Last July my local Peugeot dealer fixed the non-working air conditioning on my '99 306 Hdi; my receipt states they "replaced leaking air conditioning pipe as diagnosed" and "regassed system" which fixed the problem.
Now, some 9 months later, the first warm enough day to fully enjoy it, and I find it's not blowing cold, at all. I've occasionally used it over the winter but it's hard to tell in the depths of a cold spell if it was working then; I think it was.
I've covered about 16k miles since then. Does this warrant the need to attend to the system again? I haven't yet spoken to Peugeot yet but I don't like the idea of having to have the aircon seen to every year, particularly as I do use it all year round, to maintain it.
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Peugeot now tell me that the condenser on the car needs replacing, and have quoted me, all in (including labour), £420.
Does this sound reasonable?
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this sounds on a par with my A4 -- £550 (under warranty:-)
madf
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I personally wouldn't trust a dealer to service my air conditioning (based on past experience). I can recommend this company however:
www.air-care-automtive.co.uk
if you are in the south-east. They came out to my place of work, did a full diagnosis and regassed the system for £65 +VAT.
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The two weak points on 306's are the pipes and the condensor. Assuming they diagnosed correctly last time, then it's entirely possible that the condensor has now busted.
Price seems about right, but as the radiator has to come out, you may want to consider a new radiator as well, as these are also a bit fragile. Even if it's not leaking now, then it may do after it's been man-handled, especially with the stupid connectors Peugeot insist on using.
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Thanks for the advice, Dave; will bear it in mind.
Elsewhere on the internet, someone with a similar problem (with a 306) was advised to check that there is a revs change when the air con button pressed. My revs stay the same, which the poster suggests might indicate that "the control unit is simply not sending a signal that the aircon is on", and suggests a check of fuses because "the aircon clutch has it's own fuse separate from the blower circuit".
Is this good advice?
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"is this good advice?"
Well sort of. If it had gas in it and still didn't come on, then yes, it's valid. If it has no gas in it, then nothing will work. I assume the garage checked for gas first, then looked for leaks.
A bit like having a car that won't run, there's a million things to check, but the first is fuel in the tank!
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I think a visit to an independent air con specialist in the Bristol area might be in order...
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Here is a link to Bristol area air con specialists
tinyurl.com/8z25y
Good hunting!
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>If it had gas in it and still didn't come on, then yes, it's valid. If it has no gas in it, then nothing will work. I assume the garage checked for gas first, then looked for leaks.<
This is roughly what happened to my 306. Aircon stopped because pressure had dropped to ½, though it had been topped up only in April. Aircon specialist checked all pipework, then topped up again. I took car home to refit sump-guard, and saw leak in bottom pipe where it is attached to the valance. Pug dealer wants £45+VAT for new pipe, which specialist will fit (he quoted £75+VAT from another dealer).
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I wouldnt use a specialist that didnt retest after fixing one leak.
I know a good specialist in teesside.
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>I wouldnt use a specialist that didn't retest after fixing one leak.<
Not quite fair, mark - he hadn't tried to fix anything, just re-pressurised and added dye. I don't think it had time to become noticeable in the 20 mins before I got home. It's at least 3 hours from here to Teesside.
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306's are prone to the condensor dying and also the pipes across the back of the bulkhead breaking.
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Dave N nice to see you back. Where have you been hiding?
The story is familiar! My now departed 306 had the same problem. One year it was a front pipe that required replacement and the summer had all but gone by the time Peugeot sourced me a pipe! next year it was the condenser and a radiator for good measure as it was looking jaded.
I think the condensor cost me about £120 or thereabouts (might have been a tad more) from Serck Marston.
Seems to be a common 306 problem! The pipes corrode behind the ruber mounts. Mind you when I did get it going it was nice and cold.
Fullchat
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Fullchat, I'm still here, just only post on a/c queries, mainly 'cos I don't know about much else!
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I have an 1998 306 TD thats done 74,000 miles.
My air-con stopped working all of a sudden about 12 months ago. With fears over how much it would cost to repair, I did nothing about having it fixed.
I noticed that KwikFit were offering a fix (re-gas) for approx £45, if the system holds pressure, then all is well, if not, see ya later!
My car did pass the pressure test and the charged it with gas and it was fantasticly cold. about a week later it was not working again and so I took it back to them. They re-gassed it again at no charge. Once again a week later it failed and I got a full refund.
I live in the NW, can anyone recomend a good place to go to have it fixed without breaking the bank????
Thanks in advance
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Polar Air conditioning based in Prestwich and mobile throughout the NW.
Maybe not the cheapest but very good in my experience.
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If it's just the pipe clip corrosion issue WURTH chemical metal around the pitted pipe and a re-gas is a cheap fix although i would be amazed if the condensor isn't crumbling at that age and mileage
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