A/C playing up.

NO GAS--------------------

Sir Hugh of Bognor

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Intelligence is not knowing the answer but knowing where and how to find it!

Hugh Gundersen snipped-for-privacy@h-gee.co.uk Bognor Regis, W.Sussex, England, UK

When it happened to my E46, the refrigerant was low because of a number of leaks.

Tom K.

Have you been driving any politicians around?

-- Larry

This is a common problem with the control unit. Search on ebay and you will find ads that repair your unit and return it for about £15-£20. It's a simple repair but you pay them for what they know.

It sounds likely. How much does that cost to fix in the UK? pete

How much did it cost to fix it? pete

Well that sounds cheaper so I hope you are right:-) pete

US $1,100.00

Tom K.

Ouch. That hurts:-( pete

A professional evacuation and recharge in the UK, around £60, but that doesn't sound as if it's the problem. As the gas pressure drops because of leakage etc, the system becomes less and less efficient, until the. pressure drops to a point where it triggers a pressure switch that turns the compressor off, so the a/c doesn't work at all. As the fault you have only affects one side, it's more likely to be because of something like a failed air control valve. Mike.

It's only likely if the AC doesn't produce cooled air at all. You're suggesting it's only one vent that is blowing hot and the rest ok. If so it must be a fault associated with just that vent.

Not necessarily, Dave. I thought that was the case as well until I read of others having the same symptoms - fixed by either repairing leaks or replacing the compressor. I initially took mine to an independent garage and asked them to recharge the system and they replied that they wouldn't charge me the $90.00 for a recharge when the problem had to be with the vent(s) since there was some cool air being produced. So, I took it to the dealer, paid thru the nose for their expertise, and now the A/C works great.

Every other auto A/C refrigerant problem I've had seemed to just cut off the compressor, so I still don't quite understand how a low charge will provide cool air thru some vents and ambient air through others - but that's BMW!

Hopefully for Pete, it is the distribution system and not a refrigerant leak. He might invest in a recharge and see if that clears up the one vent problem - if it does, then a leak needs to be fixed. If not, then there is a distribution problem.

Tom K.

It appears to have failed totally. My wife reckoned her side was alright but it isn't after all. The car goes into the workshop Tuesday for repair thanks. pete

It is all kaput. My wife doesn't understand when the car got hot I hadn't turned the heating up:-( pete

Hi Tom. I am hoping it is as Rusty reckoned and just a cheapo part needs replacing. The biggest bind is losing my motor for a day:-( pete

Agreed. Good luck & let us know what it was.

Tom K.

Yes of course and thanks. pete

I'm still not quite sure how - assuming climate control - how the lack of AC can suddenly produce hot air unless the temperature is set to give this.

I have it set on auto all the time. Because I have a condition that makes my legs cold even in high summer I have the panel set at 22 degrees. I only put the A/C part on when it is really hot which is very rarely as I prefer to have the roof and windows open to cool down. When it first went south I tried the A/C to see if it still blew cold and it did but it was blowing hot too from another vent. Now it doesn't even blow cold so I have switched off the Auto function and just have to turn the heater off if it becomes too hot for my wife. pete