[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by sswaroop

Our Fiesta has been having problems with the Air Con for the past year or so. There is no issue with the cooling of the A/C....

Have you made any modifications during the past year or so? For eg. , if you ICE'd your car, and the installer guys had not done the routing of wires the proper way...they could have made small holes in the floor carpet area near the dash area...above where the passenger feet would be...this could cause external air to come in even in re-circulation mode.

[sswaroop]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

Have you made any modifications during the past year or so? For eg. , if you ICE'd your car, and the installer guys had not done the routing of wires the proper way...they could have made small holes in the floor carpet area near the dash area...above where the passenger feet would be...this could cause external air to come in even in re-circulation mode.

Nope. No modifications done. The ICE is the same one that was installed when we bought the car some 7 years ago now

[khoj]

Why would an ICE installer make holes in the floor?

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

Have you made any modifications during the past year or so? For eg. , if you ICE'd your car, and the installer guys had not done the routing of wires the proper way...they could have made small holes in the floor carpet area near the dash area...above where the passenger feet would be...this could cause external air to come in even in re-circulation mode.

[vnabhi]

If you check my LTO thread of my Fiesta, the most recent service had some preventive measure to prevent AC Evaporator damage, for which around 2 K was charged. The job involved removing the dash. I don't remember what they called it, but it does look like Ford has come up with a solution.

[vnabhi]

Looks like I've finally become the victim of the infamous AC evaporator coil issue!
This is after 98 months of ownership.

A week back, when temperatures were around 45 degrees C, I had to make two airport runs in the afternoon. On both trips, I felt the AC was not cooling enough, even at blower position 2 and sometimes in 3. But in the evenings and mornings, it worked fine. Even today it was working fine. But the max temperature today was only 37.

Nevertheless, I took it to Vibrant Ford as I needed to get a bush replaced on the lever that holds the bonnet up. I also asked them to inspect the AC. They did inspect it by sitting inside the car and putting it in a higher blower position, and confirmed that there is a whooshing sound that indicates a leak in the evaporator coil. They said I can get it done later, and would cost around 13 K with labour. They also said the weakness in the AC would manifest itself only in very hot temperatures.

This being the case, I am wondering if I should get it done over the next few weeks at an AC shop nearby, instead of Ford A.S.S. The only things holding me back from going to the local guy are:

1. I'm not sure if he can fix the dashboard back in a manner that will not lead to rattles.
2. Hope I don't have water droplets on the footwell that some people are complaining of.
3. His shop is on a narrow street, and I am hesitant to leave my car for an entire day over there.

BTW, that guy was referred by another bhpian.

[amitpunjani]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Looks like I've finally become the victim of the infamous AC evaporator coil issue!
This is after 98 months of ownership.

A week back, when temperatures were around 45 degrees C, I had to make two airport runs in the afternoon. On both trips, I felt the AC was not cooling enough, even at blower position 2 and sometimes in 3. But in the evenings and mornings, it worked fine. Even today it was working fine. But the max temperature today was only 37.

Nevertheless, I took it to Vibrant Ford as I needed to get a bush replaced on the lever that holds the bonnet up. I also asked them to inspect the AC. They did inspect it by sitting inside the car and putting it in a higher blower position, and confirmed that there is a whooshing sound that indicates a leak in the evaporator coil. They said I can get it done later, and would cost around 13 K with labour. They also said the weakness in the AC would manifest itself only in very hot temperatures.

This being the case, I am wondering if I should get it done over the next few weeks at an AC shop nearby, instead of Ford A.S.S. The only things holding me back from going to the local guy are:

1. I'm not sure if he can fix the dashboard back in a manner that will not lead to rattles.
2. Hope I don't have water droplets on the footwell that some people are complaining of.
3. His shop is on a narrow street, and I am hesitant to leave my car for an entire day over there.

BTW, that guy was referred by another bhpian.

If the "Whoosh" sound ONLY appears during start of the Aircon, then it indicates Gas is less. Pls. top us the gas. If that "Whoosh" sound is constant then there is possibility of Gas Leak.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by amitpunjani

If the "Whoosh" sound ONLY appears during start of the Aircon, then it indicates Gas is less. Pls. top us the gas. If that "Whoosh" sound is constant then there is possibility of Gas Leak.

I believe it is the latter, though my untrained year could not pick it up on the return journey. Let us see how it holds up.

[sbala]

I was the victim of this issue, not once, but twice :( Once i gave it to Ford ASS and the bill was close to 11k. After 3 years, i had this issue again and gave the car to Raj Motors, Bellandur, Bangalore and they fixed the issue within 7k. Touch wood, no issues so far.

[Jaggu]

Why don't you get it checked by the local fellow first before you conclude on a decision? I have a feeling it is just a gas top up issue.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Why don't you get it checked by the local fellow first before you conclude on a decision? I have a feeling it is just a gas top up issue.

That's on my cards. Only reason I hesitate to go to the local guy is that he has no protected parking and the car needs to be parked on a narrow lane that has traffic. But I'll see if he agrees to come home and analyze, or find a shelter near his shop.

Further, I'm not sure if removing and placing back the dash is an intricate task, and I'd hate rattles emanating from a badly-fixed one. My WagonR rattles like a snake, but that's due to Maruti's quality.

[Jaggu]

By checking i meant taking an opinion , not ripping the dash and checking. If he is good, he will be able to tell you what really is wrong.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

By checking i meant taking an opinion , not ripping the dash and checking. If he is good, he will be able to tell you what really is wrong.

Ok, gotcha! I do have a plan to get it checked. I went there once last week, but the guy was not around. He wanted me to call and go to his shop after ascertaining that he was around. It falls on my way back from office, so I'll pay him a visit soon.

[vnabhi]

I finally took the plunge and got my Evaporator Replaced by the Subros workshop, who also service ACs of cars of all manufacturers. Total cost was Rs 7600. Details in my LTO thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...rs-old-40.html

[gopa99]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I finally took the plunge and got my Evaporator Replaced by the Subros workshop, who also service ACs of cars of all manufacturers. Total cost was -fiesta-1-6-sxi-turns-one-fat-lady-8-years-old-40.html[/url]

Any idea what sort of damage causes the evaporator to get replaced? Since it sits safe buckled behind the dashboard, unlike the condensor that sits ahead, no iota of a physical damage can be thought of.

[Captain Slow]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I finally took the plunge and got my Evaporator Replaced by the Subros workshop, who also service ACs of cars of all manufacturers. Total cost was Rs 7600. Details in my LTO thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...rs-old-40.html

Originally Posted by gopa99

Any idea what sort of damage causes the evaporator to get replaced? Since it sits safe buckled behind the dashboard, unlike the condensor that sits ahead, no iota of a physical damage can be thought of.

If you are referring to that woosh sound that comes during the Aircon start up, then just ignore it. Our figo makes the same sound, been living with this sound close to 2 - 2,1/2 years now. During the service the SA keeps asking if we want this sound checked, on asking him what would be done to check this sound? He replies - removing and re-fixing the dashboard, checking the coil ( all this means big labour costs). So far everything about the AC is behaving normal, except for that wooossh sound. Until my AC starts acting up, I will just ignore this sound.