Air Con

[Small Racer]

Sad Sad Sad, driving back from Southhampton yesterday and (lucky we had the radio off) a strange (like a fan rubbing but quieter) gentle almost like a wheezing noise started when the good lady wife turned the Climate Control down to cold.
Guess what - it did not get colder - all she did was turn her side down and turn it to AUTO.
Spoke to the dealer - looks l need to get the gas refilled - now what would cause it to loose the gas?
They fixed the recirc problem a few weeks ago - and I just drive around with the car on AC on - auto and we just move the temp to what we want so it should not have dried out any seals.
The dealer reckons that a re-gas is not covered by warranty - but I reckon that something has to have 'broken' to have caused the leak - and surely the broken bit must be covered so logic states they will have to re-gas after they do the fix - or have I got the wrong end of the stick.

Any advice on how to handle this please I only got the car in Jan/Feb and they fixed the aircon recirc in March due to the time it took to get the spare part.
The vx dealer has always been really good in the past (mostly due to the support from the sales team)

Help anyone please

[Big Dave]

How old is the car? AC systems can naturally lose approx 5 to 10% of their coolant yearly.

Also if a stone has hit and holed the condenser (vunerable place right in front of the radiator) then it won't be covered under warranty. Other components *should* be covered under warranty, but best to read the small print first.

[S14RRJ]

How old is the car? AC systems can naturally lose approx 5 to 10% of their coolant yearly.

Also if a stone has hit and holed the condenser (vunerable place right in front of the radiator) then it won't be covered under warranty. Other components *should* be covered under warranty, but best to read the small print first.

so my 03 plate would have lost max 50%?

[BIG NEIL]

this happened to mine just lost gas without using it,i'm gettin a refill tomorrow

[Woodyuk]

I have just had mine done by Kwik Fit cost me £33. Mine just needed recharged I didn't notice when I got it as I brought it Feb so need to use the chiller side.

Mines a 04 1.9CDTi Elite...

Oh and £300 on 2 ruddy front tyres thanks to the ****** road debris where I work

[Big Dave]

Some mentionings of not using the AC when the weather is cold. AC needs to be used on a regular basis all year round to prevent the rubber seals from drying out. Just cos it's cold outside, you can still run the AC system with the heater set to hot. Helps to demist the windows quicker as well.

[Small Racer]

Cheers Big Dave - I am booked in for Fri - with the VX dealer - the car is 55 plate - 15800 on the clock - 12000 when I got it from the VX dealer in Feb this year.
It blows hot ok - just no cold.
If it is a fault - I think the Network Q warranty covers it - unless it is a hole (I have had a look and can not see any damage).
But I have used it since I got it so I will be surprised if any seals have dried out. - I just leave it on AC / ON.
I have now put it to ECO mode - incase I damage while it is empty.

VX dealer say they will pressure/leak test it and refill - cost about 80 quid. But if Kwik fit do a fill for 30-40 quid I am sure the dealer will open to a haggle on split the cost down as I think that the AC should have pressure / gas tested on its pre sales inspection?
So when it is fixed by Fri - it will rain and I will not want to cool !!
Cheers for the advice chaps.

[Gr4eme]

ive just booked mine in for next wed at patricks durham costing £60 to refill if no damage is found, gonna get handbrake done at same time.

[Small Racer]

Well what a result - Got to the VX dealer a little bit early thinking I would have a wait.
No - they took it straight in tested the AIRCON, no leaks found - regassed it.
AND they did the hand brake at the same time. (You will get a letter from VX as they are doing a mass fix of the handbreak spring - you just need to bring your letter in and we will stamp it to maintain the warranty)
(Yes you can tell the differance when its done - the rachet now has cogs and is really solid click on pull up. (I think they changed the rachet cog as well)

Cost ? NIL - ZERO - 0 - yes not a penny - not even for the cost of the gas !

If the aircon does loose the gas again it must be a really very small leak which we cannot find at the moment - nor does it show on the dye or the pressure test - so bring it back in - it is covered by warranty (if it leaks)
We must have failed to find it was low on the pre-sales service !
Not really sure why it was not picked up in Feb - but please bring it back if you get any more problems but we think it is just normal gas leakage (They generally lose 10-15% per year and when it gets below 40% it just drops rapidly).
Well it is a 55 plate and I was planning to have it regassed every 2 years in Apr-May anyway when I bought the car.

What a great result - Big thumbs up there for Approach of Andover.

[dv8]

good result... didnt know about the natural loss of the gas though, so good to hear its nothing to worry about.. mine works ok and gives cold air, but it lacks grunt.. wonder if mine needs doing, but its not even a year old yet!..