Betty Swallocks!

henry74

henry74

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Guys - I need some advice. Finished work and got back to a car that's been sat in glorious sunshine all afternoon. Turned the air-con from Eco on (18 degrees) to Econ off (Lo and on Auto) and expected to have my nips frozen within seconds as per normal but no such luck! Plenty of blower action but warm (outside air temp?) air rather than an icy blast? In fact it was colder turning Eco mode back on! I've checked the fuse for the air-con system (all ok) and it's been working fine all winter with no hiccups so I'm a bit stumped. Any ideas before I take it to be looked at (which might not happen for some while - first sprog on the way and money seems to be a bit sparse!)?

Cheers

Richard :think:
 
That's the conclusion my fairly non-technical brain came to! Just found the paperwork from when I had it serviced last year when it smelt like a dead badger's crotch! Unfortunately they only guaranteed the work done (full air-con service) for 6 months or 6000 miles! Nadgers on both counts (was 20th April 2007 or 12000 miles ago!)! Can anybody recommend a good air-con co. in the Bournemouth/Poole area?

Many thanks

:(
 
If you sit in the car with the engine idling and the window down - turn the aircon OFF ie Econ ON - give it 30 secs or so and turn the aircon back ON - 2 things should happen:

1. There should be an audible 'click' as the clutch in the aircon compressor connects,

2. The engine revs should drop ever so slightly (50-100rpm) due to the extra loading of driving the compressor.

If thats not happening then the compressor isn't cutting in. It may be nacked, but it could just be a power supply or connection prob.

Generally, in my experience at least when the air con gas is low you will notice a drop in efficiency rather than just one day it not working.

Personally i never use the econ button - IMO the fuel saving of turning the aircon off is negated by the trouble aircon causes when it is not used. If you do turn the aircon off over the winter then it is pretty essential to run it a minimum of once a week. This keeps the coolant flowing around the aircon system and the compressor turning. If this doesn't happen then all the rubber seals in the system will dry out and the gas will leak away and the compressor will suffer from lack of use. When did you last run the aircon system?

I cannot recommend any specific aircon specialists locally, but I know an Audi Specialist on the Nuffield Estate in Poole if that helps?

James
 
probs just needs re-gassing. i had to get mine done last summer. the boys at kwik fit done a sterling job for 40 of my pounds
 
Cheers for the info gents! Had the air-con serviced last April at Sewards (Vauxhall 'dealer') in Blandford when it really stunk! Don't fancy taking it back there again so might try the Kwik-Fit boys (going down to Devon for a week on Saturday and the wife wants to take her Picasso as her air-con is working - she's 7 months pregnant and likes to be comfortable!) to see if they can sort it. Will also try your suggestion quattrojames and possibly swing by the Audi specialist on the Nuffield (the one behind toys 'r' us?) if it does what you describe!

Thanks again!

Richard :happy:
 
My wife is 8 months so I understand!! Rather you than me driving to devon in a Citreon :sadlike: Its not exactly 90 deg out there tho is it?! Yes its Kartechnic on Hatchpond Road - i have never used them personally but have heard good things - don't know if they are aircon specialists though.
 
It's not the drive down that would be the problem it's the drive back. We're going down with the out-laws, staying in a cottage outside Barnstaple, from Sat to Sat but i've got to be back for work in Wimborne (at 08:30 on the 2nd Sat) so it's either going to be a late-night Friday or early Sat morning blat back and i know which motor i'd rather be driving!! I'm about to go and try your suggestion but will probably go down the Kwik-Fit route (they do a gas re-charge and lube for £44.95 by the way) as a work colleague has a money-off voucher from when he had his MOT done. I'll let you know how i get on!

Cheers

Richard :salute:
 
Yes hopefully it just needs a gas recharge - checking the compressor is just a 2 minute test you can do to eliminate that as the problem.
 
Update

James - have tried what you suggested several times (before leaving work and twice when i got home) but no click or reduction in revs. Also would i be right in saying that if you are running the system in Eco mode, set to LO with the blowers showing say two bars, when you turn the Eco off then the blower should go to full blast (or is that only when you change from 18+ to LO?)? If this is the case then that's not happening either! Now i'm in a quandry. If it's the gas then obviously K.F. is the way to go - however if it's not (which it's beginning to look like!) do i look in the Yellow Pages and take pot luck with an air-con specialist or do i seek the services of an auto-electrician? Why is life so ****** frustrating! Any further advice or a loaded shotgun gratefully received!

Richard :unsure:
 
Well initially I would take it to KF - they can get the gas level checked (its only a pressurised system) and if its ok they (shouldnt) charge you anything. You will then know that the gas level is fine. From what you have said it doesn't sound as though the compressor is engaging when you activate the aircon.

As for your ECO question, I cannot answer that as I said before I haven't used the aircon off function once.

However I must point out that my knowledge of aircon is prettly limited - and I have no specific experience of Audi systems, and it may be that the compressor is exceptionally quiet when it engages or due to its location you can't hear it engage, so dont panic just yet that it isnt working. Can you see the compressor? Normally you can see the clutch on the front of them start to spin as it engages. Having said that its probably buried deep in the engine somewhere.

When did you last use the aircon and was it blowing cold air then? You state you use the econ function, has this been used all winter, and if so, did you activate the aircon sporadically over the winter as recommended?

I would use an aircon specialist over an auto electrician as it is not necessarily an electrical fault.
 
The air-con was used pretty much every morning for at least 15 mins of my 20 min drive to work and probably the same again in the evening. I did notice that it didn't quite keep the windscreen and front side windows clear a couple of times but only when it was absolutely chucking it down! Also didn't find much need for the Lo setting till yesterday! I'll give Kwik-Fit a bell tomorrow to see what they say - apparently (according to their website) a gas re-charge is just a drive in and while you wait job! And as a footnote is it just me or is there too much of a difference between the 18 degree and Lo settings? Last summer i'd put it onto Lo (with the blower set on a couple of bars) only to have to turn it off due to it getting too cold! I seem to remember seeing a thread once that said you might be able to add slightly lower settings (but still above the Lo) using Vag-com - can anyone shed any light on this?

Cheers

Richard :confused:
 
I agree, I find that 18deg is too warm on a hot day! I know my aircon works effectively as when it is on LO it blows very cold air. However when I put it on LO the fan blows like mad so I turn it off AUTO which defeats the point of automatic climate control in my opinion. My previous cars have stayed on 21deg all year, so why is an Audi 18 warmer than everyone elses 21 deg??

I have heard that later models go as low as 16 is that correct? If so I guess a switch exchange would be fairly straight forward?

Equally if anyone knows whether vagcom will give you a lower setting I would be interested to hear!

Richard, it sounds like your aircon stopped working virtually overnight rather than a gradual loss of efficiency yes?
 
Pretty much - the last time would have been the last frosty morning which was probably well over a week ago! I know it's not that warm in the grand scheme of things but the wife said earlier that she doesn't know how she would've coped today without her air-con - apart from rubbing it in, i think she's playing up a bit on the old 'i'm pregnant and you're not!' situation. Great - only another 6 - 14 weeks to go! :whistle2:
 
Pregnancy eh :shutup2: whens the big day? Ours is due May 31st - I have fitted some OEM blinds to the back of the Avant - and booked the day off and everything, so I'm dead prepared :rulez:

Good luck with the aircon, really interested to hear how it goes, when are you going to kwikfit?
 
I thought there was a protection sensor that disengaged the compressor if the gas pressure dropped too much? If this is the case (seems logical) then you wouldn't get the click or drop in revs.
Whatever the case the first point of call is a regas.
 
As i've got the day off on Sat (i'm normally working) and we're off to Devon Sat p.m. i'm probably going to head down to Kwik-Fit for 08:30 when they open! Little 'un is due 27 June or 5 July depending on who's dates you go by! Slowly getting ourselves sorted - can't wait!
 
The Kwik-fit service is cheap & cheerful but dosent give a full purge of the system. A proper re-gas should take a few hours as they clear the existing gas, pressure test it, totally dehumidify the system then re-fill with fresh gas. Wouldnt be surprised if Kwik-fit just does a top-up which will keep you going but wont check for leaks! Another common fault is the pressure sensor screwed into the side of the condensor unit, you can see it if you look in the gap between the passenger side headlight unit & grille, easier with the bonnet up of course! They're a screw in sensor that you can change yourself as there's a seal where it screws in & costs about £60. It normally will show up on a vagcom scan. Good luck with the Kwik-Fit session in the meantime!
 
You need to get vag-com onto it before you do anything else really mate. It'll pretty much tell you whats wrong, and may even save you a trip to kwik fit.
 
In that case does anyone in the Poole/Bournemouth area have Vag-com and would they mind checking me over (i'm guessing you need the full version of vag-com not the 'free' version)

Much obliged

Richard :doctor:
 
Doubt VAGCOM will tell you anything. I had a leak ages ago when my car was still under warranty. Could Audi dealer find anything? No, they just kept regassing it, and charging me for the privilege. Eventually took it to an aircon specialist and they found the problem withing an hour.
 
quattrojames said:
I have heard that later models go as low as 16 is that correct? If so I guess a switch exchange would be fairly straight forward?

Equally if anyone knows whether vagcom will give you a lower setting I would be interested to hear!
Click to expand...

sorry to barge in on the thread and go off topic slightly, but in answer to your question my 54 plate goes down to 16.:cold:
 
Vag com will tell you if the compressor is knacked, or any other components. You can use the free version and just search for the codes on here.
 
Both the B5 & B6's we have only go down to 18, but in the B5 that's too cold, but in the B6 it really needs to go lower. I think it's an inherent problem with the system in the B6. It just doesn't seem to work as well as the earlier system.
 
Its almost as though the air temperature blown needs to be recalibrated in relation to the temp setting of the climate control and the temperature in the car itself. Mine blows very cold air so I know the aircon works well but just not unless you set it to LO.
 
Same here on the B6, whereas the B5 is just set at 20 degrees and I hardly ever need to touch it.
 
Air con systems have protection for low pressure and high pressure, both will stop the aircon compressor clutch engaging when the system is switched on. Leaks can be detected using a probe which detects the gas, only if there is still enough pressure in the system and the leak is still present or the system can be vaccumed down to remove the gas and pressurised with nitrigen. This will be left for a few hours and then re-checked to see if the nitrogen pressure in the system has dropped, hence a leak is present.

I would check with vagcom first, then go to an aircon specialist depending on the outcome of the vagcom check. Most aircon specialists are mobile and can come to you, check yellow pages for local specialists, would not go near the stealers as most of them have less knowledge than your avarage joe.:uhm:
 
audi upgrades
Regarding the lowest temp -

On car's where the temp only goes to 18, can this be changed to 16 via vagcom?
 
UPDATE

Took the car to Kwik-Fit on the saturday morning before we travelled. They re-gassed the system but still no go so didn't charge for any work but left me with no air-con so took the Citroen instead! :3sadwalk: Have just taken it to a specialist who tells me that i need a new compressor, costing £400 + VAT (£470?), and that the compressor that is fitted in the Audi's is the most common for requiring replacement! Has anyone else needed a new compressor (car has 114.5k on the clock) and if so is that price about right or a bit steep!?

Cheers

Richard :crying:
 
henry74 said:
UPDATE
Have just taken it to a specialist who tells me that i need a new compressor, costing £400 + VAT (£470?), and that the compressor that is fitted in the Audi's is the most common for requiring replacement! Has anyone else needed a new compressor (car has 114.5k on the clock) and if so is that price about right or a bit steep!?

Cheers

Richard :crying:
Click to expand...

Rubbish! I cant think of anyone with a B6 needing the compressor to be changed and actually being the problem! If you look to about a year ago on the forum these same sorts of questions started popping up again because of the good weather! The most common issues are needing a re-gas, the pressure sensor screwed into the side of the condensor is knackered, or leaking from a cracked pipe. Next think i suggest you try is to replace the pressure sensor which is easy to do yourself, its solved many peoples problems in the past who were told all kinds of things were broken by independant specialists.
 
Our B6 is on 185k miles and still on the original compressor.
My B5 did need a new one though, that was about £450 fitted (I presume the £470 included fitting).
 
Had the compressor changed on our Bora at about 35K. Would have cost £900 (main dealer prices) but Warranty Direct covered it :)

Obviously not an A4 but I would expect the part to be quite common across VAG cars.
 
So about half that for OEM part fitted at a specialist would be about right then.
 
some of you might remember but last year I was told my compressor had gone by the guy who fitted my engine, I took it a Air con specialist and he said the compressor was fine so I went back to my specialist and he "suggested" getting a 2nd opinion as he still said it was compressor...:think:...

So I paid AUDI an hr for a diagnostics and it turned out the so called specialist hadnt connected it back properly, he put the Wires the wrong way round (****'ole) somewhere, cant quite remember. He also failed aswell as the Air con specialist to find the Leak which AUDI found...
anyway cut story short, I got the leak fixed, re-gas'd and the diagnostic all for the Hr (£100 odd). Nice of audi eh!

I ended up telling my specialist, showing him the proof from audi printout and got my next service pretty cheap. Some say why still use him...well all the other work I couldnt fault really!:detective2:
 
I'm pretty sure the £470 quoted included fitting!?! ****** hope so! Now i'm well confused :huh: as to which way to turn from here. Stoopid question time - does replacing the pressure sensor cause a bit of a leakage and how much am i looking at for said sensor? Or do i bite the bullet and get the local stealership to run a diagnostics check (will that find a faulty sensor?)? At least getting the dealer to run a check i'd probably get a loan car (i work 20 miles from home and the same distance (ish) from the dealer) and my motor washed as well?! Gotta look for the silver lining! :unsure:
 
Thats the first thing Id do if I was in your Shoes!
Get audi to check it out for you, yeah it costs you £100 odd but they might find the fault and it saves you forking out £500ish for the compressor when it dont need changing!!!

You never know, could be as simple as mine!!!
 
audi upgrades
..oh and I was quoted last year £575 for a new compressor from audi!!!...just the unit alone!
 
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