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Faulty Air Con. UK.

20K views 115 replies 21 participants last post by  stoat 
#1 ·
Hi, I know there are a few threads about this but I would appreciate your input before I take the car into the dealers.

My car is a 2019 1.5 Sport. I bought it ex demo last June and it now has 8000 ish miles on the clock.
The air con stopped working on Tuesday, though I hadn't driven the car for about two weeks prior.
I called Honda customer service, and to be honest I wish I'd just beaten my head against a brick wall. It would have been less painful.
I called my local dealership to book it in and enquired if this would be covered under the warranty. They were quite helpful and, understandably, explained that until they see the car they couldn't say for sure but felt that unless a stone had punctured the condenser it should be covered.
I've read on here and other forums that there seems to be a known problem with the condensers on the 10th generation cars and a Technical Service Bulletin ( TSB-19-091 ) was issued due to manufacturing tolerance problems but this seems to only be valid in the USA and not Europe.
I've inspected my condenser and there is no sign of stone damage.
So my questions are: Has anyone else had air con problems in the UK and if so what were they and were they repaired under warranty? Also were Honda helpful in resolving the issue or did they try to push back claiming it wasn't a warranty issue.
As always, many thanks in advance.
Dave.
 
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#96 ·

Last post.
 
#97 · (Edited)
Thanks! As I've already had one condenser under warranty previously, just concerned if it will just be rejected this time. The service person did confirm the extension but for the condenser and compressor, which is news to me. Of course it might not be either, but the only way I can find out is to take it in. Never had these sort of issues with the mk8 or mk9 A/C.
 
#100 ·
So quick update from me. Had the ac compressor replaced last Friday. Drove it home, lovely cold air, got in the car Monday afternoon, cold air for maybe 5 mins then nothing but warm air. Tried again Tuesday, same thing so booked in again for 2 weeks time. I did say that I hope the condenser hasn't gone again, either that or they never fitted a pipe right or didn't redo the gas.

4th time lucky.... 😂
 
#101 ·
Zeesh! :confused: sorry to hear of your disappointing experience, that must be very frustrating, fingers crossed for your next visit!
Reading back through your previous posts there are a number of similarities with mine - already had a condenser 2 years previously, drivers side is warmer than passenger, mine used to also make a hissing noise after you turn the engine off. I did check my compressor was spinning, which it was, but that might not be significant, I wish it was something I could self diagnose.
On a different subject, another annoyance is, in my area a number of Honda dealers closed in the last few years, those which are left are further away and seemingly booked up for weeks particularly if you need a courtesy car, fortunately air conditioning isn't critical.

So quick update from me. Had the ac compressor replaced last Friday. Drove it home, lovely cold air, got in the car Monday afternoon, cold air for maybe 5 mins then nothing but warm air. Tried again Tuesday, same thing so booked in again for 2 weeks time. I did say that I hope the condenser hasn't gone again, either that or they never fitted a pipe right or didn't redo the gas.

4th time lucky.... 😂
 
#103 ·
I'm half expecting them to say I need a new condenser. There can't be too many components to the ac system, with I'm presuming the condenser and compressor to be the 2 main items that would potentially fail.

If they do come back with the condenser again then I don't know if there is an option for an uprated one because these ones seem to be so flimsy that it's only a matter of time before it goes again.
 
#104 · (Edited)
Yes, me too, I just hope they don't say it's due to stone damage, which wouldn't be covered by the warranty.
As you say there doesn't seem to be too many parts to the AC system, from what I've read the other main part is the evaporator which I believe is expensive to replace because it's hidden behind the dashboard which all needs to be removed. The bad news is, it appears quite a few owners in the US have had evaporator issues too, so I'm just hoping it isn't that.
 
#105 ·
Yes, me too, I just hope they don't say it's due to stone damage, which wouldn't be covered by the warranty.
Tell them that you want to see the evaporator, when picking up the car. If they claim stone damage, let the workshop point out where it is. Bring a magnifying glass. If it is a stone damage, it should be a cavity from outside in. But if it is a chemical damage, it is just a hole.
 
#107 ·
Bit of an update from me, they think it's the compressor drive shaft seal, probably the same as that TSB I posted above from the US. I am very pleased to report that this is going to be repaired under warranty, although wont be until they can get the repair kit so means another visit, but as long as it's free I'm happy with that.
Lee667, good luck with yours!
 
#110 ·
Lee667, glad to hear you got yours fixed, I hope that is still the case.
I did manage to get the compressor shaft seal replaced under warranty, there was a fairly long delay waiting for Honda to supply the parts to the dealer but luckily A/C isn't critical. Hardly need A/C at the moment when it's 5 degrees outside but I'm pleased it's done. I think it's working, hard to say when it's cold outside, I just hope it's working in the spring, time will tell I guess.
 
#112 ·
Lee667, I'm glad to hear yours is still working!
Bad news from me though, I hadn't noticed previously due to the freezing weather but it's suddenly turned a bit warmer and noticed the A/C isn't working again, visited the dealer and now the theory is it's the condenser again but this time due to stone damage, so not covered by the warranty, they have quoted nearly £1000 for a new one :(. The A/C hose does feel softer than before, so I do think the gas has indeed leaked, I can't even hear it trying to run the compressor now so I guess the pressure is too low. Will leave it until the spring/summer I think, but zeesh!
 
#114 ·
Sorry to hear about your issues. Have they done the test with the dye to definitely check?

When mine originally went that was due to a hole in the condensor and it was replaced under warranty. The bloke at the dealer said it was a common thing, which I already knew as I used to work at the factory.

Have you got the extended warranty that they offer after the 3 years? That's what I have on mine, they do try and charge me a diagnostic fee but I just kick up a stink to get it waived lol.
 
#115 ·
Thanks @Das, I wouldn't consider myself an expert but at a push I would "have a go" if I had good instructions to follow and preferably a video, so may be an option, but I would prefer it to be done by someone who knows what their doing.

@Lee667, I think my experience mirrors yours in that I already had a condenser replaced under warranty in 2021, unfortunately I don't have the extended warranty, I don't remember even being offered one. It feels like my dealer has basically gone down the Honda TSB list related to air-con, got to the bottom of the list found it's still leaking, noted there are a few stone impacts on the condenser and although it was only replaced 4700 miles ago still concluded it's that. I suppose it's possible to get a stone impact after 1 mile, so they might be right. A dye test has not been mentioned previously so I doubt that has been done, so I agree with you, I would rather they know where it's leaking rather than guessing, particularly if it's actually leaking from the compressor which Honda have extended the warranty on, it does seem suspicious to me that after the condenser was replaced, it took 2.5 years for the gas to leak out but after repairing the compressor, it took probably less than 6 weeks. If I did pay for the new condenser and it's still leaking after, I very much doubt they would refund it.
 
#116 ·
For those who don't already know there is an A/C diagnostic menu available through the entertainment system by:-

1. Press and hold air on/off button
2. Press rear window heater button 5 times

It seems to run a series of automated tests with results on several pages at the end.

On page C mine shows:-
B1 Compressor solenoid - Open
B2 Compressor solenoid - Short

Does anyone know if that is the normal state?

Thanks
 
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