Ford Focus - A/C not working after lockdown | Technical matters | Back Room Forum

What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Sun 24 May 2020 18:14

Ford Focus - A/C not working after lockdown - chssvl

As I suspect is the case for lots of people, I hadn't used my 2012 Ford Focus 1.6 petrol much for quite a while - maybe three very short trips to the supermarket totalling at most 10 miles since early March. Not that the car gets a lot of use (2500 miles a year more or less)

A couple of days I took it out and found that the A/C has stopped working - just getting normal air, not even cold-ish. I checked and the compressor's clutch is engaging, the compressor is spinning and the system seems to be running but no cool air.

I had re-gassed the system a couple of years ago, not because of any fault but because I was told it was probably best.

Is it that the lack of use of the A/C over winter plus the lockdown led to the refrigerant leaking out? If so, does that mean there is a leak that needs to be repaired or will re-gassing the system be sufficient? Or am I looking at a more complicated problem?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sun 24 May 2020 18:51

Ford Focus - A/C not working after lockdown - elekie&a/c doctor

In common with many cars I have experienced over the last few weeks, it’s very likely to be low on gas . The system will not operate unless there is sufficient charge in the system . All cars leak ac gas over a period of time ,some worse than others .

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sun 24 May 2020 19:21

Ford Focus - A/C not working after lockdown - chssvl

Thanks. Is there a reason why they leak when not in use? I'm just wondering if seals perish or something like that and, if so, does anything else need fixing before recharging the system?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sun 24 May 2020 19:59

Ford Focus - A/C not working after lockdown - elekie&a/c doctor

Unlikely to be a seal leaking . Very likely to be a component failure . On a Focus , it’s probably the ac condenser that has perished. It sits right at the front of the car , and is subject to everything thrown at it .

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 25 May 2020 09:22

Ford Focus - A/C not working after lockdown - Andrew-T

An air-con is a tiny fridge system which has a compressor. In use it gets cooled down, but while lying idle everything will get to ambient temp, which has been quite warm recently, especially if your car has been parked in a hot spot. The system has seals and charging points which may very slowly release gas. Get it seen to, probably £40-50 for a regas.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sat 30 May 2020 11:18

Ford Focus - A/C not working after lockdown - Peter.N.

The compressor bearing seals used to leak especially if the aircon wasn't used in the winter, don't know if that still happens but you are usually advised to run it occasionally in the winter.

Strangely enough my C5 had non working aircon when I bought it last year, went out in it few days ago and it worked a treat - never had that happen before!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Related questions

Can I reject a used car because of a faulty battery?

I bought a used car less than two weeks ago. It's a 2016 reg. The battery has failed three times since I bought it. The first time a friend jump started it for me, the second time a mechanic used a power...

We bought a used car but we're waiting for delivery as there's a delay on a part - what should we do?

We paid £9000 for a used car from a local dealer. That was 14 days ago. We were told it should be ready to collect in 4 days but we have yet to receive it. Apparently a fault was discovered when it was...

I bought a car that doesn't have metallic paint as stated when I purchased it - where do I stand?

I bought a one-year-old vehicle from Motorpoint and it was stated as having metallic paint. However, I recently discovered that it hasn’t and alerted this fact to Motorpoint, which was within six months...

My used car developed a fault two months after I bought it - do I have any rights with the dealer?

I collected my used car on the day of lockdown and the garage offered a three-month warranty. With one month left of said warranty, I contacted them because there's a noise around the rear wheel. They've...

Ask Honest John

Sell Your Car

Real MPG

Fuel Calculator