I have a 1995 Audi A6 Quattro that has 225K miles on it. I bought it two years ago with 160K miles, and for a while I was driving 500+ miles a week. Shortly after I got the car, the power windows began to work intermittently. My mechanic couldn’t find the problem and suggested I take it to a dealer, but I decided that it wasn’t a big deal to just walk inside of Starbucks instead of going through the drive through. Now, the air conditioning fan is doing the same thing. Sometimes it works, but sometimes not. It is more likely to work first thing in the morning after spending the night in a cool garage, and less likely to work after I’ve driven somewhere and I am coming home. Fall is coming so I’m less concerned about it, but I know that as soon as we get our first snowfall, I’m going to need that fan working to defrost the windows and warm the car. Any idea what could be causing the issue and how much it might cause me to fix? I’m terrified of taking it in and paying for new headlamp fluid.
In most cars, the blower motor is located under the dash on the passenger side, close to the knee wall. The bottom hangs down and it is round with two wires going to it. See if you can locate it and if you do, when the fan does not work, pull over, fan and engine running, reach under there and give it a little tap, you hand will do. If it starts right up, then the blower motor needs to be replaced.
From there, it is a simple matter to get estimates from several shops. Disregard any estimates that are unusually low and do not accept any other work, i.e. if the motor goes, you will also need a resistor pack and a new switch etc. Thats not true, the motor does not cause damage to any other parts.
But speaking of the resistor pack, when it doesn’t work, turn the fan switch to the highest setting. If the fan comes on, then the motor is ok and the resistor pack needs to be replaced. The resistor pack is bypassed on the highest setting. If some settings work and others do not, then it is a single resistor on the pack, but the whole pack has to be replaced.
The problem is the fan for the air conditioning is the same fan as for the heater, just like your house. So with winter coming, you want to make sure you have heat. Fans tend to wear out and can become intermittant. The fans themselves are not very expensive but the install might be a little more involved trying to get to it.