Air Conditioning

martin2345uk

This all explains why my aircon is also now totally ineffective and hisses!

My local family garage said they'll have a look at it when I take it for its service; if it costs a bomb I'll live without it, I'll just keep a spare T-shirt in the car for weather like this

pinkshoes

Had my car MOT done, and it flagged up that my air conditioning is inoperable. It has only been 8 months since they re-gased it after finding it didn't work last time, and I suspect it has not been working for some time.

Do I take it back to the garage AGAIN and ask them to re-investigate and re-gas? Does it perhaps need an air con specialist? Do I have a case?

I've owned the 09 plated car for 20 months and the air con keeps dying since I've had it.

AdrianC

If aircon is left without being used, the seals dry out and shrink, and the gas leaks - hence the advice to use it regularly. Nothing short of replacing those seals will give a long-term solution, but regassing will help short-term. As has also been said, in this country, it's at it's most useful in winter - it's quite simply the best way possible for clearing misted windows.

Aircon should never hiss. It doesn't hiss when the gas is out - all that happens is that a pressure switch refuses to let the clutch on the compressor be engaged, so it does nothing. If there was a gas leak sufficient to "hiss", it'd be out of gas in seconds flat. The only likely noise you'll hear is if a bearing - either the compressor or a belt tensioner - is dying, and then it'll be a rumble, not a hiss.

The MOT doesn't look at or test the aircon, though.

reeac

pinkshoes wrote: »

I bought an 09 plated small car in August last year that has air con. (my previous car didn't).

When it came to use the aircon when we finally had a warm day last summer, I found it didn't work, so phoned the garage who re-gassed it for free. It had been on their forecourt and not driven for a while...

They advised me to turn it on at least once a week, so I've run it at least once a week for 20 mins.

How long should aircon be expected to last for? More than 6 months?

We had a 12 year old citroen xsara and the aircon worked for 3 years on that with no issues!!

Any ideas or advice on aircon?

The A/C on our 16 year old Jag. still works fine and has never needed topping up. Same for our 8 year old Jazz. Use it at least once a week or better still all the time.

Iceweasel

I have an Air Conditioner which I think of as exactly that - NOT an Air Cooler as many folks think of it as.

I switched it on the day I got the car and have never once switched it off.

The AC dries the air and the heater throws in some heat when required and the fan runs gently at speed 1 in the background.

I've done this since my first car with AC back in 1982 and have never once had a problem.

Nowadays with Climate Control you must have the AC on as well to get the full benefit from the system - otherwise the electrickery just can't balance things right.

As AdrianC said - it's brilliant in winter and damp wet days to ensure the windows never steam up.

pinkshoes

I always have the air con switched on and it is run 5 days a week for 25 mins each day. Nice and hot to de-mist windows in winter!

It just keeps dying, so clearly has a very small leak somewhere. I expected at least 3 years before having to get it re gassed. Everyone else I know with aircon have never had issues and it lasts years!

The MOT sheet did have a check for air con, but obviously not an MOT fail for it not working. It's just something they flagged up, even though they didn't know the history of it dying.

Am just annoyed that I upgraded to a car with aircon as a luxury and it just doesn't work.

Am I justified in taking it back to the garage and asking them to sort it again?

AdrianC

pinkshoes wrote: »

Am I justified in taking it back to the garage and asking them to sort it again?

You can always try, but after near-on two years, you'll be very much on their goodwill...

BeenThroughItAll

pinkshoes wrote: »

I always have the air con switched on and it is run 5 days a week for 25 mins each day. Nice and hot to de-mist windows in winter!

It just keeps dying, so clearly has a very small leak somewhere. I expected at least 3 years before having to get it re gassed. Everyone else I know with aircon have never had issues and it lasts years!

The MOT sheet did have a check for air con, but obviously not an MOT fail for it not working. It's just something they flagged up, even though they didn't know the history of it dying.

Am just annoyed that I upgraded to a car with aircon as a luxury and it just doesn't work.

Am I justified in taking it back to the garage and asking them to sort it again?

The leak is probably down to seal shrinkage in the first few years of the car's ownership before your time. It's entirely common.


Don't know where you take your car for MOT, but in no way is an air con check part of it. I doubt VOSA's system even allows for non-working AC to be flagged as an advisory (although I don't claim any knowledge of their systems).


Personally, I wouldn't be going back to the garage, they can't possibly have known the first owner was one of the 'AC is bad' brigade who never use it unless it's 50degC outside, so they couldn't have known it would stop leaking. If they've re-gassed it twice and leak/dye checked it already I'd say you've had your pound of flesh from them.


Locally to me I can get AC regassed for £35 a time; I have it done on my car every year as it too loses its gas over a fairly short period. Compared to the £70 a time I stick in the fuel tank every three days or so, that's nothing.

Mankysteve

pinkshoes wrote: »

UPDATE:

Dealer agreed A/C should last far longer than 6 months, but couldn't find a leak, so have regassed it free of charge, and told me to keep an eye on it.

They think it might have a tiny leak, hence it didn't lose charge straight away. They'll investigate further if it fails again.

Due to the design of the compressor on car systems there's always a small amount of gas escape. So car air con systems do need to be recharge every now and again.

pinkshoes

Mankysteve wrote: »

Due to the design of the compressor on car systems there's always a small amount of gas escape. So car air con systems do need to be recharge every now and again.

Every now and then is fine, but every 4 to 6 months seems ridiculous!

I just feel a little peeved at being sold a car with aircon that doesn't work properly.

Will try the garage again and see what they say!