ok since the weather so hot, been having the air con on and to be honest its just not cold enough, i was in my mate merc and his air con was frezzing, so i guess i need to refill it up or something, so does anyone know the cost from the dealers??
air con is just not cold enough
- Thread starter khalil
- Start date
It'd probably be cheaper to go to an independant guy to sort out an air con problem.
Dealerships sometimes get a bloke in specifically to do all their air con work and then charge you extra so they still make a profit. Or they will do all their work in house but sometimes they're just not good at it. But for sure they'll charge you more than elsewhere.
If you know a good independant garage try them out.
Even when running perfectly the air con on an A3 isn't an efficient as on some other cars.
Dealerships sometimes get a bloke in specifically to do all their air con work and then charge you extra so they still make a profit. Or they will do all their work in house but sometimes they're just not good at it. But for sure they'll charge you more than elsewhere.
If you know a good independant garage try them out.
Even when running perfectly the air con on an A3 isn't an efficient as on some other cars.
i set mine to 16c and it is just about adequate. my gfs yaris is way colder ! go figure ?
don't get kwik-fit to do an aircon service though as me and another user had had poor service from them. good luck !
don't get kwik-fit to do an aircon service though as me and another user had had poor service from them. good luck !
Massive difference hey?? But you also have to be weary of those places too. Air con is a really funny game. There are so many ways a mechanic can short cut a service or repair. And if it doesn't work and you have to go back how are you going to prove they didn't do the job properly in the first place?
If you can then wait while they do it. You should see them do a full recovery. They then should really do a pressure test. They put in OFN (Oxygen free nitrogen) and then check that it holds pressure. Then they release the OFN and they should do this test again but at a higher pressure. Once they're happy they should then recharge the system with refrigerant as per the weight on the sticker under the bonnet.
Different ECS specialists do things differently, but if there's a chance the system is leaking then they should do a leak detection test too.
my air con went from 7.4 degress to 4.9 degrees after regassing
still isn't freezing compared to my mums 12 year old volvo but better than nothing and keeps me cool all year round
still isn't freezing compared to my mums 12 year old volvo but better than nothing and keeps me cool all year round
ye i know what you mean, well thet are a audi / vw specialist, he did say his wil check for leak etc and said it will take 45 min and i could wait while they do it , but still worried taking it to anyone apart from the dealers but there prices are too high
ye am just going to drive to them now and ask them what you said before if they will the things you mentioned,
For 30 quid you'll probably only get a recovery and recharge but unless there's another problem it'd be enough really. Especially for that price.
Ye I 2nd that, just get it recharged for £30, stand over them while they do aswell to check its being done properly, easy money for them as its mostly auto anyway then you can also see if any leaks, should of course be some illumonous dye in the machine anyway so easy leak find.
If you have a local with VAGCOM get them to do a scan aswell for faults or if you have.
Audi's never were that freezing cold to be honest for climate/air con so dont expect chiller cabinet temps thats for sure.
If you have a local with VAGCOM get them to do a scan aswell for faults or if you have.
Audi's never were that freezing cold to be honest for climate/air con so dont expect chiller cabinet temps thats for sure.
S3 Big Andy
Stealth Beast Baby Yay
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2008
- Messages
- 725
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 16
- Location
- Bramley Hants
- Website
- www.andyoram.co.uk
Air con should be set at around 19-21C to get the main benefit and comfortable cabin, plus it uses less engine power and fuel, mine is always at 20C
I read recently that audi's use a blend of warm AND cold air to maintain cabin temperature. So even if you select a higher temperature the air con system could still be running and still using fuel.
My air con is switched off nearly all the time. If it's hot and I'm just driving around town I'll have the window and/or sunroof open.
S3 Big Andy
Stealth Beast Baby Yay
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2008
- Messages
- 725
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 16
- Location
- Bramley Hants
- Website
- www.andyoram.co.uk
Ye, my old man said you already have aircon son, its called a window so use it, lol, he was right thought, funny huh, they are always right, but I hardly ever use the air con, just outside air of course via the climate but always in eco mode (if u can call it that)
I always have cold air on my face, my work mates used to wear jackets etc when I drove cause it was always to cold, kept me awake, lol.
I always have cold air on my face, my work mates used to wear jackets etc when I drove cause it was always to cold, kept me awake, lol.
Aircon is different from climate though, IMO.
Aircon, to me, is a simple push button affair, like my wife's Clio.
When you put it on, you notice the sudden load on the engine.
So, unless it's really needed, it's switched off.
Climate control doesn't 'seem' to have this effect though.
As I understand it, the way the Audi climate control works is that it has a sort of 'clutch' that will only make it work when required.
So you're as well leaving it on 'auto' all the time, it will only come on when needed.
So I'm not convinced you're making any difference turning it off.
I've also heard reports that lack of use is worse than continuous use.
Ever since I first got proper climate control in my '02 A4, I've set it to 'auto' and left it at that.
I did find my A3's climate noisy on auto though, I'll give you that.
It made you think the car had a lot of wind noise.
Manually redirecting the air towards the footwell made a noticeable difference to noise levels, especially at motorway speeds.
Aircon, to me, is a simple push button affair, like my wife's Clio.
When you put it on, you notice the sudden load on the engine.
So, unless it's really needed, it's switched off.
Climate control doesn't 'seem' to have this effect though.
As I understand it, the way the Audi climate control works is that it has a sort of 'clutch' that will only make it work when required.
So you're as well leaving it on 'auto' all the time, it will only come on when needed.
So I'm not convinced you're making any difference turning it off.
I've also heard reports that lack of use is worse than continuous use.
Ever since I first got proper climate control in my '02 A4, I've set it to 'auto' and left it at that.
I did find my A3's climate noisy on auto though, I'll give you that.
It made you think the car had a lot of wind noise.
Manually redirecting the air towards the footwell made a noticeable difference to noise levels, especially at motorway speeds.
Air con without climate control is a push button affair yes. Climate control uses the air con system though.
The car will switch off the compressor when it's not required yes. But as I said before the climate control uses a blend of hot and cold air, so even if the temperature outside isn't that hot it still may be using conditioned air. Of course if it's freezing outside then yes the air con won't be in play at all. At least with the ECON you can choose whether you want the air con on. If the car is red hot when I get in I'll turn off ECON until the car is cold and then turn it back on and just use unconditioned air to keep the cabin cool. If I don't switch it off then it'll still pump air of a similar temperature but will be using conditioned air and will be using fuel unnecessarily.
About once a month you should give the air con a good blast for about 10 minutes.
EDIT: Found this quite useful page:
http://www.torquecars.com/articles/air-conditioning.php
I never use auto cause its a pain in the ****, lol, doesnt use directional so you end up with air coming from all orifices which of course thats by design & gets loud when you dont want/need it to, but I'm glad you prompted me to do it monthly.
But Climate control does put a load on the engine anyway as it only really kicks in when you have it on full mode not Econ, easily noticeable, try it, the clutch kicks in & you can feel/hear the extra load on engine, so its not that much different from the clio, still have to push the button to have it in full air con mode, lol, but maybe slightly posher, lol.
But Climate control does put a load on the engine anyway as it only really kicks in when you have it on full mode not Econ, easily noticeable, try it, the clutch kicks in & you can feel/hear the extra load on engine, so its not that much different from the clio, still have to push the button to have it in full air con mode, lol, but maybe slightly posher, lol.
Are you driving an A3? Why can't you set the direction? You just press the buttons to say where you want the air to come from.
I mean when its in Auto mode it just blows from all orifices until you change thats why I never set Auto button, as soon as you set directional button to faces or feet it takes of Auto
As for E Button, probably some coke(drink) u spilt a year ago & the recent heat has made it stick, or the superglue I put on it earlier, lol, lol.
But you can put auto back on can't you and it still blow where you want it? It's a bit annoying I know but it's possible isn't it?
Maybe I just never noticed this 'feature'.
No fella when you set Auto again(just checked to see if I'm talking complete bollards or not) after pressing directional it sets them all to blow again, always has been like that with my S3, S4 & now the A3, guessing the next car I'm stalking for will be same, but good enough for me, but you know what really ****** me of, big time, was on the S3 they didnt have the OFF button until they did facelift & I never managed to get all the facelift done on mine cause of wiring differences & CANBUS, then I get the S4 B6 & think yeah baby an off button, then get the A3 & feck me its gone again, bar stewards, lol, lol.
Oh right, fair one! I never really use the directional buttons but I could see why this would be annoying!
There's no off button but if you turn the fan all the way down it switches the system off altogether. I didn't know this until I got in my mates A3 eafter I'd had mine a year! lol
I think my e button problem may be from water dripping on the keyboard when I had a shower the other day then was chatting to my misus on MSN. Hope it's not permanant.
There's no off button but if you turn the fan all the way down it switches the system off altogether. I didn't know this until I got in my mates A3 eafter I'd had mine a year! lol
I think my e button problem may be from water dripping on the keyboard when I had a shower the other day then was chatting to my misus on MSN. Hope it's not permanant.
The a/c runs at a set, constant rate (air off the evaporator is usually around 4 deg C), so on climate controlled systems, the air is first cooled and dehumidified (handy for demisting in damp conditions, even when it is cool/cold outside) and then heated back up to the desired temp as set in the cabin. The clutch simply kicks the compressor in and out as required. Plus, an a/c compressor won't normally switch in at all below 5 deg C external temp either.
As staz points out, it's always good to run the compressor even in the winter (remember the 5 deg C outside limit tho) certainly once a month if not every week for 5-10 mins.
EDIT: the a/c compressor only runs when the econ button is off (i.e. it doesn't have the red LED on!) The Econ button on turns the a/c compressor off!
As staz points out, it's always good to run the compressor even in the winter (remember the 5 deg C outside limit tho) certainly once a month if not every week for 5-10 mins.
EDIT: the a/c compressor only runs when the econ button is off (i.e. it doesn't have the red LED on!) The Econ button on turns the a/c compressor off!
Noted, but thats funny cause it never kicked in when I used it always on ECON, only when I deselected ECON so full on air con did it ever kick in, then you felt the engine drag from the climate system so you knew when it was on or not.
But I will make sure I use it once a month.
But I will make sure I use it once a month.
I think you're not understanding something here mate, the ECON button inhibits the air con system. We know that already.
ok spoke to another guy found his address on the net, plus his more closer to my home, and he sounded as if he knew what he was saying unlike the £30 guy who i spoke to earlier, his charging £40, he said he have to checkout the aircon for leaks etc.. so i think i go and see him, it just my car is now 4 years old and i never had it refilled so his saying thats more alike the problem, lets see waht happens when i see him
I doubt water would make it stick unless you bath in honey, lol, anyway back to air con etc.
No I understand what he's saying just continuing from Bowfers comments about the clio, he said it wasnt noticeable on the audi when air con was being used, but the clio was when the air con had load on, I was saying it was noticeable as when I turned ECON on/off I could feel the load difference on the engine & yes I knew the ECON inhibited the air con as thats what we were discussing earlier when I said I hardly ever used it & had econ on all time, lol, so dont worry I'm with yer on this.
Yeah I knew when I 1st got my S3 that only way to turn it of was by pressing minus continuously until display turned of, real pain inthe asssss I tell yer, one button that all you needed, why they got rid of it defies me.
No I understand what he's saying just continuing from Bowfers comments about the clio, he said it wasnt noticeable on the audi when air con was being used, but the clio was when the air con had load on, I was saying it was noticeable as when I turned ECON on/off I could feel the load difference on the engine & yes I knew the ECON inhibited the air con as thats what we were discussing earlier when I said I hardly ever used it & had econ on all time, lol, so dont worry I'm with yer on this.
Yeah I knew when I 1st got my S3 that only way to turn it of was by pressing minus continuously until display turned of, real pain inthe asssss I tell yer, one button that all you needed, why they got rid of it defies me.
