mondeo aircon

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Wed 24 Sep 2003 20:36
mondeo aircon - mondy
i have a vreg mondeo. the aircon has just packed up and the garage says its the condenser thats gone. pipe rusted and broke apperently. does any one have an idea of the cost to repair this? someone said it could cost £700
please can someone tell it wont cost this
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Thu 25 Sep 2003 12:47
mondeo aircon - Dave N
Common problem I'm afraid. Condensors from Ford are about £300, but it's only a 1 hour job. There's plenty of genuine condensors in the aftermarket, for a lot less that Ford charges.

As a guide, I charge £300 for the whole job, so you should get it done for somewhere near this.
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Thu 25 Sep 2003 13:41
mondeo aircon - Chas{P}
Dave N

On the same subject is there anything you can do to minimise the corrosion on these aluminium pipes?

Eg spraying them with grease or something else that copes with the wide temperature range they go through. Just a thought I've had as quite a few AC systems are plagued by corroded pipes.

Charles

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Thu 25 Sep 2003 18:01
mondeo aircon - Dave N
Charles, sure there's a way to stop it corroding. The problem with the mondeo condensor is the ally core is supported by a steel frame. As any metalurgist will tell you, never have different metals in contact, and certainly never where there is any chance of an electrolyte (salt water is a great electrolyte) being present. Just ask any early range rover or discovery owner!

The simple solution is to go around all joints, 'p' clips, supports etc with waxoil or dinitrol. As this is where any moisture will sit and cause corrosion. It will also allow any joints from seizing solid, which often happens where you have ally pipes joined to other components with steel nuts. It also helps to keep the condensor clean, as all the muck sits on this and steadily eats it's way through the ally. The material is incredibly thin (to aid heat dissipation and keep weight down), and of course the condensor, especially, never gets hot like a radiator in the winter. It also pays to put some mesh in front of the condensor so stones can't go through it.

Ha, but as always when you buy a new car, who cares if it's rotted out the a/c parts by the time it's 5 years old? You probably won't have it by then, so it'll be someone elses problem.
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Fri 26 Sep 2003 10:41
mondeo aircon - Chas{P}
Dave N

Once again invaluable advice.

Many thanks

Charles
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