air con not getting cold ?

[dw911]

Hi,was driving this afternoon and I know it's been a very hot day,but the air con just didn't seem cold and when I switched the air con compressor off the temperature of the air coming out the centre vents didn't seem to change ?
Anyone had any similar issues?

 

[sootytorques]

I agree, our 63 reg ibiza's a/c is ice cold the leon not, overall not impressed with the leon heating/cooling system

 

[ashackle]

I have, last week it was horrendous on a long drive in warm weather, I asked my local garage who said dealers seem to short fill the ac systems these days just to check there are no leaks and as we don't always need it in this country we don't notice to start with. I bought the recharge kit from halfords and it worked a treat, now icy cold and much more comfortable in this weather.

 

[Fred99]

It should work perfectly "out of the box". The supplying dealer would not touch it as it should work.

My Leon is fine and it was 36º here last week and the AC is cooling the car within 2 minutes. Even at 40º it doesn't even struggle to keep the temperature down.

If it doesn't do that, take it back as it is a fault.

My last Leon lasted for over 10 years before it needed a recharge and it is working 300 days of the year.

 

[dw911]

Hi thanks for all the replies, I've got to take the car in for a service so I'll get them to take a look
Just thought I'd ask on here so I had a bit off a benchmark, as my mk2 leon used to get ice cold,but I think the mk3 is filled with a the new type of air con gas so thought I'd ask other mk3 owners to see how they found the mk3
Thanks

 

[niggle]

Just thought I'd ask on here so I had a bit off a benchmark, as my mk2 leon used to get ice cold,but I think the mk3 is filled with a the new type of air con gas so thought I'd ask other mk3 owners to see how they found the mk3

No, they are still using R-134a. R-134a has been used since ~1994. My Mazda was built in November 1992 and uses R12.

 

[ashackle]

It should work perfectly "out of the box". The supplying dealer would not touch it as it should work.

My Leon is fine and it was 36º here last week and the AC is cooling the car within 2 minutes. Even at 40º it doesn't even struggle to keep the temperature down.

If it doesn't do that, take it back as it is a fault.

My last Leon lasted for over 10 years before it needed a recharge and it is working 300 days of the year.

I agree it should be fine out of the box, the problem arises though if the pre delivery inspection hasn't picked up any issue and a year down the line in this country when on the few days we actually need the ac there is no comeback as the dealers will just say it is wear and tear. Hence the reason I topped up the gas in my system myself rather than paying dealer prices.

 

[terryt]

Have you tried changing the aircon profile to high? I think its on medium by default.

 

[Seastormer]

It should work perfectly "out of the box". The supplying dealer would not touch it as it should work.

My Leon is fine and it was 36º here last week and the AC is cooling the car within 2 minutes. Even at 40º it doesn't even struggle to keep the temperature down.

If it doesn't do that, take it back as it is a fault.

My last Leon lasted for over 10 years before it needed a recharge and it is working 300 days of the year.

Yours would work better and last longer cos it's hotter there, and you use it all the time. Here in the UK and more so in Scotland, the weather is often crap, so it's not on as much.

 

[dw911]

No, they are still using R-134a. R-134a has been used since ~1994. My Mazda was built in November 1992 and uses R12.

Your quite correct, the sticker under the bonnet says just that, could gave sworn I read somewhere that all new cars were going to be filled with a new type of gas to replace R 134, obviously not

 

[niggle]

You are also correct. EU legislation mandates that all new designs must not use R134a after 2017.

 

[EoinM]

Have you tried changing the aircon profile to high? I think its on medium by default.

I have mine on the lowest profile and it's always ice cold. I leave one on 16.5 degrees all the time (like the car cold) and it's been faultless.

It wouldn't be unusual for a VAG air conditioning compressor to fail. It was common on the previous generation. Also lack of use means the seals can dry out. The gas doesn't just cool the system, it also lubricates the seals.


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[dw911]

Have you tried changing the aircon profile to high? I think its on medium by default.

I have mine on the lowest profile and it's always ice cold. I leave one on 16.5 degrees all the time (like the car cold) and it's been faultless.

It wouldn't be unusual for a VAG air conditioning compressor to fail. It was common on the previous generation. Also lack of use means the seals can dry out. The gas doesn't just cool the system, it also lubricates the seals.


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Thanks, have tried the lowest settings but still no luck
Looked at the compressor under the bonnet, on my other cars you can see part of the pulley wheel on the compressor stop or start spinning as the clutch disengages or engages when you switch the air con off or on
On the Leon it must be internal as I can't see any difference so don't know if it's running or not, nor do the pipes seem to get either hot or cold
So looks like a trip to the dealers

Thanks to all for your input