I drive an Ignis Sport 04 (April 2004 -25,000 mls), and I noticed today that my Air Con was not cooling the car at all, it seems to have stopped giving out cold air. In fact, it seems to have been gradual because it has not been giving out cold air in the past 3 weeks or so.
I do not drive the car every day, but I am careful to use the A/C every week at least to make sure that it is kept lubricated. I hope it is not the compressor!
I suspect it needs a recharge or similar but since I know nothing in cars I am not sure.
1) What is likely to be the cause of the problem? (is a recharge usually needed after 4 1/2 years?)
2) How much is a recharge?
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
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2) How much is a recharge?
£44.95 @ Kwik Fit. (although I have seen mention on another forum that the price on their website is wrong and it's something like £39.99)
www.kwik-fit.com/about-air-conditioning.asp
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 12/09/2008 at 01:10
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If an 04 car has lost the charge in the AC to the extent that it won't engage, then it's got a hole in it it somewhere (or there is some other electrical fault). Taking it to KF will be useless - they only hook it up to a machine and let it work through itself - it will fail the vac test and the computer will say 'no' and KF witll shrug their shoulders. Needs to go to an A/C specialst to find the leak / electrical fault.
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it will fail the vac test and the computer will say 'no' and KF witll shrug their shoulders.
On the plus side however, they won't charge you a penny if there is a leak ;o)
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Thanks.
Richard, is that not "normal" then for a 4 1/2 yr old car to need a recharge? (I have no idea, I'm just asking).
Could the compressor be shot?
I hope it is not an expensive job, the car is worth £3K max, I'd hate to have to spend £500 or £600 on A/C. Any idea what that sort of leak could cost?
I have a Suzuki dealer near work, but no A/C specialist AFAIK, are general dealers specialised in that sort of thing?
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I have a 4 year old car and the aircon is still fine = no recharge. However, I understand that many a/c components (heat exchangers etc) are made of aluminium and due to their location, in some cases, are prone to damage and being punctured by stones and road debris. If this is the case a recharge will be pointless. Search yellow pages for an a/c specialist, as a starter; might be a £10 pipe or a £200+ heat exchanger.
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Had a pipe wear through on the Mondeo where it was rubbing on a nearby bolt.
The pipe was about £50 but the book time to change was 3 hours. That's a lot of labour, glad I did it myself.
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Thanks, I understand it is probably best to have the job done quickly (don't the parts dry up after a while and can damage the system?) but I can't really have it done for another 6 weeks. Would that be OK?
Would a Suzuki dealer be up to that sort of job or does it have to be a car A/C specialist?
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Yes, it will be ok to leave it. It may have little or no gas in it, and there is a risk of moisture forming, but it's not great.
Try and find a specialist if you can, but they're thin on the ground as it isn't a year round business for anyone. Nealry all dealers have the equipment, but you take the usual gamble. Also bear in mind that any parts required are likely only available from them anyway, due to the small numbers sold.
Where are you in the country, just in case I know of anyone decent in the area.
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Thanks Dave. Anywhere in Northumberland would do, I just need someone I can trust! I hope it won't be over £300, do these jobs (fixing a leak) cost a lot?
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I forgot to add, all these systems were dealer fit, and as a result the quality of fitting was variable to say the least. If a pipe even just touches something soft, it can rub through or corrosion can set in, and wiring can be run all over the place as it's quicker to do it that way. They're supplied with a big pack of grommets and connectors, most of which end up in the bin. So it may be worth taking a look over it for anything obvious before you take it in.
Unfortunately I don't know anyone up north, so have a look in yellow pages.
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Thanks.
The A/C system is fitted by dealers? I'm not sure I understand what you mean here. I thought it was factory-fitted, isn't that the case?
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No, most low volume stuff from japan and korea are 'specced up' at the port or the dealers. They add a/c, leather, skirts, alloys, better radio, cruise control, privacy glass, spoilers, etc. Some of the a/c kits only took a couple of hours to fit, and were great to work on as everything is accessable.
Of course, the dealers will never tell you this otherwise punters would soon realise that all the higher spec models are exactly the same as the cooking models, and you're paying a big premium for a few extras. Take a trip to the suzuki dealer and ask them for a price on an a/c kit, the vitara one used to be about £400, compared to £500 if you just ordered the compressor alone. Toyota do one for the Yaris, as well. It's not so common on a/c now, as all models in some ranges have it as standard, so it comes with it from the factory.
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All right, interesting, thanks.
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