Air con compressor needs changing after 3 years - help

WilliamsDar · Jul 12, 2024

Hello

So my warranty ran out 2 months ago on my 2021 Ocean.

And this week while travelling my air con stopped working.

Now I’ve visited a VW garage (plus many more independent garages) and VW tell me that the compressor needs changing at a price of 1800 euros!!!

What are my options here?

1. Pay the 1800 now and get it fixed.
2. Take the van back to the main dealer where I bought it and try to fight for a free change.
3. Leave the air con like that for the rest of the holiday and try to repair it cheaper myself when I’m home.

I’ve checked on line and found air compressors at prices from 200/300 euros. Obviously not VW ones but probably do the same job.

Thoughts please guys - I have until Monday to make a decision.

Thanks in advance

Meoncoast · Jul 12, 2024

I wait until I get home rather than rush into a repair while on holiday,

WilliamsDar · Jul 12, 2024

Meoncoast said:
I wait until I get home rather than rush into a repair while on holiday,

Ye considering that. But I love in Geneva where generally things cost more. Plus I have 3 more weeks of driving in 35 degrees

lohr500 · Jul 12, 2024

Try to find a local AirCon specialist whilst on your travels and get them to fit a replacement?
They may well conclude it doesn't need replacing and can be fixed.

I've had many different vehicles with air con and I've never had a compressor pump fail.
Most common fault is a loss of refrigerant which causes the compressor to shut down to prevent damage. Either through a sudden loss of gas caused by damage to the pipework, or over time due to very slow leaks.

Have you checked for any blown fuses and tried to reseat any of the relays associated with the air con in the fuse boxes? The fuse diagrams should be on the fuse box lids in the engine and passenger compartments. Not sure if there are any air-con fuses under the front seats.

WilliamsDar · Jul 12, 2024

lohr500 said:
Try to find a local AirCon specialist whilst on your travels and get them to fit a replacement?
They may well conclude it doesn't need replacing and can be fixed.

I've had many different vehicles with air con and I've never had a compressor pump fail.
Most common fault is a loss of refrigerant which causes the compressor to shut down to prevent damage. Either through a sudden loss of gas caused by damage to the pipework, or over time due to very slow leaks.

Have you checked for any blown fuses and tried to reseat any of the relays associated with the air con in the fuse boxes? The fuse diagrams should be on the fuse box lids in the engine and passenger compartments. Not sure if there are any air-con fuses under the front seats.

Thanks for the help.

I had another air con specialist in Italy who seemed very good. He checked it and confirmed there was no leak and full with Gas so he determined it was a technical or electrical issue and didn’t have time to look into it further.

VW diagnosed the problem and confirmed the compressor needs changing.

I agree - I have a ten year old transporter where the air con still works great.

lohr500 · Jul 13, 2024

I'm not familiar with the VW compressor, but on a couple of other vehicles I had with air-con issues, in both cases the compressor pump clutch was activated by a single 12 volt feed via a relay.

If this is the same on the Cali and if you are confident in doing so, you could try a direct 12V feed from the battery to the compressor and see if the clutch engages. Or get a competent auto electrician to do the same.

Sadly, I have little confidence in main dealerships being able to diagnose faults correctly

vmaxkiddy · Jul 13, 2024

lohr500 said:
Try to find a local AirCon specialist whilst on your travels and get them to fit a replacement?
They may well conclude it doesn't need replacing and can be fixed.

I've had many different vehicles with air con and I've never had a compressor pump fail.
Most common fault is a loss of refrigerant which causes the compressor to shut down to prevent damage. Either through a sudden loss of gas caused by damage to the pipework, or over time due to very slow leaks.

Have you checked for any blown fuses and tried to reseat any of the relays associated with the air con in the fuse boxes? The fuse diagrams should be on the fuse box lids in the engine and passenger compartments. Not sure if there are any air-con fuses under the front seats.

Skoda Octavia’s were prone to aircon compressor failures a few years back.

sidepod · Jul 13, 2024

Simple enough to confirm clutch function.

Get under the van (or wherever you have sight of the compressor). Engine on , AC off. The pulley of the compressor should not be spinning with the belt.

Switch on the AC, the pulley should now be spinning

What was the fault code(s) from the diag?

secret lemonade drinker · Jul 17, 2024

I had a compressor fail on a mercedes at just over 2 years old, luckily the three year warranty covered the repair which took sometime due to the lack of spares in europe, one was ordered from the factory in China!