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The gas keeps disappearing from my aircon system into thin air! I have an Audi A4 1996 with climate control. My local specialist has checked it 4 times (with fluoresecent dye etc) and cannot locate the source of the problem. Has anyone else had similar problems? Where can I go from here without incurring £££ ? It's all very nice having fancy systems like this, but when they go wrong I find myself asking "is it worth it"
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Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the most common place on the A4 is from the evaporator, which is the part under the dash. Dye won't always show here, plus it's very hard to get in there to have a good look aswell. I have usually found the best way is to put a small amount of gas in the system, then pressurize it to 10 bar with oxygen free nitrogen. Then, with a top quality leak detector, place the nozzle under the evaporator, in the evap. housing, and it will go mad.
To get to the evap, remove the glove box, then the blower motor, and it will be in towards the centre console direction. Be careful of the passenger airbag if fitted, as fiddling with the connections can make it go off in your face, possibly killing you.
Get you a/c man to do this, assuming he has oxygen free nitrogen and a good leak detector. Dye is very good, but doesn't always show. Make sure too, that he has had a good look around under the OSF inner wing at the connections into the accumulator.
The bad news, if it is the evap, is that it will probably cost around £600 - £1000 to fix, as most of the dash comes off, as well as a new accumulator. If you have a decent service history with Audi, give them a try for a goodwill gesture, but they don't usually oblige. When (if) you have it done, before leaving the workshop make sure absolutely EVERYTHING works. All lights, controls, climate operation, radio etc, also make sure that no warning lights are displaying, airbag, abs etc.
German engineering eh!
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I knew Dave N would get to this one quickly.
I just hope my evap is OK on my A4!
Dave
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I had exactly this problem with my A4. I believe the trouble comes from Audi fitting the same evaporator that went into the A80 - although the kind of gas used in aircon systems around 1995/96 was changed and this doubled the pressure in the system. The A4 evaporator is a known problem in these cars - when mine came out, it had a leak blown into it from the pressure.
Audi will sometimes contribute to the repair - but they base what they will pay on the mileage the car has done.
Because they will pay a percentage, and Audi parts and labour rates are ludicrously high, it is almost certainly cheaper to go to a competent aircon specialist - preferably someone who has done this long, tiresome job of dismantling before.
There are now pattern, non-Audi evaporators on the market which cut the price a bit - I think they are about £200 - and they are of an old-fashioned design which means they won't blow apart.
The downside is that they are not as thermally efficient as the Audi ones, so if you use one the aircon won't give out the same blast of freezing air that it did before.
When I had mine done, it was all set up and working - and then the fan blades suddenly shattered, requiring a new fan. Apparently this is another badly made Audi part.
I am very much of two minds about these cars. In some aspects they are well-made and tough. But some parts just aren't good enough. I've just had my throttle pedal fall to pieces, because it is hinged - and the hinge is made from plastic. A plague on the bean-counter who demanded this false economy ... a new pedal assembly is about £70.
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Yup, messrs Lacay & Chandler are absolutley right. I have the same problem on a '95 A4 Quattro at 106,000 miles.
However I have found that recharging the system once a Year at £140 (special concessionnary rate from my Audi dealer) just about gets me through.
For me it is not really worth spending over £1400 on a new evaporator etc on a car this old. Pity, as the rest of it is in top class condition
Christopher Frank
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Thanks to everyone for some very useful info. It certainly sounds as if I need a new evaparaotor. (Christopher - Unfortunately a recharge of my system lasts about 10 days, not 365 !!)
I am currently negotiating with the independent dealer who sold me the car only a couplr of months ago as to where we go from here ......
Otherwise I'm very happy with my car, apart from an incredidly uncomfortable driver's seat that I've replaced with a Recaro.
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