Bought a certified 2007 Passat wagon.
AC was blowing air at 60F. Dealership told me that they had drained the freon and found out that the car had been overfilled, and that this had caused the AC to malfunction. They refilled the car with freon at the suggested level, and car worked for about 2 days. Today, I noticed the AC is blowing not so cold air… VW has told me that if they check the system for leaks, and it comes out negative, I pay over $300. Seems rotten that I should have to risk paying so much money on a certified car, but I would appreciate any ideas out there.
Does “certified” mean that it is under warranty or something? What exactly is VW’s responsibility for it? If there is some kind of warranty, then they need to find out what the problem is - leak or not. On top of that, when the system was “drained” it should have been put under vacuum and checked for leaks at that time. That is pretty much standard practice - mostly b/c it is correct practice.
How long have you had this wagon and how would it have gotten overfilled?
If there is no warranty involved and you just have to get the AC fixed, then don’t go to VW. Just find your best local shop that specializes in AC systems.
hey. thanks for the response. The certification is a guarantee that 112 elements in the car are working at their top performance. The AC is included in these 112 points. The car is still under its original warranty, yet the warranty won’t cover the procedure to determine if there is a leak IF the results are negative (I know, dumb). So, they haven’t checked for leaks and instead have simply drained and refilled it with freon. I’ve had it for a week, and they were the ones who serviced the wagon to begin with! So, this business of overfilling seems fishy to me… like they don’t want to do things right because it costs money.
I have the same problem… today it was 100 deg in the parking lot… and being a College Professor (no tweed) my shirt tie and I were soaked when I got home. The AC just does not work well enough to keep up with San Diego “Fall”. VW dealer did the same thing as mentioned above, charged, and recharged (I tell them every oil change to check the AC). I changed the cabin filter (which was full of hair from the previous owner or their blond pet) but that did nothing.
If they certify that the AC is in top condition, and its not working, then it seems to me that it is their responsibility to figure out why. They need to take whatever steps are required and cover those costs.
Now if you tell them to perform a specific test, then you could be on the hook if the results are negative.
Thanks. I am going to try and bring it in with a load of kids (5 and 8, plus bonus neighbors 6 and 7) to see if they can trouble shoot it… I will let them at the free coffee and tell them to go play in the showroom.
It is blowing cold air… but there just is not enough volume.
If its just not blowing enough air then you don’t have an AC system problem - probably just a blower motor problem. The blower motor is separate. It just blows the air whether its heat, A/C, or just whatever is coming as fresh air.
Its just an electric fan, probably down under the dash. You absolutely don’t need a VW dealer for this.