Vectra air conditioning

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Fri 23 Jan 2004 10:44
Vectra air conditioning - kjo
I have a 1.6 16V Vectra and the pipes are cracked in the airconditioning unit, so I am informed . The local Vauxhall dealer wants over £500 to replace the 2 pipes and refill the system etc. I have tried to track second hand stuff without success. Any suggestions from anyone?
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Fri 23 Jan 2004 11:02
Vectra air conditioning - MarkSmith
Hello,

A garage local to me (Southampton) can repair air con pipes. This saved me a similar expense (Rover wanted about £200 for a pipe - and that's just for the part!).

Have to get it evacuated first and refilled after of course, about £75.

You might find a garage who can do this. If you happen to be in this neck of the woods, I'll let you know the name of the garage.

Cheers,
Mark
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Fri 23 Jan 2004 12:36
Vectra air conditioning - Dynamic Dave
How old is your Vectra? If under 5yrs old and serviced by Vauxhall, you *may* be in luck. However, don't take what I'm about to tell you as gospel.


Apparantely there's a Vauxhall Technical Service bulletin issued informing dealers of the air con problem with Vectras - mainly the 2.2 litre petrol engined models. There haven't been enough cars failing to warrant a recall, but the dealer should inspect the pipes, and fit a supporting bracket, if not already fitted. I was told by my local dealer that Vauxhall will replace broken pipes for free on cars up to 5yrs old, or 60,000 miles - whichever comes sooner - should the air con fail. That is providing of course you've had the car serviced by Vauxhall in all that time.
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Fri 23 Jan 2004 16:36
Vectra air conditioning - mare
There was a thread on Vectra aircon perhaps last Septemeber / October time. Try \"monkey metal\" in the forum search

{Probably this one:-
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=12240 . DD}
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Fri 23 Jan 2004 21:49
Vectra air conditioning - Dave N
I'm not sure if these particular pipes are available to the aftermarket yet. The main problem is they are usually difficult to remove, so that bumps the labour up. If you can get someone to repair them, you'll still have the removal/fitting expense. Special brazing rods are available from the US, but it's not always successful, so a lot of places try and avoid attempting repair, as they can't be easily tested off the vehicle, so you run the risk of all the labour but still leaking.

I usually suggest getting the correct parts and doing it that way, as the job will then be guaranteed to work first time. £500 seems a bit steep though, but if the parts are only available from VX, then you may struggle to get it much lower.

Welcome to the cost of a/c parts!
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