Where Do I stand?!

Determined_83

Hello everyone, I'm hoping someone can help me understand what I'm to do with my car.

I got my car Feb/March last year. I didn't use the air con till the summer about 3-4 months later.
When I found out it wasn't working I took it back to the dealer and explained, and they told me I was out of my 3 month warranty, (convenient I thought) and so wasn't covered, but they would look at it for free and give me an estimate! :mad: Miffed off I just left it, as it might be expensive to fix, so I had a horrible hot summer with my 2yr old in the car.

After a second visit a few weeks later explains something, and why I need to ramble a bit, and why I have no idea where I stand!

I never questioned the dealer again as the last car I got from the dealer was confusing enough, but was all fixed. I'll explain.
I bought my last car with a service package, I was told it would give me full oil and filter changes so was a bargain to me.
After 2 days the headlight was knackered, took it in, fixed for free at about £500 under, what I thought, was standard warranty.... they said 'our warranty' so i presumed....... A week later the break pads failed, again I took the car back and got new discs and pads all round for free...... MOT time came, I used my full service package I bought and was astounded they only gave a visual check, any top ups and servicing was chargeable they said! So I decided that was waste of money.

When I traded in for the car I now have, with the failed air con, I obviously refused the service package, and said I wasn't paying £300 for someone to simply look at my car for 3 years and tell me what I needed and charge on top!
It was only when I found out the air con didn't work, and on my second visit to question what I had bought with my first car that I found out, the 'service package' was actually an 'extended warranty', ( I suppose I never read the teeny tiny small print) it was explained that was why my first car had all the free repairs!

A week ago now, my engine sprung an oil leak and I've parked the car in my garage as it's unusable. Looking into my extended package I bought on the first car didn't kick in till after my standard warranty, in the small print, at least 6 months after I bought the first car. so why did my second car have a 3 month warranty?
The sales woman also said all cars a fully inspected and rigorously tested..... obviously not in the case of the air con.

Is this my fault? I understand oil leaks happen and I will probably have to fix that..... a Mondeo I had a few years ago seized up and I had to do all that myself, so i put a new engine in, but only as I couldn't prove it was a mechanical failure.

As a close, my basic understanding is 'as the car was sold with air con' it should be working.
What I'm unclear of, is had I known originally, could I have handed the car back if the dealer refused to fix it? Because I would have about 7 months ago! And so not been plagued with this new engine problem! lol

My guess is I'm probably stuck whatever I do, but anyone who can guide me the right way, help will be much appreciated, and hopefully make my other half feel a bit better in the process

Thanks for you're time

TadleyBaggie

Failed air con is almost always due to lack of gas in the system. And one of common reasons this happens because due to lack of usage (often in the winter), seals dry and start to leak. Re-gassing is fairly simple procedure, can be DIY or there are specialists that will do it for £75 or less.

A lot of people seem to think that you should only use the AC in the summer, it's far better to use it all year round because apart from cooling you also get the benefit of dry air; this makes demisting a much easier job. My AC is never turned off, I've not had a need to re-gas the AC in 10 years or so.

scotsbob

This ^^^^^^^ you need to use aircon at a very minimum of once a week to stop the seals perishing.

Netwizard

Crikey, a lot to read. First off, the service packages are useless. I commented on a thread here the other day where someone was going to buy Arnold Clarks service plan. All it was, was oil and filter changes at a minimal cost. Everything else for the £279 was checking things like the horn and lights! Not worth £5 let alone £279!

Aircon needs to be used all the time to keep it working. Its just as beneficial in the winter as it is in the summer, as the aircon can help demist the car quickly.

Don't bother taking it to any of the national chains for a regass. they are useless and don't check for leaks, they just gas it up.
Find a good aircon specialist to do it who will check the system for leaks with dye first. I don't know where abouts in the country you are but I use an aircon specalist who has all the kit in his own van and he really knows his stuff. Much better than any fast fit chain

iolanthe07

If you didn't use the air-con for three or four months then the seals would have dried out, which I would have thought was entirely down to you. I can't see how this is the dealer's fault at all. Air con has to be switched on regularly (15 minutes once a week should be OK) to keep the seals lubricated. Good luck with the other issues.

rach_k

Did you test the air con when you bought it? If you did and it worked (or didn't), I think you just need to accept that air con needs re-gassing sometimes. It's one of the things you need to factor in like topping up oil, new tyres, wipers etc.

EdGasket

Well I never use air-con in winter and its still going 14 years later ! Hyundai Lantra - bullet proof

Iceweasel

We'll never know now but the AC may have been working properly when the OP bought the car.

It's total false economy not to use the AC all the time - any small savings from switching it off, especially for months on end is completely lost by the need to repair/re-gas the system.

AC is needed to dry the air to keep the windows clear and the entire car interior dry in damp UK winters.

Lots of folks don't understand that AC means air-conditioning - not air-cooling.

Anyway 'we are were we are' as they say - the AC and all the other faults need to be fixed and I don't think the OP can reasonably look for assistance with the bill at this stage.

A learning experience if ever there was one.

As for handing it back - I think the garage would have fixed the air-con if that was faulty - garages/dealers really don't like taking cars back.

But the moral of this is tale is to read the small print and act immediately when there is a problem.

Determined_83

Thanks for the responses, but I don't think the problem is lack of use.... my old Mondeo which my Dad now uses, works fine and it's hardly used. My old car I traded for this one, the air con blew warm and was fixed with a top up, however the air con clutch does not even kick in unlike my other car did even when it needed a top up.

I guess if the result was the seals going, I would have a hard time proving they were corroded at the time the garage, (well I might as well say Arnold Clark as they have already been pointed out) gave the car it's "full checks".
I believe it was a quick turn around job, and they chanced it, as my first car with them had so many faults when I picked it up too! After all the headlight was goosed and that had a "full check over" before I got it as well.... oh not to mention the various bulbs not working as well.... very thurough??!

Sadly I never checked the air con before buying this car, Arnold's is a big chain and I took good faith in them. Since my dealings I have heard other stories about them.

I just needed confirmation mainly that what I have done so far is right with what others think, as the other half really isn't happy! lol After all I now have a 7k chunk of metel sitting that still needs paid for.

cajef

Determined_83 wrote: »

however the air con clutch does not even kick in unlike my other car did even when it needed a top up.

The reason the clutch does not kick in is because there is no gas in the system, there is a low pressure sensor that prevents the clutch kicking in if the pressure is none existent or low.

Determined_83

So I'm on the right track then, there could be any number of problems unfortunately, and the system must be completely empty. With no way of proving anything I'm stuffed whether right or wrong.... hopefully I'll get a little less ear twisting with some back up now.

I'll just take up walking till I eventually get the car fixed I think.... but it's been some time! Or wrestle the keys of the GF for her pride and joy! lol