Aircon not blowing

S

ScoobyA4

ding dang do
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
185
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Up North
My CC is not blowing v cold even when set on low and aircon switched on. now, other cars i've had, blow ****** freezing when on max with aircon switched on.

Is this just a case of having something done to the aircon? i believe kwikfit can 'recharge' them or something?
 
most probably yes mate. there should be a garage local to you that can charge it for you. it shoulnt cost you more than 80-90 quid :icon_thumright:
 
ScoobyA4 said:
My CC is not blowing v cold even when set on low and aircon switched on. now, other cars i've had, blow ****** freezing when on max with aircon switched on.

Is this just a case of having something done to the aircon? i believe kwikfit can 'recharge' them or something?
Click to expand...

I would search out a competent auto air conditioning outfit and get them to give the system a once-over.
They have the proper equipment to remove all the refrigerant, dry it and fill the system back up properly.......
Going to somewhere like 'Kwikfit' is a recipe for disaster IMHO........
 
Kwik fit for aircon? Blimey I wouldn't trust them to balance my wheels let alone anything else.
Heard quite good things about the DIY refrigerant top up you can get on ebay. Think I might give that a try as my B6 is losing it's cool.
 
i bought one of the can jobs from halfords and it worked fine. it was about £40 i think and pretty easy to use
 
I will agree with dsmclark, you can get a can of R134a from halfords and then top it up yourself, its unlikely you'll need to evacuate the system to refill it, save yourself the money!
 
Similar to that, but the halfrauds one has a pressure gauge on it so you can see what pressure your system is at.
 
If your looking to look after your aircon system, take it to a qualified garage! Yes air con users must have had training and use the right equipment, you can also be fined £2000 for releasing air con gas in to the air. The Halfrauds 'top-up' is un-safe and should be steered away from.

A quality garage will have a full air-con machine, which will remove the old gas, also any liquid from the system (which can ****** every element in the system). Then they can fill it with the correct pressure. Unlike the cans which have a guage about as reliable as a chocolate tea pot.
 
"you can also be fined £2000 for releasing air con gas in to the air"

By who exactly? the Freon detector van?
 
I used to work in a garage and i think you'll find that some gas always escapes when coupling or uncoupling the unions. R134a is a non-cfc and always has been, maybe you're thinking of R12 which was used about 15 years ago.
And as for a garage evacuating a system and refilling it, thats unlikely, most will just top it up.
The correct procedure is to evacuate into a container (an old refrigerant cylinder) then leave the system under vacuum for an hour and check the gauge after that time for any leaks signified by a loss of vacuum. Then the system is recharge with the correct weight (not volume) of refrigerant and then some lubricating oil is added, also possibly some dye.
The system is then run and checked for leaks either with a sniffer or with a UV light which shows up the leak because of the dye added.

This proceedure takes about 3 hrs, minimum.
 
AndyMac said:
"you can also be fined £2000 for releasing air con gas in to the air"

By who exactly? the Freon detector van?
Click to expand...

If you don't believe me look it up yourself mate!

If you check the new legislations on air-con you might notice it has changed. I'm not here to give false information, only to advise on what evidence has been given to us by the manufacturers of the air-con systems and products. You may take the matter up with them personally if you wish. As you say the garages only 'used' to top them up, with what? Un regulated air-con canisters?

Anyway im not here to argue about it, personally i wouldnt pump my tyres with a foot pump, but thats up to you.
 
audi upgrades
I'm not disagreeing with you, just saying it's not really very likely that someone refilling their a/c on their drive is likely to get slapped with a £2k fine. I think that law really only applies to businesses, where they'll need certification that they dispose of hazardous waste correctly.
"personally i wouldnt pump my tyres with a foot pump" but you'd pay a specialist to do it for you for £90?
 
No but if i wanted my tyres to be correctly pumped, i would pay the machine if it charged yes....with regard to the normal charges of about 50p.....£90 not being the most expensive system service IMO.

I'm not saying anyone on their drive topping up will release gas in to the air, that was regarding garages. If the garage is not qualified to do it, it's 90% likely they will not have the correct equipment to dispose of, let alone re-gas an air-con system properly.
 
B5 aircon was never very 'frosty' even when its working perfectly.

I mainly use the magic button on the drivers door (passenger window). lol
 
I can't remember what forum I read it on, but as I've been thinking for a few months now to get my air-con re-charged as a bit of preventative maintenance I came across a thread on DIY aircon re-charging that said those DIY cans of refrigerant are known in the USA as 'death cans' (or something similar!!).
In the US those cans are something like half the price we pay over here, and are very popular, apparently it is also very easy to over-fill the system, which in turn damages it , hence the nick-name for them....
Before everybody now flames me, I'm sure they do work for some , but personally I'd rather pay the £50 -60 and have an aircon specialist do it the proper way than pay £20-30 on a can and potentially ****** up the whole system....
 
I totally agree, an aircon specialist is the way to go. 2 or 3 times cheaper than Audi.

You will never get the correct level/pressure/lube etc with the topup cans (which is a special legionnaires growth medium).

+ you ideally want the system flushed of the dirty lube first.
 
inigoj said:
You will never get the correct level/pressure/lube etc with the topup cans (which is a special legionnaires growth medium).
Click to expand...

What does topping up of your sealed air conditioning system have to do with Legionnaires disease?

Legionnaires is a naturally occuring bacterium in water courses but can build up on air-con condensors, topping up the system will not affect the possible buid up of these bacterium in any manner. If you want to disenfect your HVAC system then you need to buy a can of air con disenfectant.
 
I'm gonna sound like a right noob but I got the can from H but didn't manage to find the tube to put the thingy in. WHERE IS IT?
 
Those top-up cans are a bad idea.

You've no way of knowing how much is in the system, besides, how do you add oil if needed?

Also, beware of ebay specials. Some guys are selling Propane, which works well, but is explosive.

I've just been on a 5-day aircon course, and the law's changing.

R134-A is being phased out too, and the new legislations mean the DIY cans will become illegal, and a thing of the past.

There's a lot of fine print I'm going through right now, and the fines / penalties for non-compliance are staggering.
 
As much as I understand your concern Siena, I really would like a quick fix as it is REAL hot these days. Where is the pipe I need to plug this stuff in?
 
its located next to the brake servo just below the wipers. It will have a black cap on it. There will be a small one and a big one, iirc its the smaller one you want
 
AndyMac said:
"you can also be fined £2000 for releasing air con gas in to the air"

By who exactly? the Freon detector van?
Click to expand...

Just spotted this, classic!

R134a is a non cfc anyway, its the R12 (Dichlorodifluoromethane) that damaged the ozone layer.
 
audi upgrades
I service aircon in my garage.

As suggested above there are issues with the drop in aircon kits.

How much aircon charge do you need? Some VAG cars are 500 grams some 1250.

What oil is in the can is it the correct grade for your system?

Ideally you need to remove the gas, vacume test the system, removing any moisture otherwise the dryer will freeze up. Perform a leak test.

Most aircon specialists will do this and a bacterial cleaner in the vents etc keeps it all smelling nice !
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

mojocvh
Heater fan not blowing
Replies
3
Views
564
mojocvh
mojocvh
I
Aircon sometimes not coming on??
Replies
3
Views
669
imported_ZeroK66
I
T
No aircon
Replies
2
Views
652
tensa4
T
L
Hissing noise/ blowing air
Replies
22
Views
2K
Layerz
L
AndyMac
Aircon
Replies
6
Views
862
rasA4
rasA4
Top
Back