[pixantz]

Originally Posted by ankurbhageria

Yes, I was quoted a similar amount (Rs. 45,000/- including labor and taxes) by Hyundai for my i10 AC. It was just a leak in the evaporator coil that I got fixed locally for 4800.

Hyundai wanted to change the entire assembly which included the compressor, evaporator, condensor and the hoses.

Their argument was that since the compressor oil had turned black, it would contaminate any new part fixed in the AC system and hence they were asking for a complete replacement. Needless to say I didn't trust them...

Point to note here is that if the comp oil had indeed turned black, then their diagnosis is right. The oil will contaminate the new coil as well and eventually you will have to change comp, coil and condenser. Pipes can be cleaned. That job outside would cost in the region of 30-35k.

If they were lying about the black oil then you're good.

[ankurbhageria]

Originally Posted by pixantz

Point to note here is that if the comp oil had indeed turned black, then their diagnosis is right. The oil will contaminate the new coil as well and eventually you will have to change comp, coil and condenser. Pipes can be cleaned. That job outside would cost in the region of 30-35k.

If they were lying about the black oil then you're good.

I intend to sell off this car after this summer season so I am looking forward to my investment paying me off just for two more months. Doesn't make a lot of sense to invest 50K in just AC repairs for a car that I don't intend to keep.

[David Murx]

Dear all,

I have been driving my ertiga since october 2012 but till now i have not come across major problems except for one that i had encountered some 2 years back. At that time the airconditioning did not work properly for which i had approached the service centre. I was informed that 'O' ring was damage due to which the gas was leaking and thereby not helping in airconditioning. This issue was well taken care off and the problem was sorted out (though i had to resort to the Maruti customer care for poor service).

Recently the same problem had arised and the a.c. wasn't working well. Today i gave my car for servicing and discussed the issue with the service advisor. I have been told that the a.c. coil had got damaged / leaking due to which it is not working and i have been advised to replace the same. This part is costing around Rs. 16000/-, labour charges, gas refilling extra. I need help from you tech guys in this direction because i doubt if i have to replace it at all. The reasons why i doubt it i want to disclose :

1. My car has been single handed driven since the time bought. It was bought in october 2012 and since then its only me who is driving.

2. Till date my car has not met any accident, nor any damage occured on the roof that would result in damage to the middle row a.c. coil.

3. Once i start the a.c. in car, i get the same feeling that i use to get when the 'O' ring had got damaged couple of years back.

4. I think the parts of vehicle of this size are designed with comparitively longer life (i may be wrong here), just my perception considering the size and capacity of the vehicle to carry people.

Attaching a picture to explain exactly where the damage has been shown.

[pixantz]

In most probability, Maruti guys are making a fast buck. I'm not sure but in 16k you should be able to get the whole rear AC unit blower, body, coil and all. That's like an arm and a leg for the cooling coil which they claim has gone bust. Take a costing from some nearby good AC guy as to how much the rear AC cooling coil does really cost.

And if you have left the car with them then they would have already changed it with a really bust specimen which, of course you won't be able to make out.

[David Murx]

Originally Posted by pixantz

In most probability, Maruti guys are making a fast buck. I'm not sure but in 16k you should be able to get the whole rear AC unit blower, body, coil and all. That's like an arm and a leg for the cooling coil which they claim has gone bust. Take a costing from some nearby good AC guy as to how much the rear AC cooling coil does really cost.

And if you have left the car with them then they would have already changed it with a really bust specimen which, of course you won't be able to make out.

Thanks for the tip, in fact i was also thinking that i should get it checked with other service guy as well. But if in case the same needs to be replaced is it worth spending for because this is the first such a big amount damage that has happened with my vehicle. This is the 3rd car in my family and such big amount we havent spent till now for any repair.

[Epic]

Hello everyone,

So the air-conditioning unit of my 2010 Skoda Yeti Elegance 4X4 has been acting funny lately. The issue is that at times the blower shuts off; i.e. the a/c switches on but there is no flow of air from the a/c vents.

I initially took it to a reputed a/c mechanic Correa Car Cool at Malad West in Mumbai and on inspecting the unit located under the glove compartment which I assume is the blower; found a loose connection which on tinkering with it revived the air flow from the a/c vents.

However a few days later, it stopped working again and now knowing the trick, I used to tap the unit under the glove compartment and the a/c used to get revived . This continued for a couple of months, sometimes it used to stop in between journeys and start after going into a bump. But now regardless of the amount of tapping, there is no air flow from the vents anymore and I think my luck has run out.

Any idea what could be the issue?

[sanjeevgpc]

Originally Posted by Epic

Hello everyone,

So the air-conditioning unit of my 2010 Skoda Yeti Elegance 4X4 has been acting funny lately. The issue is that at times the blower shuts off; i.e. the a/c switches on but there is no flow of air from the a/c vents.

I initially took it to a reputed a/c mechanic Correa Car Cool at Malad West in Mumbai and on inspecting the unit located under the glove compartment which I assume is the blower; found a loose connection which on tinkering with it revived the air flow from the a/c vents.

However a few days later, it stopped working again and now knowing the trick, I used to tap the unit under the glove compartment and the a/c used to get revived . This continued for a couple of months, sometimes it used to stop in between journeys and start after going into a bump. But now regardless of the amount of tapping, there is no air flow from the vents anymore and I think my luck has run out.

Any idea what could be the issue?

As you have already mentioned, there seems to be a loose wire. The blower unit consumes a lot of current and keeping it this way can cause fire. Better get it fixed without any further delay.

[crisscross]

I have a problem with Honda Jazz AC, it is a 2009 model, it hadnt given me any problem till this problem arose. After the last service, where the Service Center fixed AC Switch light which stopped working, my AC started working intermittently. When the rpm was raised & the car started moving, the cooling will stop within few minutes. The blower continues to work, it is just the cooling. During the few minutes the cooling works, it seems to work at full capacity.

While I went back to Sundaram Honda to get them to fix it, they are saying nothing is wrong & have replaced the coolant. Am yet to receive the car back, local team-bhp friends suggested I go to a dedicated AC Service Center, any recommendations in Chennai?

[pixantz]

Originally Posted by crisscross

I have a problem with Honda Jazz AC, my AC started working intermittently. When the rpm was raised & the car started moving, the cooling will stop within few minutes. The blower continues to work, it is just the cooling. During the few minutes the cooling works, it seems to work at full capacity.

The symptoms you describe seems to be caused most likely by faulty condensor/radiator fan/s. Both of them need to be on for the ac to work ideally. If they are not turning on like they should, the ac system pressure goes high and initiates an ac cut-off automatically. Later when the pressure settles down the ac cuts in again and the whole process repeats.

If indeed this is the case, the culprit could be the fan relays, fuses and/or then the motors of the fans which tend to conk off.

[crisscross]

Originally Posted by crisscross

I have a problem with Honda Jazz AC, it is a 2009 model, it hadnt given me any problem till this problem arose. After the last service, where the Service Center fixed AC Switch light which stopped working, my AC started working intermittently. When the rpm was raised & the car started moving, the cooling will stop within few minutes. The blower continues to work, it is just the cooling. During the few minutes the cooling works, it seems to work at full capacity.

While I went back to Sundaram Honda to get them to fix it, they are saying nothing is wrong & have replaced the coolant. Am yet to receive the car back, local team-bhp friends suggested I go to a dedicated AC Service Center, any recommendations in Chennai?

Quick Update: Sundaram Honda checked for leaks & refilled the coolant & said there was no problem with the AC. However the problem recurred within a few days. Based on the advice of hserus, I took the car to Suresh Car AC in Chennai. After investigations he identified the relay as faulty & replaced it. After two days of use, I have not had any recurrence, will update if the problem returns.

[thoma]

Will using Automatic Climate Control (Auto A/C), on a vehicle provided with it, lead to better fuel efficiency or not?

I read on a Ford Aspire brochure, this:

The Aspire boasts of a class-leading climate control system. Even in the heat of summer, once you set a temperature, the system maintains it with outstanding precision, ensuring superior comfort for everyone. And because it’s super-efficient, you save fuel.

I have not been using the auto A/C on all my cars even though the feature was present.

[Racer911]

Hi Guys,

Please help me regarding an AC Cooling problem in my car.

Symptoms:

Basic AC Problem: Not blowing Cool air
The air flow from Aircon vents is adequate, doesnt seem choked at all.
When the AC is switched on, I can clearly hear the clutch engaging, the compressor and the engine typically running under load as clearly noticeable in smaller petrol cars.

Now the Maruti service guys simply gave a quote of 8K, said the coil needs to be replaced as it is choked because A star doesnt have an AC Air filter. Though, my logical understanding forces me to argue otherwise. If the cooling coil inside is choked up, how come the air flow is absolutely normal?
Shouldnt it be blocked?

If the condenser on the outside is blocked with dust, it can and was cleaned personally by me by spraying pressurized water and visually inspecting it to have been properly cleaned.

I am more inclined to give it to a trusted nearby garage where they're claiming its mostly a problem of leaked refrigerant, and asking for Rs. 1600/- which would include, draining the refrigerant, filling with nitrogen and conducting a leak test and sealing them if any, and finally re pressurizing the line with fresh refrigerant.

Please advise.

[pixantz]

Originally Posted by Racer911

Hi Guys,

Please help me regarding an AC Cooling problem in my car.

Symptoms:

Basic AC Problem: Not blowing Cool air
The air flow from Aircon vents is adequate, doesnt seem choked at all.
When the AC is switched on, I can clearly hear the clutch engaging, the compressor and the engine typically running under load as clearly noticeable in smaller petrol cars.

Now the Maruti service guys simply gave a quote of 8K, said the coil needs to be replaced as it is choked because A star doesnt have an AC Air filter. Though, my logical understanding forces me to argue otherwise. If the cooling coil inside is choked up, how come the air flow is absolutely normal?
Shouldnt it be blocked?

If the condenser on the outside is blocked with dust, it can and was cleaned personally by me by spraying pressurized water and visually inspecting it to have been properly cleaned.

I am more inclined to give it to a trusted nearby garage where they're claiming its mostly a problem of leaked refrigerant, and asking for Rs. 1600/- which would include, draining the refrigerant, filling with nitrogen and conducting a leak test and sealing them if any, and finally re pressurizing the line with fresh refrigerant.

Please advise.

You need a proper diagnosis here and connecting the Ac manifold guage will give an idea of what exactly is going on inside the system after seeing how the pressures are in both high and low sides of the system.

Considering your comp is turning on, issues could range from condenser fan malfunction, evaporator choke up, low refrigerant charge, expansion valve malfunction, leak in the system, etc.

So primarily you need a check up. All else can be determined only then.

[dajay0]

All,

I have been troubled by this question. Though I have an opinion, I wanted yours.

When running a simple AC (not climate control) in a car if you find that it turns out to be too cold what is the more efficient thing to do?

1. While keeping the temperature knob at the coldest, periodically switch the AC on and off to manually control at a comfortable level.
2. Increase the temperature knob to a comfortable level and keep the AC running all the time.

Can the experts please state their opinions?

Ajay

[akmehta]

Originally Posted by dajay0

All,

I have been troubled by this question. Though I have an opinion, I wanted yours.

When running a simple AC (not climate control) in a car if you find that it turns out to be too cold what is the more efficient thing to do?

1. While keeping the temperature knob at the coldest, periodically switch the AC on and off to manually control at a comfortable level.
2. Increase the temperature knob to a comfortable level and keep the AC running all the time.

Can the experts please state their opinions?

Ajay

Option#1 is better for sure as here the AC compressor will totally get shut off by manual intervention thereby delivering better economy specially during idling conditions