All Things Mk5 > How to Guides / Troubleshooting

How to diagnose air con problems

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PND:
Well, yet another car with air con not blowing cold..  :sad1:

Is there a set of tests I can do to try and diagnose what's wrong?  For instance, what are the symptoms of just needing a re-gas rather than needing a new compressor?!?  :confused:  I've read all your posts about leaks, switches, compressors, etc.. but I'm not really sure what I should be looking for.  Does the 'cooling' function work independently from the 'heating' function for example?  Car is 5½ years old. 

Anyone give me some good pointers? Would you recommend an air con specialist rather than main dealer?  I want to get it sorted in time for the scorching summer we're about to have!!

Cheers in advance for all the helpful suggestions you're about to reply with...  :happy2:

Paul.

Drapoon:
I'll talk you through my experiences and hope it helps

My air con packed up (07' gti) and I instantly thought compressor however it turned out to be the valve instead and a £120 fix which I managed to get for £60 with a 50% contribution from vw.

You will need a aircon re-gas with an added dye to see if & what's leaking then take it from there. If your compressor is a zexcel (sp) branded unit as opposed to sanden then there's a good chance that's failed. I recall you can identify which unit you have by the visual differences in the belt driven end (search t'internet for this info)

My advice would be go to a vw dealership as they are a known fault & if you play your cards right & promise to service your car there next time they will get you a 50% contribution sorted from Vw. If you are anywhere near Bedford then the Vindis dealership there are mod friendly and sorted me out a treat!

PND:
Hi Drapoon - thanks for the reply and advice. 

Is there anything I can try to work out how knackered it is?  For instance if I've got the temp is set to 'low', what difference should pressing the 'econ' button make?  It doesn't seem to make any difference at all at the moment..

I just want to try and eliminate anything I can before I go to the dealers/specialist so I don't get told a load of tosh!

Suggestions please..  :confused:

stealthwolf:
On the older models, AC is turned on by default and the ECONomy button turns off the aircon. On later cars, this was changed to the AC button - simple on/off.

PND:
I assume I should be able to hear a difference then when the 'econ' button is pressed?  The fans speed up when I turn the temp down to 'low' but just doesn't get cold.  Does it sound like the dreaded compressor, or just a lack of gas?

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