AC Pump Aygo 2010 Faulty or needs replacing.

[Inminorchords]

Hi Guys, Im wondering if anyone can help as this forum is full of very knowledgeable people, especially when it comes to the Aygo 2010s

My AC had stopped working a few months ago, it seemed to be getting weaker and weaker so I figured it needed a regass and stopped using it. Just the other day I booked a regas from a mobile mechanic, he was supposed to do checks pre to gassing to check the system is all ok, but I think he just went ahead and regassed, charged me for it and then later told me the pump doesnt seem to be working, so no AC.

Ive had a few issues with my Aygo this past year, Im not gonna lie, ive had the exhaust replaced twice (once by a cowboy garage, another by Halfords when it failed its MOT due to corrosion, its now past with no other issues thankfully) Ive had a new alternator (Which works great now), Ive got a noisy engine (maybe lifters?) and Ive now discovered a strange rattling noise when I turn a corner on the back left which Im about to take to the another more trusted local garage to take a look. The fact the AC pump is now apparently not working just adds to it all, so as you can imagine, Im wondering if there is anything I can check myself before adding it to the garages list of jobs.

When I turn on the AC, the red light comes on and the blowers kick in, but no refrigeration. They did used to be a little whiny before it started to get less cold before the regas if thats any clue to anyone on here.

Also, if I do need it replacing, what are the average costs? Ive seen quotes for an eye watering £500. I imagine its because they have to pretty much take the engine out to get to it?

any help or ideas would be awesome as Im running out of money keeping this old girl running at the moment. 

[Vandals01]

A/C repair cost are indeed expensive.  The reasons are:

1. Involves diagnostic - talking about gas, garage first need to find out where is it leaking.

2. Involves specialised machine - at the very basic level, garage needs an Air/Con charging & recovery machine that cost £3000+.

 

And if you were extremely unlucky, say a leak was found at the evaporator (the part that lives inside the dash next to the blower fan), you are looking at 6 to 10 labour hours with a rate of £60 - 130 per hour before VAT.

 

So with a car that's 14 years old, a lot of people choose not to fix it.

[Inminorchords]

Right ok, I figured it wasnt going to be cheap. Im probably going to have to live without AC from now on then. Do you think the mechanic should have noticed the pump wasnt working before he refilled? Im maybe going to try and get a refund on the refill as maybe he should have notice before hand.

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, Inminorchords said:

Right ok, I figured it wasnt going to be cheap. Im probably going to have to live without AC from now on then. Do you think the mechanic should have noticed the pump wasnt working before he refilled? Im maybe going to try and get a refund on the refill as maybe he should have notice before hand.

I think you have been screwed from the very beginning with your car. All the repairs and bad garage experiences you had in the last few months only shows one thing - mechanics aren’t honest in this country and you don’t understand about cars and they see that and have taken advantage of the situation. 
The AC specialist can not find out about AC compressor is faulty without system been filled up with gas and oil, because when low on gas the compressor will not start.
The reason why AC compressor has become faulty is likely because  the system was low on gas and the AC compressor clutch got stuck. This might be possible to be fixed mechanically but might not be. These days except diy no one actually does any real mechanical work on cars, the so called mechanics are simply fitters similar to a factory fitters that know nothing about cars, they are like robots , just screw on or screw off parts. 
Depending how much you drive and how important is for you to keep your ac system running will dictate wether to keep spending money on ac compressor repair, but remember after this new ac compressor there might be more parts that needs replacement like condenser, evaporator, hoses or dryer. Because the system was low on gas it might had have a leak.  I can suggest you something you may don’t like it. Drive the car like that , don’t spend money on anymore and think about buying a new or nearly new Aygo x for example or Yaris. Trade in your Aygo to save for deposit, get a new car with warranty and service within the dealers network to keep each year extension of your warranty and avoid going to any mechanics or garages except main dealer. Pay monthly for the car and enjoy new and reliable car without hassle. 👌

 

It’s up to you what to do. 

[Inminorchords]

Thanks for the advice, I have been looking to buy a newer car, however I dont really drive this one much, its for driving to the odd park on a weekend with the dog or going up to the coast every now and again and also back up North to see my family. Its not a commuter car or an everyday car at all, so it doesnt need to be in ship shape, just needs to run, be road worthy and comfortable. Because we have a dog, its the only reason I care about the AC in hot weather as it can get pretty stuffy in those small cars. 

Thanks, I think Im gonna give the AC fixing a miss. 

[Vandals01]

There are a set of procedures to follow then re-gassing an A/C system:

1. Use the A/C machine, extract all the oil and gas from the system - This will allow the technician know if the system is actually low on gas from the amount of refrigerant extracted from the system. (Sort of start from the beginning).
2. After all the gas was extracted, it will pull the system into a Vacuum.  It will then let it stay at a vacuum state for 10 minutes.  If the vacuum pressure drops, that means there is a leak, re-gas can pretty much stops here (unless the customer pays for a detail A/C diagnostic). 
3. Once the vacuum check passes, the technician will need to fill the system with manufacturer specified amount of refrigerant.  In the case of Toyota Aygo, it is 500g or 1.1 pounds.
4. After the system is filled, the garage should AT LEAST switch on the A/C and see if cold air blows out of the vent.  Ideally, he should have a thermometer stick into the vent to confirm it is blowing cold.

As far as I know, ATS Euromaster follows this exact procedure.  That's why I always recommend people goes there.  With the discount on Groupon, a good quality recharge cost as low as £44.99 (https://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/ats-euromaster-7)

 

Other places?  Depends on your luck.  Doing refills like above obviously cost time.  In this world, time is money.

I've seen places that can release a car in under 5 minutes.  What steps did they skip in order to achieve a 5 minutes re-gas?  God knows.

[Inminorchords]

 wish I had know this before, great information though, would have saved me some money no doubt.

Im annoyed the mechanic didnt test the system before, they did state they would take sure there wasnt any issues before refilling, but he seems to have just refilled.