Vaillant central heating boiler has NEVER been touched by anyone and 19 years on it is still working perfectly. It's annual servicing and botch work that wears them out! (Sorry heating engineers!)

Edited 14 April, 20215 yr by TerFar

My car is a 2015 Fabia petrol. I got a card from the main dealer to bring the car in for its second service advising the the air con needs service at the same time. Rang reception to fix a date and time and queried if the aircon really needed a service to be told it was only advisory so refused to have it done, my last skoda went 10 yrs with out a/c service. While waiting to book the car in 2 older ladies were beeing served and conned into having a/c service at a then price of £80 and that would be for the old type a/c gas. Joe