I have a Feb-2005 407SW S 1.8 that has a recurring problem. Has anyone else seen this as it's driving me nuts.
Sometimes, more frequently in icy conditions, the A/C (air conditioning) will effectively crash on starting the car. The symptoms are as follows.
Green AUTO light is lit. Panel shows 18C / Auto mode. There is no air flowing or fan noise. Key presses on the A/C control panel do nothing at all.
If the car is turned off and left for a while, basically so the ECU can go into economy mode, it may then be possible to start the car normally with the A/C operational. However, at this point, all the previous settings have been lost and the panel shows 22C / Auto mode.
This is NOT a hardware fault with wiring etc.. but is almost certainly a problem with the A/C ECU firmware. I have a strong suspicion that it is related to the timing of the "Risk of ice" display that is shown on the panel when the car is first unlocked. If this is allowed to flash up and then clear back to a blank display panel BEFORE inserting the key and turning on the ignition, the problem does not seem to occur.
Any feedback would be helpful...