minius

UPDATE - hope it's not too late - I had exactly the same issue and all it was was cabling snagging the heat/cool selector baffle so it had jammed in the "hot" position. If your passenger side operates correctly for heating and cooling make sure that the dealer or whoever looks at this for you will first just ensure nothing is mechanically interfering with the baffle or operating mechanism - chances are it will be a quick, cheap remedy. - see "did ford break my aircon"? post for more

UPDATE! After much hand-wringing I told ford I was rejecting the DAB radio "upgrade" as it was no at all user-friendly nor "fully integrated" as it had described. I also spoke to an AA technician chum who suggested the cabling for the dab could have jammed the heat/cool selector baffle and thus jamming it and not that the climate control unit was faulty. Well, what do you know - after some assertive comments about the DAB (not being as described-(hence rejecting it) and also postulating the aircon problem may be related the DAB cabling snagging on it, he they agreed to remove the dab upgrade free of charge and surprise, the aircon sorted itself out. So the answer was ... YES - Ford DID break/incapacitate my air-con when they fitted the DAB ...but because of this forum and a chat with some folks who know what they are talking about, not only was the fault remedied for free, the dealer also refunded the DAB parts and labour cost and apologised. I'm left wondering now whether this whole saga started by accident of design? In the meantime I opened the bonnet they day after it was returned to find the engine cover missing - after a brief call to the dealer they promised to give me a new one and fit it gratis. I do wonder....

Thanks for that encouragement - mine too has the rear aircon unit; I still can't figure out why the drivers side is blowing hot while the passenger side is fine and suddenly malfunctioning after the visit to the garage for service, The dealer has now afreed to take the DAB system off and refunding the cost which is a good start. At the same time I have asked them to pay particular attention to the sensor and aircon control unit wiring/grounding. We'll see.

please see attached file DID FORD BREAK MY AIRCON WHEN INSTALLING A DAB UPGRADE.pdf

DID FORD BREAK MY AIRCON WHEN INSTALLING A DAB UPGRADE?! I have a MkIII 2009 Ghia 2.0TDi Auto with the SatNav touchscreen head unit (bear with me - its relevant). It was all working fine just prior to the car going into the local Ford Dealer for a main service (£195) and MOT (£30). It failed the MOT (..blooming trailing arm bushes - yes, those "wear items") and at great expense they were replaced. Ford were however also promoting an upgrade to a "fully integrated DAB" upgrade (£99) and Aircon Mould/Cleaning Service (£9.99) so I decided to have both done while it was in. The DAB system also included an aerial located on the left hand side of the screen and connection to the head unit and steering wheel controls. It all came to a staggering £1200+. The morning after getting it delivered back it, was obvious from the outset there was a problem with the aircon - blowing cold on the passenger side but hot on the drivers side whenever I tried to use it. The engine warning light also came on immediately. The car was returned to the dealer and I was told it needed some sort of a "pipe" for the DPF sensor and they said it needed replacing; it cost a further £200+. I also complained that the DAB was not "fuly integrated" to the head unit as it simply put the DAB stations on one channel of the FM part of the head unit. It also did not operate intuitively and was not possible to use it when I wanted to use other functions such as NAV and climate controls. They advised they had also reset the DAB and it was now "working properly". The aircon continues to malfunction and the dealer told me it now needs a new control box as it is a "sealed unit" and it has become faulty at this time just by coincidence. I also advised them I reject the DAB installation as operating it is very distracting and not "fully integrated" or "intuitive". Having read the posts above, I'm now quite concerned that when either fitting the DAB, or cleansing the Aircon, or both some of the aircon control parts became disturbed and damaged. It seems a very very strange co-incidence that it was all fine before the service and fitting of the DAB, but immediately not working correctly after it is returned. I contacted the dealer this afternoon and they agreed to remove the DAB but still want me to pay for the parts. As for the aircon, they deny it is anything to do with the service. I also wonder what sort of pollen filter was fitted a year ago as I expect it was not the activated charcoal one - possible affecting the aircon condenser fins. I am now facing a potential bill of a further £1k or so which I find unacceptable. Any ideas on who might be able to help verify any of the hypotheses (either mine or Fords). I am due to speak the Dealer Manager tomorrow so any comment that might illuminate things would be very welcome.