airco not working on my DB9

[pbe624]

Hi all,

tried to do some searches but not found answer yet. My 2009 model DB9 has not had much movement in last 6 months. took it for a drive yesterday and noted the airco does not seem to work, no cold air coming out... . Also, most of the time when I drive, I switch airco off.

I will take it to the dealer to check it out.
My question is what would be the most likely cause of the problem, and what will it take/cost to fix it?
Personally, I would think that it needs a refill, but could also be a leak or ...

Thanks for any advice.
Frank

[LTP]

I think it's difficult to diagnose a potential fault from "it's not working". Most likely is it needs regassing, but that then opens up the "Why has it lost gas?" question. If the system is gassed then it could be a fault with the pump clutch not engaging. I think your dealer will be able to tell you more once they've done some basic checks.

One more point - running with the aircon always off is not a good idea - the aircon refrigerant also has a lubricant and running it on a regular basis helps prevent pump bearings running dry and seals drying out.

Edited by LTP on Friday 30th April 11:15

[bullet7]

Before you go to the dealer, I would just get it recharged by one of the many places that advertise regassing (it will be cheaper that the dealer) to see if that's all it needs. They will usually pressure test it first and also put a dye in the gas to show if there are indeed any leaks. If it later loses the gas, some places will refund your money.

[pbe624]

Thanks for suggestions I do use the airco occasionally to not let it dry out, but most of the time not, as I am not a fan of sitting in aircon environment...

Will see what garage says, I hope that it is just a refill...

Cheers,
F

[paulrog1]

What happens when the car is re-gassed is the charging machine creates a vacuum in the aircon system and the pressure is monitored for around 30 minutes before re-gassing to see if there are any pressure issues, if there is a problem it will not permit the re-gassing process to begin.

Look for a wet patch on the condensor or around the compressor or any air con pipes, that might detect a problem,

[SL500UK]

I have a leak in my condenser so I guess it will cost close to £1000 to replace?? Someone suggested and I agreed, to refill it for now and if it lasts a couple of years then refill it again every couple of years for around £60 a go. If it only lasts a few months then I might bite the bullet and replace the condenser.

[paulrog1]

SL500UK said:

I have a leak in my condenser so I guess it will cost close to £1000 to replace?? Someone suggested and I agreed, to refill it for now and if it lasts a couple of years then refill it again every couple of years for around £60 a go. If it only lasts a few months then I might bite the bullet and replace the condenser.

Do it yourself, it's really easy to do, it's under the front bonnet slam panel in front of the main engine radiator,

I would drive to an ac garage and have it de-gassed, drive home, replace the condenser, make sure you replace the 2 rubber o-rings for the connections and then get it regassed.

My local ac garage charged me £60 for both de-gas & re-gas, condenser is £383 for a V8V.

You'll have a great feeling of achievement that you've done it yourself.

[pbe624]

Hi all,

finally made it to dealer to check aircon issue, and at the same time a creaking noise in the folding navigation screen.

Outcome: no charge to fix navigation screen.
Airco: test done and diagnostics done. seems that the airco filling fluid was down to 50%. Garage said this was probably because it had never been refilled in the last 10 years, so they filled it up again and now seems to be working fine.
Total cost (labor, diagnostics, refill): 400 EUR.

Cheers,
Frank

PS. this Belgian dealer is also the dealer for the customer that bought the Aston Victor one off. They told me the car was shipped to the UK to appear in one of the coming episodes of Top Gear, to be driven by Chris Harris... . Something to look forward to

[Jonathank56]

ATS do a good offer through Groupon. Regas only £35.99 or with anti bac £41.99. Bargain. Get my cars done there every few years.

[pbe624]

Thanks for mentioning, but since I live in Belgium, have to stick to local dealer or find independent garage I can trust :-)