air con - and on, and on, and on...

[russ the rambler]

i bought my 2nd hand van 2 years ago as a private sale and the air con didn’t work. Hmmm...must need re-gassing i thought, so i did that. Worked initially but failed again when i actually needed it 12 months later.

There must be more to this problem, i thought, so i took it to Adams Morey, a large reputable firm with garages across the south. They had it for 2 weeks, tried re-gassing it and that didn’t work, tried diagnostics but couldn’t find a problem, tried a dye test and had a think. They decided that the condenser needed to be replaced as well as the pipe connected to it...so that cost £800.

You can see where this is head can’t you? It worked for one trip and has now packed up again.

Do you have any idea what the problem might actually be please? Also, as a customer of Adams Morey, do you think there is any comeback at all? They did the diagnostics - is there no kind of 'warranty' etc for the work they do?

i guess the obvious answer is 'phone up and politely ask' which i will be doing on Monday, but I'd like to know what rights i have as a customer (if any) if their response is basically 'tough luck, get your wallet out again'

thanks Russ

 

[62272]

I suspect that they will say it is a new defect causing the leak, perhaps a new pipe leaking, or seal gone. What age is the vehicle? And the make? We have a Ducato 2014 and a slow leak somewhere, air con re-gassed with dye - will check in a couple of weeks to see where the leak is coming from if it can be determined.

I’d see if they can re-check your vehicle (assuming they put dye in the gas) and identify the leak.

 

[Richard n Ann]

You need a good experienced engineer to look at it. Tiny leaks can be buggers to find sometimes.. It's the worst fault ever

There are things that can be done though, a 450psi pressure test with electronic detector can be successful.

 

[Lenny HB]

I used Adams Morey once, not impressed with them. When they phoned afterwards with their customer service survey I told them what I thought. Next day service manager rung offering discounts if I used them again and to contact him personally if I need any other work doing but not somewhere I would want to take my van back to.

 

[russ the rambler]

yep, its a Hobby which is on a Ducato, 2013. The problem is that I pay more money for more testing, but the obvious question is...why didnt they do that testing last time? I'm not expecting you to answer BTW

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[62272]

yep, its a Hobby which is on a Ducato, 2013. The problem is that I pay more money for more testing, but the obvious question is...why didnt they do that testing last time? I'm not expecting you to answer BTW

Id expect them to test it again foc, particularly as you have spent so much money with them.

 

[gus-lopez]

If we are talking cab air con then always the first thing to look at for a leak is the compressor seal. most people have no idea that unless turned on & run regularly the seal will dry out & leak. some you can regass , & they will reseal if left running.otherwise they will lose it all again.
You cannot regass run to test then turn off for months. it will all disappear again. Means a new compressor if it cannot be sealed

 

[russ the rambler]

If we are talking cab air con then always the first thing to look at for a leak is the compressor seal. most people have no idea that unless turned on & run regularly the seal will dry out & leak. some you can regass , & they will reseal if left running.otherwise they will lose it all again.
You cannot regass run to test then turn off for months. it will all disappear again. Means a new compressor if it cannot be sealed

thanks Gus, but i fitted a new compressor 2 weeks ago ...anyway i'm going to enjoy my day in the campsite now but thanks for all replies so far

 

[Richard n Ann]

R134a is funny gas. I once went out to a display cabinet, connected the gauges and there wasn't a bean of gas in it... Zero psi I regassed it, got it working perfectly and went round with the leak detector and couldn't find a leak anywhere. That call NEVER came back in, so where did the original gas go? the simple answer is it's R134a

Also once had a Range Rover we never found the leak on, we used dye & ultraviolet lamp, pressure tests, stripped the dash down, everything possible and never found it. Eventually the bloke sold it. We still joke of "that bloody Range Rover" today

Fast forward to last year, we were just setting off to Benidorm and it was a warm day so I put the van AC on.... Nothing happened, put the gauges on and it had lost just enough gas charge to stop working, I put some in expecting it to last a few weeks while we were away and it's still OK to this day where did it go? There IS a tell tale oil stain on the condenser, but it's R134a.

Someone once told me the molecules are in chains and once one molecule finds a tiny microscopic crack it pulls all the other ones out after it, if that's the case, running the AC every now and again could stop it.. Or cause it

Good luck with your leak quest.. They not always that bad

 

[Al n Val]

I had a similar experience with a Passat TDI, lost all the aircon gas with no sign of leaking, local aircon guy tested and found no leaks so regassed and it lasted about 2 weeks. Regassed it again and it lasted a week

So i bought a gas refill kit from Halfords and refilled it and it lasted 12 years

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[Bessy765]

We had intermittent problems with the air con on our 2012 Elddis on the Boxer chassis. It was Re gassed twice would work for a while then not. Tried three different garages still same problem, trouble is you can’t always tell from gauges. Back home in my garage I thought I would have a little poke around the electrical side of it. With the engine running pressed the air con button on fan on no 2 this is not climate just air con. Nothing happened took top off fuse box wiggled the relays, click compressor engaged air con working. Removed the relay slightly twisted the pins replaced air con worked for the next three years fine still working when I sold it. This van which we bought from new had had to have the complete fuse box replaced under warranty as a known problem, same box as Fiat used. For info the air-con relay was red and the centre one of the three across the front of the box

 

[jezport]

My ducato lost aircon at 2yrs old. Got a guy out to regas it and he noticed oil in the shraeder valve on the high pressure side. He took the valve out and oilut a new one in, telling me Fiat had cross threaded the valve when new. He wasnt sure if it would stay gas tight, but 3 years on and it's fine still.

 

[russ the rambler]

I used Adams Morey once, not impressed with them. When they phoned afterwards with their customer service survey I told them what I thought. Next day service manager rung offering discounts if I used them again and to contact him personally if I need any other work doing but not somewhere I would want to take my van back to.

where do you go instead now please?

 

[russ the rambler]

well i cant complain about the way adams morey dealt with this. I dropped off the van again on monday and they found a leak in the hose they fitted, so replaced it all FOC. I just drove it home now and its working - for how long i dont know .

But either way i cant complain about Adams Morey customer service. Thansk for your replies.

 

[Peter & Elaine]

R134a is funny gas. I once went out to a display cabinet, connected the gauges and there wasn't a bean of gas in it... Zero psi I regassed it, got it working perfectly and went round with the leak detector and couldn't find a leak anywhere. That call NEVER came back in, so where did the original gas go? the simple answer is it's R134a

Also once had a Range Rover we never found the leak on, we used dye & ultraviolet lamp, pressure tests, stripped the dash down, everything possible and never found it. Eventually the bloke sold it. We still joke of "that bloody Range Rover" today

Fast forward to last year, we were just setting off to Benidorm and it was a warm day so I put the van AC on.... Nothing happened, put the gauges on and it had lost just enough gas charge to stop working, I put some in expecting it to last a few weeks while we were away and it's still OK to this day where did it go? There IS a tell tale oil stain on the condenser, but it's R134a.

Someone once told me the molecules are in chains and once one molecule finds a tiny microscopic crack it pulls all the other ones out after it, if that's the case, running the AC every now and again could stop it.. Or cause it

Good luck with your leak quest.. They not always that bad

i had ours re gassed last week the fitter told me system was totally empty he leak tested no faults where found
the system was re gassed and now works perfectly so far
he did say that the air con should be run at least once a month as it helps to keep the system refreshed and “may” help with further loses in gas
at a cost of £70

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[emjaiuk]

The first car I had with aircon was American. When you set it to demist the aircon came on automatically, even with the temp set to max. Ever since then I’ve always used air on for demisting, which also stops the compressor seals drying out in winter.