michael.darling Posted April 20, 2011 Report Posted April 20, 2011 The air con on my 2.3 2003 petrol Galaxy stopped blowing cold a few days back and when starting the car the aircon display would flash. The garage has recharged the aircon but with the control on auto it now runs on full speed but blowing warm air. Took it back and the garage has quoted over Quote
v6mikey Posted April 20, 2011 Report Posted April 20, 2011 Took me an hour to replace the compressor on my 2.8, so no its not labour intensive. Its just an expensive part. I bought a second hand one on ebay for Quote
bingo nightly Posted April 20, 2011 Report Posted April 20, 2011 (edited) Ridiculous price! Cost me £350 for a new comp. from Cheltenham radiators (found on internet), supplied it to local garage and they charged me a couple of hours labour to stick it on. Edited April 20, 2011 by bingo nightly Quote
michael.darling Posted April 22, 2011 Author Report Posted April 22, 2011 Thanks for the information. Turns out it is Quote
Bigjeeze Posted April 22, 2011 Report Posted April 22, 2011 Thanks for the information. Turns out it is Quote
pete nuttall Posted June 16, 2011 Report Posted June 16, 2011 Hi there, Similar problem with my 02 2.3 Galaxy, after 3 weeks in the Italian sun last summer, the AC started wheezing and getting less cool and is now warm. Wife got a quote of Quote
seatkid Posted June 16, 2011 Report Posted June 16, 2011 (edited) Before anyone goes out and shells out £££ to fit a new compressor let me tell you my (very longwinded) story........ I bought my Alhambra in 1998 Fast forward to 2002 After 3 and a half years years the a/c started making gurgly hissing noises and seemed less effective. I took it into my dealer of choice and they refilled it for £85. After a few days the original symptoms returned and I travelled the 30 miles back to the dealer and complained. They messed around for an hour or two and said they found the faulty bit - a leaking valve (£8.50) - and charged me another £85 to regas and dye. I noticed they had an old fashioned 2 gas bottle on a trolley setup. After a few more days the symptoms returned, I again returned and complained, but this time they didnt want to know and claimed there was nothing wrong and fobbed me off. The a/c stopped working completely after about 2 weeks. Next time I took it in for a full service I asked them to look at it and they diagnosed (at my cost) a leaking evaporator (located behind dash) - and a leaking compressor. These were, according to them common failures. They however didn't seem very confident with their diagnosis. Cost to repair? around £1500 + vat + no guarantee it would work as the pipes might be leaking as well......they contacted SEAT for goodwill who basically told me to fuck off. I said thank you but no thank you and good bye to dealer servicing..... I bought a new evaporator and drier with the intention of changing them - but after an hour of starting to strip the dash I gave up and said fuck it. I've still got the evaporator and drier in the loft - I must Ebay them sometime. Fast forward to 2007. Having got used to life without a/c, we had a particularly hot spring, and Kwikfit started doing their £49 a/c refill with no charge if it dont work guarantee. Thought I'd give it a try - lo and behold she came back to life. After 10 weeks it started making the "I'm almost out of gas noise" and I got it refilled again (£30 because the guy remembered me) and she lasted for about another 3 months IIRC. No red hot summers meant I didnt bother refilling it again for a while... Fast forward to 2010 Going to Poland in summer so time to get her refilled. When servicing the car myself, I noticed some yellow dye behind the compressor pulley so I decided to tighten up the compressor bolts a bit on the pulley end plate which seemed a little loose. Not a very nice or bright guy at Kwikfit this time however - he didn't take kindly to me telling him he needs to connect both ports to refill it correctly. "I always fill cars with one pipe ok mate.." Anyway after half an hour - bad news - machine says no - big leak detected, zero gas, cant fill. Oh, I thought its finally given up the ghost or my tightening up bolts has fucked it. That summer trip in 38 deg C high humidity, full car, was unforgettable for the wrong reason..... Fast forward to 2011 Going to Poland again - serious thinking - forecast hot again. After servicing her thoroughly I started looking at replacement compressors etc £350 from ebay etc and should I change it myself?...erm no.....went to my local VW dealer - they insist on £100 diagnostic before even attempting a compressor change, the cost for which (with drier) would be about £1300+ with no guarantee it would fix the problem - what is with these wankers? Anyway, I ummed and ahhed a lot and finally ran out of time to do anything. So, in a rare moment of inspiration, I decided on one last attempt - I'll tighten the bolts at the other end of the compressor (there seemed to be seal of some sort nearby which I sprayed with some penetrating oil to try and make it swell a bit) - the bolts were tight but I tightened them a bit more anyway. Take it to Kwiwfit - this time another branch with someone who finally knows what he's doing. After 5 minutes the guy says they can't do anything because the compressor isn't working. I say, its because it doesnt have any gas. He says, no its full of gas according to the gauges but the compressor doesnt work. I say, are you sure? He says, definitely. I drive off, puzzled and depressed, but I notice in the corner of my eye that the CC panel doesnt flash as usual. I press the auto button - and......CLICK!....what the...... I get home and it seems the compressor is kicking in and is working, albeit very feebly. Next day I go back to kwikfit - tell them and they refill the gas (they take out 800g out) and once again I have woking a/c and this years trip to Poland although unforgettable for other reasons, is now air conditioned...... 10 weeks later still working without any tell tale signs of leakage - I will have to wait and see if bolt tightening had any effect. Where the 800g of gas came from when previously there was none remains a big mystery - I put it down to the power of prayer.MORAL OF THE STORY - NEVER TRUST A GARAGE DIAGNOSIS especially if it involves major expense or air conditioning. Don't even trust a garage can refill your a/c properly! If I'd have trusted them I could have spent £2000 fixing something that wasnt really broken with no guarantee and a high probability of breaking something else. Sorry for the long post folks.. Edited June 16, 2011 by seatkid Quote
v6mikey Posted June 16, 2011 Report Posted June 16, 2011 (edited) Hi there, Similar problem with my 02 2.3 Galaxy, after 3 weeks in the Italian sun last summer, the AC started wheezing and getting less cool and is now warm. Wife got a quote of £600 from a garage to "replace the compressor" (no details), but I hope I can get my mechanic to do it cheaper and then get it re-gassed. My question: do I need to get anything else replaced at the same time? I've been look at one of these which seems to suggest that I replace the condenser and drier and "filter drier" too. Not sure what these are and is it necessary/ recommended? Anything else to watch out for? thanks I also saw that, so I replaced the dryer at the same time. Apparently when the system is open to the atmosphere (ie mew compressor being fitted) the dryer needs to be replaced. This is the part required. Although I managed to buy a new sealed VW item for around £25.00 from ebay at the time. Front bumper off job though to replace the thing. Edited June 16, 2011 by v6mikey Quote
seatkid Posted June 16, 2011 Report Posted June 16, 2011 (edited) Please note that Mk II models have a dryer that is integrated with the condensor and a very common problem is a leak above the dryer. This is hidden blow a plastic cap so is often overlooked. Search the forum (it may be in the FAQ) for pictures and more information. The dryer must be replaced when a compressor is changed. Most compressor suppliers insist you also change the expansion valve otherwise their warranty is invalid. A big problem is to know how much PAG oil to put into the dryer and compressor. There is a guide on how to calculate the amounts on the Ford TIS CD. It is important the correct amount of oil is put in (not too much or too little). If the a/c has been opened for a long time (or had a hole in the pipework or condensor) then its recommended that a specialist flushes the system out before refilling the system with gas and oil. Edited June 16, 2011 by seatkid Quote
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