Aircon saga, wrong fitting
 

Went back today to ATS Euromaster in the hope to finally get my aircon recharged, but they couldn't do it. Apparently my car has the wrong service vent. They only have one type, with no thread, like a bicycle pump. On my car he service port is threaded. They say must be a European type port, never seen it before. So I can't use the Groupon, have to go to Audi after all.
Have you encountered this problem before? Does your D2 service port look like this?
I can't believe the LHD cars would have a different service port?

That seems odd. Etka only lists one part number of 8A0820855AB with an interchange part number of MT0059. Can you get a photo with the cap off?

http://euro-klima.pl/media/catalog/p.../t/mt9510b.jpg

What a load of rubbish - I bet they could do it at full price!

Mine looks like this. He showed me the connection point to the aircon machine, it was too big definitely much bigger diameter than the valve on my 8.
Perhaps most other places carry adapters, I can't imagine all cars have the same valve?

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1500314892

Where is that? Looks well back in the engine bay.
I had my aircon "done" at A8parts after the summer meet and I thought the connector was on the radiator? :Confused:

(They did inform me that, unlike some systems that have two, there was just a single port.)

+1

When I searched for the part number, the diagram showed the valve being located on the rad.

Its just in front of the wiper motor. That's the only location they found, doesn't mean there aren't other, they looked pretty clueless. I did a little research on Elsa beforehand, unless I read it wrong (it is a a bit confusing) that is the service port.

Goran, your photo looks like the position and connection for the low pressure switch (8A0959483AA)

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...chmentid=16548
https://c1552172.ssl.cf0.rackcdn.com/686340_x800.jpg
http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...chmentid=16549

Bottom left in this picture "borrowed" from our sponsors?

A-ha!
Thanks, that explains a lot. So they should have gone for the recharge valve on the radiator. Unfortunately they were not intelligent enough for that.
Elsa does go on to say that the aircon can be recharged through the low pressure valve but unfortunately they did not have an adaptor for that. They didn't seem to have any adaptors at all just the fitting that came with the machine.

Back to ATS I go :tuttut:

The other thing to beware of is that, because it's a single-connection system with a large capacity (800 grams?), it can take quite a while. ;)

I think mine was heading towards an hour to do, not helped by the fact that it actually had too much gas in so took ages to evacuate! :rolleyes:

Thanks, that's good to know. I was going to try taking it in the morning before going to work, but if its going to take anything like an hour I'll be very late to work.

Well you might be lucky, but it's definitely not a quick few minutes to do. :tuttut:

On A6 they used both ports, took about 40 minutes, this includes holding vacuum for 20 minutes after evacuating to check for leaks. On A8 using only high pressure port about 1 hour to the job.

Thanks! I re-booked myself in for tomorrow morning. I'll expect about an hour. I'll tell them its a big system and will take a long time.
I hope there isn't too much for them to mess up, the machine takes care of everything (in terms of capacity, oil, pressure)?

Usually they read the capacity off a sticker under the bonnet, connect up, enter the capacity and press "Go" +++

Just had a look under my bonnet and the filler port is sitting there staring straight at you on the left side of the radiator. Morons! :tuttut:

My capacity label is on the bonnet underside towards the rear, above the HVAC air intake. 750g +-50.

Thanks! I'll point to that sticker for them so there is no doubt.
I am a little embarrassed for not seeing the radiator port myself, it is very obvious. My excuse is Elsa distracted me by talking about the low pressure valve.

There are two connectors, but the low pressure one is very difficult to get at hiding between the fresh air intake and the ECU box (along with the heater hoses and auxiliary pumps and anything else they can squeeze where your hand won't fit!).

Standard aircon quick connect fittings won't fit without some sort of extension. My mate did manage to connect it up at some point, but it kept slipping off and he ended up charging it from the high pressure port only anyway!

All done, it did take about 1 hour, aircon works now, I am frozen! Lets see how long it lasts.
Thanks for your help guys.

I'm taking one of the D3's into Mr Clutch tomorrow on a Groupon as well, god help me!! I'll let you know what happens lol :rolleyes:

My local specialist was doing air-con recharge free with a full service for £149, how could I resist! There was a surcharge for the spark plugs though of £40 (£5 each).

:eek: i bet they don't find the pedal

:ROFL:
I would be more worried if they try to look for it when doing aircon service

Hope it goes well Neil, if they are as bad as the ones I went to may be a good idea to show them where the service vent is.

Result. +++

All went ok today - they took about an hour and no problems, the manager (interesting chap who was showing me videos of him & his dad's dragster racing up the strip at Santa pod against Johnnie Smith from fifth gear's electric drag car) said that it had only lost about 100 grams out of 700 for the D3 which considering it hasn't been done for a few years isn't too bad. They gave it and antibacterial clean and pumped some fragrance in which smells nice as well, lovely and cold now!

Price was £32.95 on Groupon vs £64.95 normally charged for same, and I would use them again - took about an hour ����

My £10 at A8parts really was a bargain! ;)
Though mine had too much gas in, so presumably what they recovered was "profit". :tuttut:

Indeed - I called in on the way up to the annual meet and did my D2 also which did really need doing, the journey up was uncomfortable and warm and the way back soo much better, it's what made me realise I needed to do the D3 as well

Good stuff! So just out of curiosity was the D3 still blowing cold as it only lost 100g?
Would losing just 100g affect the temperature of the aircon much?
I have no idea how much they put in mine, should have asked.

it was still pretty cold just not as icy cold or quick to chill the inside as the D2 which A8 Parts had recently done, otherwise I probably wouldn't have realised :rolleyes: