A/C performance poor

[PassatB6]

For the people on here with a wagon that believe their aircon isn't working the best, it may help to keep the luggage cover closed . You shouldn't have to do that, but at least it will help as you reduce the air volume in the cabin significantly and the aircon is not trying to cool down your luggage compartiment. It might just make it work that little bit better on hot days.

My previous car had a panoramic sunroof (complete glass roof) and that really made the aircon struggle. Something to conside for people looking at this option on the CC, I would not get a glass roof again for that reason!

Good idea.

[passatpout]

Yes I did get it re gassed....twice

In that case, if it's been regassed twice in (at a guess) 2 or 3 years, putting on my rusty 12-year old commercial building AC hat, but with experience of a couple of cars losing AC, as well as working on trains with 2x30kW systems on each carriage, there's a leak in the system. I'll bet it's around the evaporator, which explains why they're not keen on replacing it since it's A) expensive for them if under warranty, and B) usually a pain to do since there's some fairly large holes (big enough to move a shoebox through) that need to be opened up, and it's usually inside the dash and firewall.

If you get it regassed (again), ask them to put the UV dye in it, run it solid for a week or so, then get it checked again with a black light - that will show the location of the leak. Most AC places will be able to do this, and a lot will offer it to you anyway, since the gas doesn't usually leak out through seals (no helium balloon effect there) - but a dealership might not necessarily have the skills or equipment to be able to do this, so it might be worth getting their agreement to do it again.

On my two cars that had leaks, (a 1990 VN Berlina and a 1997 Barina), both needed the dye to show the leak location, both were in the evaporator, and both were around the size of a pin prick - the dye marks look like oil streaks on a racing car or aircraft at speed.

Hope that helps...

[passatpout]

To go back off-topic, the highest recorded temp in Germany is a tad over 40, the lowest around -46.
From personal experience, "heat" (say around 30) is rather oppressive (tending towards muggy), different to where you are, swallowtail. Not nice.

Seeya,
Michael

Staying off topic...

Heat, as in Melbourne heat compared to Brisbane heat or Berlin heat compared to Australian?

Melbourne has a much drier heat than Brisbane (just look at houses in Melbourne with evaporative cooling, which won't work in the Sunshine State), and humidity is what gives mugginess to the air.

London also gets incredibly muggy, yet rarely goes above 30, and Dubai was so humid when I was there in August last year that washing hung on a balcony at 9am was still wet at 5pm, despite the temperature being 46 degrees.

Salzburg at Easter last year was still snowing 2-3 inches per day and floating around -3 to zero, yet in the cold of winter can go down to -10, and in summer head to the high 30s.

[drbass]

Sorry, probably didn't make myself clear.

I was referring to the "heat" in Germany, or more generally central Europe. It's definitely more Brisbane (during summer) than Melbourne.

While 40+ in Melbourne is not a pleasant experience I much prefer it to 30 - 32 in a humid environment. Don't cope well with that. Got off the plane in Duesseldorf one summer, 28 - 30 deg but VERY heavy, oppressive. Remember though, it's quite diverse, the north (Hamburg) is very different to the south, and the east is often a lot colder in winter than the west.

Anyway, good to see your roadtrip is working out.

Seeya,
Michael

[V6Passat]

Sorry, probably didn't make myself clear.

I was referring to the "heat" in Germany, or more generally central Europe. It's definitely more Brisbane (during summer) than Melbourne.

While 40+ in Melbourne is not a pleasant experience I much prefer it to 30 - 32 in a humid environment. Don't cope well with that. Got off the plane in Duesseldorf one summer, 28 - 30 deg but VERY heavy, oppressive. Remember though, it's quite diverse, the north (Hamburg) is very different to the south, and the east is often a lot colder in winter than the west.

Anyway, good to see your roadtrip is working out.

Seeya,
Michael

funny you should mention brisbane....left home at 7 this morning and already needed air con. Will be 35 today and it gets nice and muggy here so hopefully the air con will cope, particularly in peak hour traffic.

[Swallowtail]

funny you should mention brisbane....left home at 7 this morning and already needed air con. Will be 35 today and it gets nice and muggy here so hopefully the air con will cope, particularly in peak hour traffic.

If I'm running A/C I set it to about 24 / 25 and it's great. Just nice... that's with outside temps about 30 - 32.

[apom]

If I'm running A/C I set it to about 24 / 25 and it's great. Just nice... that's with outside temps about 30 - 32.

mines set to 19.5 but I suppose the wagon is more space to cool. Driving to work at 7am in traffic it said the outside temp was 40.5 degrees lol (Obviously effected by the traffic)

[V6Passat]

If I'm running A/C I set it to about 24 / 25 and it's great. Just nice... that's with outside temps about 30 - 32.

ye i find 24/25 has so far been ok....works very well and sometimes a little too cold.

[passatpout]

Sorry, probably didn't make myself clear.

I was referring to the "heat" in Germany, or more generally central Europe. It's definitely more Brisbane (during summer) than Melbourne.

While 40+ in Melbourne is not a pleasant experience I much prefer it to 30 - 32 in a humid environment. Don't cope well with that. Got off the plane in Duesseldorf one summer, 28 - 30 deg but VERY heavy, oppressive. Remember though, it's quite diverse, the north (Hamburg) is very different to the south, and the east is often a lot colder in winter than the west.

Anyway, good to see your roadtrip is working out.

Seeya,
Michael

Ah, no worries... we never made it to Germany (seeing it from Salzburg was as close as we came).. but yes, parts of Europe can get incredibly oppressive during summer, without temperatures being sky-high. In our trip, from June to August last year, between Malta and the UK, we only ever needed shorts and t-shirts..

The road trip is going well.. now just need to work out how to get to Melbourne since my wife has come down rather sick in Brisbane and can't travel... and I need to be back by next Monday for work..

[Swallowtail]

...my wife has come down rather sick in Brisbane and can't travel... and I need to be back by next Monday for work..

I hope she gets better soon!

[drbass]

... now just need to work out how to get to Melbourne since my wife has come down rather sick in Brisbane and can't travel... and I need to be back by next Monday for work..

Sorry to hear, hope she gets better soon.

23 - 24 seems to be a good climate control setting (when I use it), even in the wagon, for me as well. One thing I don't like is too much of a temp differential, i.e. stinking hot out, freezing cold inside.

Seeya,
Michael

[passatpout]

funny you should mention brisbane....left home at 7 this morning and already needed air con. Will be 35 today and it gets nice and muggy here so hopefully the air con will cope, particularly in peak hour traffic.

My AC worked well in and around Ipswich today, where the car was showing 43 degrees outside, and the thermometer at "home" was showing 42 in the shade when we left. After putting it to "Lo" to cool the car down, it happily kept it comfortable when set to 20.

[passatpout]

Sorry to hear, hope she gets better soon.


Seeya,
Michael

Cheers, she's on the mend, but rather than being on our way south today, staying at Port Macquarie, looks like we'll leave on Thursday and aim straight for Newcastle or Sydney. Otherwise, she might fly back to Melbourne with the bub and I'll drive the car back over the weekend.

[ope126]

So what temps are you guys running?

In some previous Jap cars I've owned and current (Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, Mitsubishi Lancer) the air cons have been icy cold.
I can not say that they Passat is "Icy Cold" even on Lo.

What are your thoughts...

Ok, so I have had the car down at VW and they have re-gased the A/C System, now cool as ice!!!

[PassatB6]

Got my aircon checked today. It was taking some time to cool the car down and on really hot days didn't seem to quite get there. Service dept said the gas was low and re-gassed for free!. Seems quite a bit better. Waiting for a really hot day to test it out.

Also the guy at the service dept emphasised that Climate Control is not meant to blast cold air immediately but bring the temp down gradually while simple aircon systems will just blast cold air from go.