Climate defect

Hello,

'In the past few days, as it's gotten warmer, I've tried to turn on my air conditioning, but it hasn't even made a click, and the display on the Climatronic has also been blinking for a while. When the auxiliary heater is on, the Climatronic almost always blinks, so I didn't think much of it. The mechanic just poked the filling valve with a pen, and all I heard was a 'pfft' – meaning there was no coolant left, and there's a leak somewhere. Of course, that's why the compressor wouldn't even start. The system was only refilled last year (at a different workshop), and since I was going back there anyway to have the engine bay lights checked (they had added a contrast agent), they could check for the leak at the same time.' And look at that: The capacitor is actually broken (it has a hole in it from a stone impact). Replacing it with original VW parts, including the capacitor and the dryer, would cost around 526 euros, *excluding* labor. Aaaaaahhhh......... I'm having a nervous breakdown.
Does anyone know where I can find these parts cheaper? VW parts would be at least 100€ cheaper, but that's not much consolation. Since I'm currently in a difficult financial situation due to house construction, I've been considering having the parts replaced next year. Would that even be possible? Because the compressor isn't starting, the seal can't be lubricated (there's no coolant in it anyway ), which would eventually damage the compressor and shorten its lifespan. If anyone has experienced this problem before, please let me know, and perhaps also where to find the parts cheaply. Oh, and is it possible to do the replacement myself? Then the climate specialists would just need to refill the refrigerant.

Hello, yes, exactly, I had that problem with my 35i once too.

Sure, you can replace the condenser yourself: Remove the headlight, then remove the crossmember, and then disconnect the coolant hoses from the radiator and the lines from the condenser.
Then you can include the cooler. Pull the capacitor straight up.
The capacitor is screwed onto the heatsink. Exchange and reassemble.
Remember: When replacing the refrigerant lines, use new (specialized!!!) sealing rings and lightly lubricate them with refrigerant oil.

And while you're at it, it might be worth considering replacing the dryer at the same time.

Please provide the text you would like me to translate from German to English.
Best regards, Ralf.

@KombiBlue

Thank you for the information. They also recommended replacing the dryer, so I wanted to replace it at the same time. What specific seals are you referring to? Do they come with the condenser, or do you have to buy them separately? After that, all the AC specialists have to do is refill the system, right? They told me something about '...before replacing it, you need to drain and evacuate the system, blah blah...' Do you know what they mean by that?

@ampac

The seals for the condenser are actually "normal" O-rings. However, there are special ones for refrigerants, and they are not black, but I believe they are green. Standard O-rings are susceptible to degradation by the refrigerant.
You need to obtain that in addition to the capacitor.

After installation, the system must be evacuated (a vacuum must be created within the system) and then refilled.

Before the exchange, the system only needs to be evacuated if there is still refrigerant inside, as the refrigerant must not be released into the environment.

Well, since the system is already leaking, I think that most of the refrigerant has probably already leaked out . Does this process transition to a gaseous state during relaxation, or have I misunderstood something?!

You're right, it's a gas that damages the ozone layer! (Not just R12, but also R134a!)

That's why it's also being vacuumed.

Can we assume that, in a system with a leak, there is still a residual amount of R134a refrigerant that needs to be evacuated? I once read that the boiling point of this refrigerant is 27°C. Then, in theory, all the coolant should have evaporated a long time ago due to the radiant heat from the engine, etc. Am I mistaken?

@ampac
You yourself are writing:

ampac wrote:

The friendly person just poked a ballpoint pen into the filler valve, and all you heard was a "pfft" >> no more coolant, somewhere there's a leak, blah blah.

I think that "pffft" sound was the refrigerant escaping. You can check it the same way. If any more gas comes out, the rest needs to be extracted. It's not empty yet, of course not.

I've also tried poking at the valve with a pen. The 'pfft' sound is more like opening a bottle of mineral water, so the pressure was gone after just one or two seconds. I think the system is now empty. The parts have already been ordered and are (hopefully) arriving this weekend.

Hi,

If you have Climatronic in a Golf IV, instead of using the pen, you can also query channel 40 in diagnostic mode. The evaporator temperature displayed there should reach low single-digit values within a few minutes. My system is less than 10 months old, and after about 30 minutes of driving, it reaches 2.5 degrees Celsius. After 5 minutes, it's around 4 degrees.

Hi!

What channel can I use to query this value (evaporator temperature) on the Audi? I couldn't find anything about that.

Best regards,
Uwe

You can also have your air conditioning condenser repaired by a company specializing in radiator repairs (see the yellow pages). A friend recently had a leak (a crack) in the upper connection. They welded all of that together for 25€, and it works great.

'Refilling is also very affordable with them. It costs 50€ (including...' Release valves, pressure tests, oil, and refrigerant for Golf III.

My air conditioner is finally working again.


You can also have your climate control unit repaired by a company specializing in radiator repairs (see the yellow pages). Recently, a friend had a leak (crack) in the upper connection.


The cooler was beyond saving; it looked pretty worn out (it was leaking between the fins), and it wasn't that expensive anyway, at 160 euros.

A much worse issue was the small connecting hose between the radiator and the dryer. It had an aluminum cap on an aluminum housing. It was so tightly stuck that the threads were bound to strip. So, I went to the dealer to get a new hose. Imagine my surprise. They wanted a whopping €124 for that small piece of hose (about 20cm with aluminum ends). And the best part is, it's a genuine VW part, so no cheap alternatives from Stahlgruber and Co. That's blatant audacity and price gouging by VW. I then searched the Yellow Pages and, luckily, found a climate control company that, with a lot of effort, managed to create a replacement part from the old original part, and they did it for just €25. Well, anyway, I don't think that friendly person will see me again anytime soon. Self-inflicted blame due to the pricing policy, and incompetence on top of that .