Air Conditioning Half Works

[amsr]

AC systems shouldn’t get low on refrigerant unless there is a leak. To find a leak they can put UV dye in the system and/or take out the refrigerant and compare the amount to the known capacity. If they measure less than went in there is a leak. The dye will generally show up at the connections where the leak is. If it’s in the evaporator you can get dye in the condensate under the car.

In my experience the golf platform AC is pretty weak in general. The entire time I’ve had my car from new I’ve had to put it on max AC to keep the car cool and my phone from overheating when temps get into the high 80s or higher.

I’ve read you can have it coded for “cool country or hot country” which I’ve never attempted. The AC works better at speed on the highway vs idling or driving slowly around town. The condenser (near the radiator) gets more airflow at speed and functions as a heat exchanger more efficiently. Also the panoramic roof on the models that have it creates quite a greenhouse effect.

 

[ElectricEye]

I got a Groupon deal last July from ATS to top up the air con on my Golf. They did the job telling me they always check the system for leaks before the gas goes in. I should stress this is a single not a dual climate system.

Anyway I can't swear that last July this was definitely working properly. It's my wife's car which I rarely drive. When I drove it that day it was definitely cold. Now we are in spring the following year and I tried the cold air again. The passenger side doesn't seem cold. The driver's side is cool. I've tried doing the 3 button reset trick to no avail.

I rang ATS. They tell me that they can't test this themselves and that I need to take it to get diagnosed by a specialist.

So basically I paid £100 for something that got very little use and it could cost a lot more to fix for something that is rarely used.

So are ATS wrong when they say the problem is nothing to do with gas or is it something like a compressor issue which will be expensive?

The AC in my 2015 had been running less and lees cold over time.
By middle to late last summer, it wasn't cold at all.
I brought a can of AC Pro, and charged it myself.
It's still working great so far here on June 1st. 2023.
Yes, as people say - this means there's a leak in the system somewhere.
But the car's a 2015 and much as I still love it, I don't intend to keep it past another two years.
If I can get by with a half can recharge once a year or so 'till then, rather than go for the expense of checking and replacing things - that's what I'm going to do.

 

[Supermoto]

Just as an anecdote. In my 2015 GTI the AC felt like it was getting weak and not cooling as well. Ended up being the compressor shitting the bed.

Now in my 2019 the AC slowly started blowing less cool by the month. Soon it was blowing ambient temp air at best and +15 above ambient on a hot day. Also, the temp across all the vents vaired dramatically. Center vent would be at 65 while the right vent would be at 85. Took it to the dealer and they couldn't find the leak (wow how shocking) but they said the system has 120g of refrigerant in it when it should have 460g. They filled it back up and now it's working fantastic. It's almost too cold.

Now I just gotta find the leak and take it to a dealer with competent techs.

 

[Daks]

I refill mine every summer.

 

[AdamSheikh]

Just as an anecdote. In my 2015 GTI the AC felt like it was getting weak and not cooling as well. Ended up being the compressor shitting the bed.

Now in my 2019 the AC slowly started blowing less cool by the month. Soon it was blowing ambient temp air at best and +15 above ambient on a hot day. Also, the temp across all the vents vaired dramatically. Center vent would be at 65 while the right vent would be at 85. Took it to the dealer and they couldn't find the leak (wow how shocking) but they said the system has 120g of refrigerant in it when it should have 460g. They filled it back up and now it's working fantastic. It's almost too cold.

Now I just gotta find the leak and take it to a dealer with competent techs.

My compressor has been dying a slow death as well. Freon level is correct, but its just not performing as it should. Over the last few months, I've noticed the compressor "cycling" more frequently than usual. I know our compressors run all the time and have a variable valve inside, but I can hear the compressor putting load on the engine and then "disengaging" and re-engaging. Can hear the car's idle jump up as the load goes away, and then settle back down as the load returns.

Also had my evaporator freeze up on a recent long road trip - that was fun. Killed most of my airflow and was barely cooler than the outside air at highway speeds. Also noticed different temps at different vents. Somehow the system thawed when I stopped for lunch and it continued to work "normally" since then.

All that said, I'm just going to bite the bullet and change the compressor, condenser, and drier. At 9 years and 150k miles, its only a matter of time before the AC dies completely. Don't feel like dealing with that down here in South FL during the summer lol.

 

[amsr]

If they really tried and could not find the leak it’s probably the evaporator. They need to put dye in the system and then check the condensate for the dye. It’s a dashboard out procedure to replace so pretty expensive.

The problem is if refrigerant is leaking from the evaporator it makes it into the cabin and it’s not very good to breathe.

I had to deal with this on a BMW. They had a series of defective evaporators from one of their suppliers. I think otherwise it’s pretty uncommon to leak from there. Refrigerant, at least in a 2011 BMW, smells kind of like a band aids.

 

[Supermoto]

My compressor has been dying a slow death as well. Freon level is correct, but its just not performing as it should. Over the last few months, I've noticed the compressor "cycling" more frequently than usual. I know our compressors run all the time and have a variable valve inside, but I can hear the compressor putting load on the engine and then "disengaging" and re-engaging. Can hear the car's idle jump up as the load goes away, and then settle back down as the load returns.

Also had my evaporator freeze up on a recent long road trip - that was fun. Killed most of my airflow and was barely cooler than the outside air at highway speeds. Also noticed different temps at different vents. Somehow the system thawed when I stopped for lunch and it continued to work "normally" since then.

All that said, I'm just going to bite the bullet and change the compressor, condenser, and drier. At 9 years and 150k miles, its only a matter of time before the AC dies completely. Don't feel like dealing with that down here in South FL during the summer lol.

In my 2015 the specific issue was the refrigerant was leaking out from the bearing/seal on the compressor. Issue is, if the bearing is going out it can cause the system to get metal particles in it which will just nuke the new compressor. I originally planned to replace the compressor myself as it isnt a hard job, but then sold the car to carvana for about what I paid 3 years prior and now I have my 2019. If you DO decide to do the work yourself, replace the dryer/accumulator. A harbor freight vacuum pump and manifold gauge set along with a few cans of refrigerant is all you should need. Of course "dispose of the original refrigerant responsibly". One thing to note, if there is any chance you have metal in the system its gotta be flushed. You can do this with an air compressor and some AC flush fluid pretty easily, but do it before putting in the new dryer/accumulator.

 

[AdamSheikh]

In my 2015 the specific issue was the refrigerant was leaking out from the bearing/seal on the compressor. Issue is, if the bearing is going out it can cause the system to get metal particles in it which will just nuke the new compressor. I originally planned to replace the compressor myself as it isnt a hard job, but then sold the car to carvana for about what I paid 3 years prior and now I have my 2019. If you DO decide to do the work yourself, replace the dryer/accumulator. A harbor freight vacuum pump and manifold gauge set along with a few cans of refrigerant is all you should need. Of course "dispose of the original refrigerant responsibly". One thing to note, if there is any chance you have metal in the system its gotta be flushed. You can do this with an air compressor and some AC flush fluid pretty easily, but do it before putting in the new dryer/accumulator.

I'm planning to have the work done at a friend's shop, but all good info and advice for sure. I've heard some rattling and unhappy bearing noises periodically from the compressor, so I'm positive it's on the way out. Though it is really funny that it's been working without issue since it froze up on my trip a few weeks ago - gotta love how temperamental these cars can be.

But either way, planning on compressor, condenser, and dryer. Not too well versed on A/C stuff past the basics, but is the expansion valve worth looking at/changing while I'm having the rest done? Heard that can be a source of issues sometimes as well.

 

[The Fed]

Go to a shop with a sniffer, and we have a pressure control valve in the compressor that are known to stick or fail.

 

[Supermoto]

I'm planning to have the work done at a friend's shop, but all good info and advice for sure. I've heard some rattling and unhappy bearing noises periodically from the compressor, so I'm positive it's on the way out. Though it is really funny that it's been working without issue since it froze up on my trip a few weeks ago - gotta love how temperamental these cars can be.

But either way, planning on compressor, condenser, and dryer. Not too well versed on A/C stuff past the basics, but is the expansion valve worth looking at/changing while I'm having the rest done? Heard that can be a source of issues sometimes as well.

For my AC first it wasnt blowing as cool, but then I started hearing some weird noises. Took off the belt and spun the AC compressor by hand, sounded and felt grindy. In my situation it was worth changing the expansion valve for the same reason as flushing the system; metal particulates.

 

[AdamSheikh]

For my AC first it wasnt blowing as cool, but then I started hearing some weird noises. Took off the belt and spun the AC compressor by hand, sounded and felt grindy. In my situation it was worth changing the expansion valve for the same reason as flushing the system; metal particulates.

Makes sense - I'll get this done too for the added peace of mind. Buy (fix) once, cry once lol.