Air con compressor fault question

[JTI]

So my fan belt snapped when driving home last night. Breakdown driver said it was because the air con pulley had seized which seems to point to the air con compressor failing. Its in with vw at the moment so they can diagnose the problem.

My question is can I still drive the car with the air con off? I have read some horrific quotes on here for this to be replaced and if it is that I will prob buy a second hand one from eBay and get it fitted elsewhere.

[pudding]

Of course you can.  Mine is set to 'ECON' 98% of the year! It'll need a new belt first, to drive the alternator.

You must have had some horrendous screeching from the belt before it let go?   I would also have VW replace the belt tensioner along with the new belt and potentially a/c pump.   If the pump imploded, they will need to thoroughly clean the whole system out to remove debris, so your bill could be big if there's shrapnel in it.

[JTI]

Yes heard some horrific screeches with some smoke and a lovely burning rubber smell. Under the bonnet it looked like someone just dumped a load of licorice into the engine   

So my question really was can I have the belt refitted to exclude the AC compressor (as it's seized)? As in just running a belt from say the alternator to crankshaft pulleys? Ideally I want the option to drive the car away from the garage if the job price comes back as to much so I can look elsewhere whilst still using my car if that makes sense?

[JTI]

So I got a call from VW today to say they'd looked at the fault. They have given me a printout which states the aircon pump is faulty and the seals, expansion valve seals, V belt and dryer need replacing. The person who I spoke to on the phone advised it would be £1,200 to fix. After I'd finished laughing I politely declined this great value offer and will look to have the work done elsewhere. Anyone know roughly what a realistic price should be for this as I'll be looking for another garage locally.

[Bearings]

You don't mention where you are, but if you're near the Midlands around Birmingham - I had success with AC Medic on replacing my compressor. The guy (Mark) was first rate and his price was fair compared to other quotes I had.

Work was done a year ago and it's still working now. I think a 2nd hand unit would be a false economy as AC compressors on our Golfs are a known weak point.

http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,104897.msg1023355.html

http://www.acmedic.co.uk/

Hope you get it sorted.

[neilw]

Second-hand compressors are really cheap on Ebay (£30-£40). Worth considering

[JTI]

Thanks for the further replies, I've arranged for a local air con specialist to take a look on Friday. I managed to drive it home with no belt today on whatever charge was left in the battery. My plan B is still to run a belt just from the tensioner to the alternator pully, has anyone done this?

[JTI]

So I got this problem sorted at the weekend. The bloke who came to take a look replaced the aircon pump and it seems dandy now. He said I was lucky because no shrapnel had made it's way around the air con system, there were just trace amounts where the pipe connects to the pump. Cost me £400 which I was made up with after VW quoted over £1200. Pretty disappointed in VW at this point to be honest. How can they even justify quoting this much on a 12 year old car? Especially when it seems they were way out with the cost.

[Bearings]

Well done. Thanks for the update and welcome back to freezing temperatures and dry air again!

Unfortunately that's how VW and other main dealers operate. Someone has to pay for the shiny show-room and free coffees somehow and that'll be the customers wherever possible. On my old previous car (a Celica), I got Toyota to price me a new clutch out of interest and I almost fell out of my chair laughing with surprise - £800+ compared to £300 from a local clutch specialist.

Given the age of my car (nearly 12) I would always try and find recommended specialists and independent garages from here or eBay where possible. The only time I end up at VW is to drool over a Mk7 R whilst ordering trim parts that I can't get anywhere else. 

[Sung]

Nice, I too changed my compressor and drier at the weekend and a re-gas. Nice and cool now, perfect for the summer. No point in going to VW with these mk5s, you're going to get shafted.

[Juliand]

Second-hand compressors are really cheap on Ebay (£30-£40). Worth considering

Good suggestion. Was wondering what would happen if one went. Dealer prices are way disproportionate to the age of the car, but I suppose that to them it's irrelevant if a car is one year old or 20 years old (warranty work aside). Not defending them at all, just another perspective on it.

Cars eh! Ok if you're handy and can do the work yourself, but my years of that stuff are long gone. Oh to be in my twenties again....... Now, where did I put my pipe and slippers, ha ha

[Alanhey]

  Compressors are not too expensive on eBay but try putting them alone. I have a friend who fixes cars for a livelihood and laughs at this kind of comments.

[rich83]

Compressors are not too expensive on eBay but try putting them alone. I have a friend who fixes cars for a livelihood and laughs at this kind of comments.

Any reason you keep diggin up posts form last century?

[Greener]

Dealing with some similar issues with my Air con and not so sure if I should it alone. Is it that hard? I'm not that experienced when it comes to cars as I recently bought my first car and since it's an Audi I don't know what's exactly the issue with the air condition. I managed to deal with the flat tires I got it with as I bought it off a yard sale. I have a Bostitch air compressor, so it did the job in no time and I thought I would be able to hit the road and start using the car. I guess I will have to do a comparison for an air con, similar to the one I did for my air compressor.