Volkswagen Golf IV (1998 - 2004) - Aircon & only one key

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Thu 16 Aug 2007 00:31
Aircon & only one key - Lou_O
Hi,

Having changed job I'm no longer facing a massive commute and will instead only have a few miles to drive each day.

I had a look at a private sale 1999 V plated Golf that looks pretty good for it's 70k miles. The only thing I could fault the car on so far is that the A/C isn't working.

The current owner has had it for about a year and I don't think it's worked whilst he's had the car.

The question is, how much am I looking at to get it fixed? Is it likely to be a £50 re-gassing or is it more like a £500 repair job?

TIA,

Lou

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Thu 16 Aug 2007 01:21
Golf Mk IV Aircon - Dynamic Dave
If it hasn't been used for a year, then chances are the seals have dried out.

www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/faq.htm?id=14

Only way to know for sure is to have the system recharged and an ultra-violet tracking die added at the same time so that any leaks are easier to detect.

Whatever you do though, steer clear of the DIY air con cans.
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Thu 16 Aug 2007 01:27
Golf Mk IV Aircon - rtj70
I had a Passat on a W plate (so 2000) and the aircon was not cooling.

Booked in and it was more than a regas. I think the gears and associated things had broken.... put it this way I took it in before 3 years up on lease and went on holiday. Got a phone call close to when I was coming back and the VW garage had just looked at it and needed much more work. Lease company involved then and I said "well they've had it a week and relieve vehicle 'small'" to which they were slightly surprised at the week bit.... so I got a decent hire car on my return as the alternative was....

I said I would collect and book it back in a few weeks.... after 3 year warranty lapsed. Got their attention at the lease company.

String of failures on that passat though:

- Turbo day one
- Locks
- Air con
- Wind noise via mirror
- Air bag

And I used the climate on the Passat all the time so not dried out... just broken.
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Thu 16 Aug 2007 11:12
Golf Mk IV Aircon - Lou_O
Thanks for the replies.

The car is fairly sensibly priced but it looks like I'll have to do some more research before parting with any cash!

Also, it only has 1 key, not sure how much a new key fob for a VW is, but I doubt there's much change from £150...

Cheers,

L

{Header amended to reflect latest info - DD}
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Thu 16 Aug 2007 12:10
Golf Mk IV Aircon - DP
My brother-in-law took his 2001 Passat into a (well known and trusted) local air-con specialist for what he thought was a simple regas, and the total bill including the leak test and the replacement parts to fix the leaks they found in both the condenser and a length of pipework came to just over £500.

This car was a money pit!

Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
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Thu 16 Aug 2007 13:07
Golf Mk IV Aircon - Lou_O
Looks like I'll be having to knock off some serious money then.

How do you go about getting a second key for a golf of this age? Is it a transponder key that needs some kind of programming or is it just a question of getting it cut?

Ta,

L
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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?