Air Con Compressor

[kkbc]

The air con has never worked on this car since i had it 2 years ago - bought it in the winter and didn't think to check...

 

Had it checked out and confirmed that it needs a new compressor (common on these by all accounts..) 

 

Quoted £370 all in. Don't fancy paying that amount. Is it worth taking a chance on this you reckon?

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114809129436?fits=Cars+Year%3A2012|Model%3AOctavia&hash=item1abb2849dc:g:j2UAAOSwNTxgnAxx

 

[Phil-E]

Is that 370 including fitting?

 

I really wouldn't bother with a used one. Unless you don't plan to keep the car long term.

[J.R.]

Unless there are any fortune tellers on the forum nobody can answer your question for you, the second hand ones I bought were fine, others may be foutu, its actually incredibly rare for a compressor to fail despite the recieved wisdom, if it really had then the system would be full of metal shavings & require the filter/drier and condensor replacing at the minimum.

 

The faults are either not compressor related at all which you only find out after having been shafted to replace your one that would have functioned perfectly or if they are then it will be either the modulating valve or the shear plate or drive hub all of which can be replaced in situ for little money.

 

The obvious candidate on your vehicle will be leakage from the pressure sensor cause by corrosion where water has pooled on it and/or corroded electrical contacts from the same water, that is easily replaced and you dont even lose any gas remaining in the system.

 

I am assuming that you have tried to have it regassed and they have said there is a leak, I bet you it wont be the compressor or if it is then it will the the coupling O rings that cost peanuts.

 

But hey, replacing a compressor brings in loads more money & if that doesn't work we can scratch our heads and find the real cause.

 

A new compressor from Maxspeedingrods will cost little more than that second hand one, but they can have their faults, at the minimum you must check that the drive hub nut is tight & is loctited.

[kkbc]

29 minutes ago, Phil-E said:

Is that 370 including fitting?

 

I really wouldn't bother with a used one. Unless you don't plan to keep the car long term.

Yeah - £370 all in. 

[kkbc]

23 minutes ago, J.R. said:

Unless there are any fortune tellers on the forum nobody can answer your question for you, the second hand ones I bought were fine, others may be foutu, its actually incredibly rare for a compressor to fail despite the recieved wisdom, if it really had then the system would be full of metal shavings & require the filter/drier and condensor replacing at the minimum.

 

The faults are either not compressor related at all which you only find out after having been shafted to replace your one that would have functioned perfectly or if they are then it will be either the modulating valve or the shear plate or drive hub all of which can be replaced in situ for little money.

 

The obvious candidate on your vehicle will be leakage from the pressure sensor cause by corrosion where water has pooled on it and/or corroded electrical contacts from the same water, that is easily replaced and you dont even lose any gas remaining in the system.

 

I am assuming that you have tried to have it regassed and they have said there is a leak, I bet you it wont be the compressor or if it is then it will the the coupling O rings that cost peanuts.

 

But hey, replacing a compressor brings in loads more money & if that doesn't work we can scratch our heads and find the real cause.

 

A new compressor from Maxspeedingrods will cost little more than that second hand one, but they can have their faults, at the minimum you must check that the drive hub nut is tight & is loctited.

That's helpful thanks, i know little about cars and wouldn't have a clue where to start with what you've mentioned, but certainly food for thought. Think i may take it to a more specialized place to see if it's any of the things you've mentioned.

 

I did have it re-gassed prior to this, they were really helpful. After an hour of whatever they were doing told me it's not working, don't know what's wrong with it.  Good old Kwik Fit. 

[seriesdriver]

Depending on which compressor is fitted the nut holds the pulley on can come loose and stops the aircon working, it happened to ours and an air gun retightening sorted it out. Also there can be issues with the shear plate between the pulley and compressor body.

 

https://www.instructables.com/VW-Audi-Seat-Skoda-Air-Conditioning-Compressor-Pum/

[J.R.]

1 hour ago, kkbc said:

 Think i may take it to a more specialized place

 

I did have it re-gassed prior to this, they were really helpful. After an hour of whatever they were doing told me it's not working, don't know what's wrong with it.  Good old Kwik Fit. 

 

Blindfolded you could pick any random person from the street and I guarantee you that they would not know less than where you took it and you might even get lucky.

 

Kwik fit and all the others of their ilk only have to know how to find and connect the two fill couplings to the lines from their machine, press "start" & then go and navel gaze for the next hour, if they were competent they would have looked it over and seen that the vacuum did not build up quick enough, or at all, or hold for the test period, they could then have said "there is a leak somewhere" or seen that it charged alright but did not cool and said "its holding a charge but the high pressure side pressure is not raising" etc, instead its "Computer says no!" and they trot out the confident "we confirm that it needs a new compressor" which really means computer says NO!, we know nothing of these things, give us our money, go away and take it somewhere else.

[phil08]

I am in the same position. Had the car regassed last year and was fine.

 

I have damage from a stone ( hazard of driving up and down a dual carriageway daily ) however my compressor on a 2011 VRS was also suffering from corrosion- mainly on the two ends of the compressor which are almost cylindrical.

 

I was quoted £380 all in for a non genuine part.

 

In all honesty by the time I decide summer will be over anyway!

[KenONeill]

11 hours ago, phil08 said:

In all honesty by the time I decide summer will be over anyway!

And? The air con will dehumidify wet air when it's running, and will often blow warm but not hot when the air temperature is cool.

[Tilt]

21 hours ago, kkbc said:

 

Had it checked out and confirmed that it needs a new compressor (common on these by all accounts..) 

 

21 hours ago, kkbc said:

 

I did have it re-gassed prior to this, they were really helpful. After an hour of whatever they were doing told me it's not working, don't know what's wrong with it.  Good old Kwik Fit. 

 

Wondering who told you it needed a new compressor then....... was it K F ???????

 

Mine has never worked but without knowing what to do or where to start, doing it myself, I guessed it will probably run into the thousands to pay a garage to sort it, what with the compressor, condenser, evaporator and dryer.

 

I'm assuming JR's info is correct so excellent information to pass on hopefully saving members from wasting money unnecessarily.

 

Good luck with the more specialized place, though I fear it will still cost a lot. 

Edited 20 June, 2021 by Tilt

[FatblokeVRS]

I got the part number off mine and got a refurbished one online for around £150 a couple of years back. Fitted and worked perfectly. Got it regassed at kwik fit at the time and its been great since.

[lukegcorrida]

i got a brand new china special compressor from ebay for 55 inc postage and its been fine for over a year, you probs want to do the condenser/dryer while your at it as they leak, i got all mine for 110 for parts and 45 for a regas after id installed the bits