Air Con problems

[Bondie]

I own a 1.4 TSI, registered last November. The max cooling air con hasn't been used before this warm spell of weather. Now the weather is warm, my air con is blowing lukewarm air at me when it's on max. cooling (though sometimes it doesn't!) Dealer says can't find anything wrong. There's an intermittent whirring noise when blowing warm air, but not when working properly. Any suggestions please?

[Davidos]

Hi,
I've got a similar problem, just bought a 2009 2.0 GT 170, absolutely love it but the air con is just blowing warm air at me. Went to kwik fit thinking it just needed a re-gass and they told me afterwards that they replaced the exact amount of coolant as they put in and it still isn't working, likely to be an electrical fault. Kindly they didn't charge me for the re-gass!

When I first drove the car home two days ago i think the air con was working...

My local VW garage would like to relieve me of £144 just to look at the air con, any suggestions before I fork out this much?

Any thoughts much appreciated.
D

[Bondie]

Hi
Just got my car back from the garage - I was so hacked off I told 'em to keep the darn thing till they mended it. Miraculously it's better. They said the fault was TOO much coolant gas, and they'd never encountered that fault before (too little yes, too much no..!!) and was probably a factory fault. They showed me the work docket, and apparently I had double the amount I should have had! Previously, my A/C stopped working when outside temp hit about 20C, and then it whined at me. The explanation I was given - with heat the gas expands and so blocked the A/C from working. Make of that what you will. Hope it's of some help to folks, or am I being spun a line? Anyway, I can now drive in comfort -hot air blowing in your face isn't nice. Hope your problem is sorted out soon Davidos .

[scirocco1984]

Hi
Just got my car back from the garage - I was so hacked off I told 'em to keep the darn thing till they mended it. Miraculously it's better. They said the fault was TOO much coolant gas, and they'd never encountered that fault before (too little yes, too much no..!!) and was probably a factory fault. They showed me the work docket, and apparently I had double the amount I should have had! Previously, my A/C stopped working when outside temp hit about 20C, and then it whined at me. The explanation I was given - with heat the gas expands and so blocked the A/C from working. Make of that what you will. Hope it's of some help to folks, or am I being spun a line? Anyway, I can now drive in comfort -hot air blowing in your face isn't nice. Hope your problem is sorted out soon Davidos .

Hi Bondie,

I am A/C Qualified and can tell you they are right at what they said. Basically when the gas changes state and expands there needs to be room for it to do so, if there was to much gas there wouldnt be any room for it etc thus making you air con inop.

Cheers

Paul

[Mark V]

Use your air-con from time to time all year round - its useful in Winter for removing condensation and keeps the seals intact and prolongs life of the system.

If you are out of warranty and have a problem consider using a specialist auto air-con outfit rather the the dealers as they are likely to get straight to the heart of the problem and cost less too.

[Bondie]

Thanks, MarkV - good to know that what I was told is correct. The question now remains of course, how did a new car finish up with double the amount of gas in the system to what it should have, and will it have caused any lasting damage because of the increased pressure caused by too much gas? I await VWs answer with interest!

[Davidos]

Hi Guys,

So yep, it was the compressor. Quite a painful bill of £424 to get it replaced, but all done on the same day at a non vw garage. Enjoying the new car in comfort now!

Thanks, D