O/T Car Air Conditioning- Advice Please

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

Hi, last year I took my car in for a service on the air conditioning unit ( an air con service deal by a local garage made me choose this particular garage). Around a month before I took it in, the air conditioning stopped working. Hopeful that a service and re-gas would solve this I went back to collect my car only to be told that it was the compressor and it would need changing for a cost of £550, as the car wasn't even six years old I told them I would get a second opinion before parting with my cash. I took my car in to my normal mechanic last week for it's mot/service and asked him to check the air con for me. He has come back and said the air con pump working but is only getting 10.2 volts of power and needs 12 volts to operate. He is unsure as to the reason and checked fuses, cables and connections in the immediate area only for the problem to persist. He says that he can resolve the issue but is worried about how long it may take and does not want to charge me hours upon hours of labour. So before I either give him the go ahead to spend perhaps hundreds of unnecessary pounds or go without air con, I thought that I would ask the good folk of NSC if they might be able to offer some advice or even a solution to this issue. The car is a VW Polo. Cheers.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

 

[Superphil]

I would take it to VW, get them to diagnose the problem, I reckon they'd be more accurate than NSC.

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

I would take it to VW, get them to diagnose the problem, I reckon they'd be more accurate than NSC.

Yes, I was tinkering with the idea but I dread standing there while they tut and shake their head saying " this is going to be sooooooo expensive".

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

Nope. Will give it a try when I get it back this afternoon though.

 

[dougdeep]

Mine stopped so I did without it. Is it worth the expense for about 5 days a year?

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

Mine stopped so I did without it. Is it worth the expense for about 5 days a year?

True. One of the reasons that I left it until my MOT was due last week. Also if I can get it fixed for no more than a couple of hundred pounds it will help when I sell it later this year, if it is working.

 

[vegster]

You could try ringing the bloke who runs Brighton Autoair on 07711679343 . He does mobile assesments and re-gassing of car aircons. He is independent so will probably give you a better explanation and advice. I took my Toyota in for a service and that garage said there were problems with my air con and the rough cost would be £250 to fix it, I called him and he said it's just a re-gas and charged me £45.

http://www.brightonautoair.co.uk/3.html

 

[severnside gull]

Biggest problem I have with aircon is switching it off.
Seriously consider just leaving it - a functional heater is the most important thing in this climate.

Tbe biggest potential downside is the effect on resale value.

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

You could try ringing the bloke who runs Brighton Autoair on 07711679343 . He does mobile assesments and re-gassing of car aircons. He is independent so will probably give you a better explanation and advice. I took my Toyota in for a service and that garage said there were problems with my air con and the rough cost would be £250 to fix it, I called him and he said it's just a re-gas and charged me £45.

http://www.brightonautoair.co.uk/3.html

Thank you. When my mechanic checked he found that the garage who serviced/ re-gassed last year had over gassed by 20%. He hoped that by reducing the amount of gas that this would solve the problem, It didn't hence how he found out the power issue.

 

[gazingdown]

Mine stopped so I did without it. Is it worth the expense for about 5 days a year?

Air con (well, climate control) gets used nearly every day in my car, moreso in the winter. The main reason being it dehumidifies the interior and keeps the windows clear.

I think a reason for the slight misconception of what air con actually does stems from many people thinking it's just air cooling which obviously great in summer months but the air conditioning (dehumidifiing) is great for the rest of the year, especially right now when you get into a car all wet and the windows mist up. The aircon clears that in a very short time.

 

[vegster]

Air con (well, climate control) gets used nearly every day in my car, moreso in the winter. The main reason being it dehumidifies the interior and keeps the windows clear.

I think a reason for the slight misconception of what air con actually does stems from many people thinking it's just air cooling which obviously great in summer months but the air conditioning (dehumidifiing) is great for the rest of the year, especially right now when you get into a car all wet and the windows mist up. The aircon clears that in a very short time.

Yes, brilliant in the winter for de-misting. On a long run I try to save some cash by turning it off but within 20 minutes all the windows are steaming up. A 3 minute blast and its all gone.

 

[dougdeep]

Yes, brilliant in the winter for de-misting. On a long run I try to save some cash by turning it off but within 20 minutes all the windows are steaming up. A 3 minute blast and its all gone.

Or you could open a window.

 

[fozzie's headband]

Mine stopped so I did without it. Is it worth the expense for about 5 days a year?

Likewise - mine doesn't work very well but it's not worth the expense of sorting it out bearing in mind it's something that's hardly ever needed anyway.

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

Just got the car back. An update from my mechanic, he has informed me that it is indeed the compressor and it will need to be replaced and it seems that the fault that has occured is quite a common one in these motors.

 

[gazingdown]

Or you could open a window.

Not a great idea if it's raining hard (which will often be the case if it is misting up in the first place) - get more wet and even more moisture inside.

That said, if it's mists up v quickly after turning off (and you're not still soaking) then there is obviously moisture left in the car so would need a proper drying out (keep windows open where possible if dry outside etc.) Keep windows clean as well, dirty windows seem to attract the misting....

 

[banjo]

Air con (well, climate control) gets used nearly every day in my car, moreso in the winter. The main reason being it dehumidifies the interior and keeps the windows clear.

I think a reason for the slight misconception of what air con actually does stems from many people thinking it's just air cooling which obviously great in summer months but the air conditioning (dehumidifiing) is great for the rest of the year, especially right now when you get into a car all wet and the windows mist up. The aircon clears that in a very short time.

I don't how true it is but told to use it all year round. Like you say clears the windows lovely.