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Author Topic: Compressor affecting engine fans failing HELP!! Update and do we need a poll??  (Read 4849 times)

Offline dTEA

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Anyone know anything about the air conditioning compressor failure and why that would stop the 2 engine fans in a MK5 05 plate Gti?

I get why the fans not spinning would affect the compressor and air con but not vice versa? Surely the main engine fan is powered and monitored as a standalone process from the compressor?

I have been told the compressor has failed and the fans therefore will not spin under any circumstance which if the engine is overheating it will just continue to overheat. I find that a flaw in the engineering process leaving the car vulnerable to detonation if the air con unit fails

Am I missing something? The cost is £1500!!!!  :surprised:
« Last Edit: June 23, 2011, 09:50:51 pm by dTEA »

Offline dTEA

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Re: Compressor affecting engine fans failing HELP!!
« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2011, 09:49:47 pm »
It turns out it is part of the secondary fan circuit, just they understood the two fans were not replacable separately. They are saying that the compressor has gone - what a funking surprise there

I had issues back in 09 with it and asked if it was supposed to be sooooo bloody noisy and they said yes, so I left it at that point.  18 Months on and the secondary fan is completely dead and they are saying that due to this the condensor and compressor were not adequately cooled causing the compressor to knacker...it is also sending an intermittent signal to the compressor even when on Econ mode, but should be running 2% permanently to de-humidify apparently.  So the price is on compressor and one secondary fan plus labour £1500 BUT they also have told me they are hearing an intermittent noise on the main engine fan as well, and as the labour is the same to do both it will be just the parts so £1800!!!

The manufacturer is stating they will offer nothing against their failed parts, so its over to VW Customer Service, which to the credit of the dealer they are putting a case together.  The only good news is that the main fan hasnt failed yet so I can still use the car

So I will be adding an Air Con failure petition on this site  http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=197968.0, as I have read loads about them failing. 
Its a known issue and the first thing to check for if air con is not working, but they have not had enough complaints to make it a "repair for free/recall" type issue.

Offline strapper

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The fan for the a/c in the engine bay is the condenser fan and this is pressure controlled. This will only run whe the head pressure from the compressor rises therefore the compressor needs to be pumping to make the pressure rise and bring in the condenser fan.
Tornado red mk5 Gti no more
Tornado red 3dr mk5 R32, leather recaros, satnav, arm rest, electricaly folding wing mirrors, sunroof, parking sensors, wOOwzers I've just made a mess of my trousers!l
Mk7 Gti 5dr solid white

Offline AlanEdition30

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What i would like to know is are they replacing them with a new improved compressor? I ask as my compressor failed and was luckily replaced whilst the car was still under warranty. I hope there replacing the compressor with a revised one, because clearly there is a fault with them.

Air conditioning has been around for years this really shouldn't be happening  :fighting:

Offline strapper

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Air conditioning has been around for years this really shouldn't be happening  :fighting:

A compressor is a mechanical part and works similar to an engine, it can or will fail eventually no matter how much its serviced or well looked after.
Tornado red mk5 Gti no more
Tornado red 3dr mk5 R32, leather recaros, satnav, arm rest, electricaly folding wing mirrors, sunroof, parking sensors, wOOwzers I've just made a mess of my trousers!l
Mk7 Gti 5dr solid white

Offline AlanEdition30

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I understand things wear. But i had only done 25k when it went. I didnt really get my monies worth from the last compressor  :sad1:
Lets hope this compressor is for keeps  :laugh:

Offline dTEA

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Air conditioning has been around for years this really shouldn't be happening  :fighting:

A compressor is a mechanical part and works similar to an engine, it can or will fail eventually no matter how much its serviced or well looked after.
Yes it is. But if the engine failed after 6 yes I'd want my money back!!! Plus this is linked to the fact that VW no longer use this system in the MK6 due to problems they opted out of this setup...

Plus it's an integral part of the whole heater/air con unit so WTF is it costing so much for and why are so many going...this forum is littered with peeps with this failure and several people are looking at alternatives to those VW compressors. Only issue is, VW won't offer any form of warranty on the rest of the system if a non VW dealer approved one is installed. I still don't know if the replacement is a revised one, but will check. I still want to know what VW customer care are saying. Within warranty I thought the fan sounded odd...ie was gettig louder but was told it was normal and now it's failed leading to the compressor failing and nearly £2000 bill...Market value for the car is between £8800 and £10000! One sum is not worth that when compared with the value of the whole!

Offline LouCyffer

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Try this for a much cheaper replacement compressor than VW quote:

http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,15231.msg234596.html#msg234596

As recommended by www.honestjohn.co.uk of Telegraph Motoring Section fame.
Black 2008 5 door GTI. Leather, DSG, ipod prep, 18" Monzas. Retrofitted: Cruise, PDC, RNS510, 729 Skoda Bluetooth (thanks SteveP), MFSW buttons (thanks MortyGTTDi), Armrest & vents, covered cupholder, Highline (thanks Kalu), Polar FIS+ (thanks Richn), Reversing camera (thanks MortyGTTDi)

Offline Andy

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i took my car back 2 days out of warranty as it had a nasty squeak from that area,the dealers told me it was the air compressor at a cost of £1200 to fix it.I had read a fix for the  them on one of the forums,removes the aux belt and on inspection thier was bout 5" long of the ribs missing,fitted new belt for£11 and its been fine for the last 2 years