A while ago, the air con in my MY99 packed in. The green light still illuminates but the air temperature doesn't change!

I have had the car for 8 months and due to the English weather have only used it in anger about 6 times!

I eventually got around to taking it to a dealer near where I work today and their initial suspicion was that it needed re-charging and that that would cost me £45!

Has anyone else had any similar problems?

Should this be covered under warranty?

Peter
MY99 Silver

 

I know what you mean, mine isnt exactly COLD.

Unforunately I missed the english summer as I was on holiday that weekend but from what Ive felt its going to struggle if it gets seriously hot.

In my opinion its covered by warranty, especially if it was dealer fitted at delivery?

robski

 

Silly question guys, but have you got the Recirc going. That is the slidey control above the air-con button as far over to the left as possible? If air is not recirculating, then hot air is constantly coming in, not allowing the air-con to work effectively.

My one gets very nice & cold In fact I spent a complete track day at Snetterton with it on. It was 30+ degrees o/s so god knows what track temp was. I blasted around nice & cool I know it would have zapped my performance a tad, but I reckon that open windows and sweating heavily would have done that more so.

Try the recirc thingy

AKA JamesH

 

I also have an MY99 with air-con and was not impressed at first but with time and a lot of use it now seems good with acceptable temperatures over the 30°C weekend a couple of weeks back. If your unit needs recharging already then there either is a leak in the system or it was faulty from the start. This is a definite warranty problem or why bother having one. If you do not get it sorted properly this time then it will need recharging more and more frequently causing you loads of hassle.

Brendan

 

Thanks for your responses...unfortunately things have got worse.

It turns out that a flying stone has somehow managed to damage the air con condenser. The result will be a £300 bill to replace .

Moral dilemma - fix the air con or get a SS back box?????

 

Hi Peter,

Exactly the same thing happened to mine a couple of months ago except i managed to pick up a new (well, almost new) condensor and pipes for £30. Recharging the system will cost a little under £100 though.

NeilR

 

Neil, where did you manage to get hold of the part?
£30 against £250 sounds very appealing, could then get the SS back box as well !

Does anyone else know a reliable source for nearly new Scooby parts ?

Cheers
Peter

 

Just a point of note for those with aircon.

It's a good idea to run the aircon even if the weather isn't warm.
Recommended to run the unit at least 1/2 hour every month minimum, to keep things sweet.

During the winter, especially UK, it demists the windows better than ordinary ventilation systems.

£45 to recharge the gas is not unreasonable in the UK.

Fit mesh in the radiator intake to care of flying debris. I wonder how many other people have had problems with their condensor or radiators caused by this gaping hole.

 

Well, well, well - yet ANOTHER aircon system with stone damage, all in the space of a couple of months !!!!! Had mine fixed 3 weeks ago - condenser damaged by a stone. IT COST £600 TO FIX !!!!!!!!!!!

As usual, I suspect a conspiracy. Design fault perhaps ?

 

Yep-sounds familiar. Had a dye put into the system to find where the hole was. Under uv light nothing showed up so was told the hole is too small and would need a new unit. If i recharge i get about a months use before all gas is gone. Went for a SS back box instead of replacing condenser

 

Peter
Have you tried making an insurance claim for accidental damage. Depending on your policy it may be covered and could save you money.

 

If it is a small stone chip on the condenser, it may be welded back by an aircon specialist shop, while Subaru dealers will usually tell you it is non-repairable. Your choice will be letting a non-Subaru specialist repair your condenser and save a bundle or go to the dealer and pay through the nose. I did both, i.e. replaced it at the dealer, then took the old condenser to the specialist and got it repaired, to be kept as a spare. The thought of letting some strangers (to a Subaru anyway, even though they handle my other cars regularly) to work on the car was too much for me to bear.

 

Don't talk to me about air con - albeit self-inflicted...

I have a minor bump (or so I thought) which smashed a headlamp. What I didn't realise is that the headlamp unit was pushed back at an angle and ruptured the a/c radiator - that will be £292+VAT please (excluding labour).

The gas escaped and had to be recharged - £75 ex VAT.

I then noticed that the a/c seems to be "dragging" at high speed and it looks like the compressor clutch needs to be replaced - awaiting the bill for that one, once they can find someone to supply the part! If the part can't be sourced, hello new condensor!

I drove my car yesterday and it now sounds like I have a very badly slipping fanbelt - draws more attention than any dump valve you can care to mention!

*#%!&£% !!!

Thanks

Gavin

 

Sorry Peter,

It's a one off. Chap casually mentioned his spare on this BBS. I guess i was quick off the mark.

It's not fitted yet, it's sitting in a box at home. Almost service time though, will have it done then.

Still circa £130 for the lot inc recharging is a good saving......

NeilR
p.s. got £100 off a 3month old SS bbox when i picked mine up.
Got my Goodridge hoses (brand new & boxed) for £30 instead of £60'ish
Brake support bracket and intercooler shield (both brand new) for £0.00
What else...... S-02's... buy 3 get 1 free.
SS Downpipe....er £20 discount.!

I could go on but ive got work to do!

NeilR

 

My Air Con recently packed up, hadn't used it
for a year.

With the a/c on there was no difference in the air temp than with it off.

Had Scoobs in at C&K last week for a 7.5k service, and diagnosis of a/c and engine rattle. The result being new a/c pump required and no.3 piston possibly slapping!
GREAT!

BTW it's an STI3, I have always run it kindly, ie. proper warm up and cool downs, its had 98/97 sul, the only possibly cause of this problem was the use of Silkolene PROBOOST Octane Booster, although there is no factual evidence to prove this, several people I have spoke too have suggested that Proboost causes the engine to run exessively hot, which puts additional heat onto the already hot no.3 piston, which eventually overtime causes it to deform. Hence the slap. Some slap is tolerable on cold start, but not acceptable when the engine is up to heat.

The recommended Octane Booster that I changed to is Millers OCTANE-C PLUS.

Cheers
H

 

I'm another stone in the condenser victim.

(Neil) If you want any guidance on fitting the new condenser let me know - it's a 10 minute job.

 

I work for an air conditioning contractor.

If the damage to the coil is slight, we often repair them ourselves by braising over the hole. If it looks more serious we sometimes take them to a coil manufacturer for repair. In some cases damage is too serious and a new coil is needed.

I suggest you phone an A/C contractor in your area. They will be very busy at the moment, and may not be interested, but they can at least give you the name of a coil manufacturer/repairer in your area if they are too busy themselves.

If you live in oxon, one of my workmates may be able to help. Mail me leaving contact name and phone no. that I can pass onto him.

[This message has been edited by nutty (edited 06-07-2000).]

[This message has been edited by nutty (edited 06-07-2000).]