GTD Aircon Concern

[mrober_uk]

Morning all,

I have had my GTD since October 13 and have had the air con gas refreshed twice and the condenser which is situated behind the lower grill replaced due to stone damage. I had to pay for this replacement as I was told it was not covered under warranty as the damage was due to wear and tear.

My car is going in for a service today and again the air con is not working. I'm dreading a call to say the condenser has been holed once more. If this has happened again then I'm going to argue that it is due to poor design. To me it seems the honeycomb shaped grill is not providing sufficient protection to the condenser unit sitting immediately behind it.

With the poor state of our roads it's not a surprise that stones are getting through. I don't drive too close to others especially since the condenser was replaced last time.

Has anyone else experienced stone damage to the condenser unit? It may help in my discussion if this is a common issue. I guess it may be limited to GTi/GTD models as these have the honeycomb grills.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Finglonga]

I have heard of a few cases and some are saying it is the gap around the front radar letting in larger stones. I did read somewhere that someone had put a mesh behind the entire honeycomb grill but I can't find it again.

 

[Chris43]

Hi Mark, no problem so far on my MK7

However, The aircon failed on my MK6, they had to refill the aircon twice, the second time with florescent die before they found a hole in the condenser. The condenser was replaced under warranty so I'm not sure if it was stone damage or not. From memory I had to pay about £45 for the first aircon refill.

Hopefully this time its just leaking from when your condenser was replaced. If it is stone damage again, ask to see the condenser, you'll have more chance of arguing your case.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[KGB1]

Hi Mark, no problem so far on my MK7

However, The aircon failed on my MK6, they had to refill the aircon twice, the second time with florescent die before they found a hole in the condenser. The condenser was replaced under warranty so I'm not sure if it was stone damage or not. From memory I had to pay about £45 for the first aircon refill.

Hopefully this time its just leaking from when your condenser was replaced. If it is stone damage again, ask to see the condenser, you'll have more chance of arguing your case.

Let us know how you get on.

My father's Mk6 suffered same failure of air con condenser, the tech who did the replacement said a lot of the Mk6 had been fitted with poor quality condensers which were failing within the warranty period. Hopefully this isn't the same story for the Mk7.