I got mine done a few weeks ago at a local garage for £40. They evacuated the system and left a vacuum in the system (not a Dyson) for 30 mins to check for leaks, then topped her up. Been great ever since.
Z3 air conditioning
- Thread starter lightning
- Start date
i drive every were with the roof down and the windows, no wind stopper yet as not needed,as i said before i had a mgf and with the misses in the car we had the wind stopper and windows up most of the time i find the z does not buffet no were near as much as the mg, but having said that the mg was cooler inside i put that down to rear engine, you do get warm in the Z so i will prob get the air con done, then a nother one of the list....if i keep doing these little jobs on my Z why does the list never get smaller
It's because the more time you spend with your new found love, the more imperfections you find. It becomes an endless quest for perfection, and once you have everything working correctly and every panel fettled to perfection.if i keep doing these little jobs on my Z why does the list never get smaller
...you start thinking about a new set of wheels...
B
bonzo
Guest
I woke up last night to see the grim reaper coming to get me. I grabbed the nearest thing to hand, a vacuum cleaner, and managed to beat him off with it........... I was Dyson with death there for a while!
B
bonzo
Guest
Hah, You're sharp tonight Phil. 
Please don't let anyone else drive your car, please, please!! Nightmares tonight for sure after reading this post!!Which rather spoils the point of having a roadster! I was just saying that even with the top down, and hot sun beating down one can still get cool by using the A.C. If you don't have A.C. you could lower the sidewindows and remove the windbreak. The cure for roasted nuts is to drive without shorts or trousers and apply lots of factor 50.
The Aircon on my Z3 1.9 does not work and the previous owner did try to get it regassed but a leak was detected.
I read somewhere on this forum that Halfords will do a regas and if it fails you are not charged. Can anyone confirm this as I would really like to get the AC operating again as it is an important feature.
Look forward to your comments.
Mike
I read somewhere on this forum that Halfords will do a regas and if it fails you are not charged. Can anyone confirm this as I would really like to get the AC operating again as it is an important feature.
Look forward to your comments.
Mike
http://www.halfordsautocentres.com/air-conditioning/air-con-service
I can't see any specific mention to not being charged, but I'm guessing by this reference below from the page that they wouldn't fill it if faulty.
"Thorough checks for leaks, performance and temperature by ATA-trained technicians"
It also says
"If your system needs anything repaired, such as leaks and failed components, you'll need to have these fixed separately."
So if you know there is a problem with it, they will only confirm it and tell you to get it fixed somewhere else. It does look like they should tell you which part is faulty though.
I can't see any specific mention to not being charged, but I'm guessing by this reference below from the page that they wouldn't fill it if faulty.
"Thorough checks for leaks, performance and temperature by ATA-trained technicians"
It also says
"If your system needs anything repaired, such as leaks and failed components, you'll need to have these fixed separately."
So if you know there is a problem with it, they will only confirm it and tell you to get it fixed somewhere else. It does look like they should tell you which part is faulty though.
Sailorbaz
Zorg Addict
Good thread read there while I was looking for ways to get my AC working.
I had to release all the gas (in a safe way of course) when removing the AC parts inside the car so I'm hoping after a re-gas the clutch will begin to operate and I will get the correct lamp on the centre console. Fingers crossed but I never knew the compressor has a in built protection function, makes sense I suppose.
I had to release all the gas (in a safe way of course) when removing the AC parts inside the car so I'm hoping after a re-gas the clutch will begin to operate and I will get the correct lamp on the centre console. Fingers crossed but I never knew the compressor has a in built protection function, makes sense I suppose.
My experience: in most of the cases , not running AC is due to aged O rings.
I found that on my AC dryer the oxidation of the aluminium pushed up the O rings and get loose the gas.
After grinding the oxide and set new O rings they tested the system twice: one with vacuum for few minutes and second with pressure , with nitrogen, for more or less 24 hours.
It's possible that an O ring or gasket makes it job on vacuum but not on pressure! And sometimes a system is ok for the vacuum test and than loose the gas...
All in all the AC on Zed is reliable, no doubt.
We are talking about 19 years old cars........
I found that on my AC dryer the oxidation of the aluminium pushed up the O rings and get loose the gas.
After grinding the oxide and set new O rings they tested the system twice: one with vacuum for few minutes and second with pressure , with nitrogen, for more or less 24 hours.
It's possible that an O ring or gasket makes it job on vacuum but not on pressure! And sometimes a system is ok for the vacuum test and than loose the gas...
All in all the AC on Zed is reliable, no doubt.
We are talking about 19 years old cars........
The compressor clutch also relies on 12v pos feed to energise the magnetic drive in the clutch. Easy enough to test the clutch operation, power the wire and observe the clutch "pulling in"
Tony.
Sailorbaz
Zorg Addict
Thanks for posts guys, hoping it just needs gassing up which I'll try first since I've a friendly local AC man.
Thanks T- I forgot to add that in my post. JIM