Blog

An air conditioner in a Volkswagen car works using the principle of stage separation, where air is cooled by removing both air and moisture from the air-conditioned spaces. When this isn’t working, it can make your drive miserable!

The air conditioning system in the car consists of four basic components: compressor, condenser, receiver/drier, and evaporator. The compressor sucks in warm air from outside the car and compresses it before it is passed through a condenser, receiving tube and drier. The drier ensures that no liquid enters the evaporator which is located inside the car’s passenger cabin.

Once inside, the now cooled air passes through evaporator coils where it absorbs heat to further cool itself down before it reaches its final destination; your cool and comfortable Volkswagen car on a hot summer day!

Typical Causes of an Air Conditioning Malfunction

The air-conditioner of your car may cease to function properly due to the following problems:

Refrigerant leak

The cooling of your car is highly dependent on refrigerant. A refrigerant leak can cause an escape to this gas. The hose lining of the air-conditioner can have a hole at any point, or there could be a leak at the compressor, condenser, or a broken evaporator. This causes the air-conditioner to blow out air that is not very cool, or it may even blow hot air. Hence, the refrigerant must be secured at these lines as the functioning of this system depends largely on the refrigerant.

A blown fuse or bad relay

Fuses are used to send the appropriate voltage to certain parts of a vehicle to maintain their functionality. If a fuse is blown, there will be no power to the ventilation motor, thereby causing the motor to stay idle. On the other hand, a bad relay can equally cause the motor to malfunction. The relay collects the small electrical current and uses this current to generate the larger current needed to regulate the ventilation.

Blower motor damage or a bad resistor

The air that comes out of the vent of the car is pushed through by the blower. This blower looks somewhat like a normal fan but is enclosed in a chamber that directs the air. Any harm to this blower will prevent it from working and stop the air from coming out of the vent.

The blower of your Volkswagen may get weak due to age or overuse. Also, the blower resistor works with the resistor to regulate the amount of air pushing through the vent. It is usually marked as high, medium, and low, and it helps you control the air that comes out of the vent based on what you prefer.

Blocked air intake

The car has been built in a way that air enters from two areas. One of them is through the vent of the lower half of the car’s windshield. Another area through which air enters the car is from recirculated air within the cabin. If any of these air intake areas gets blocked by dirt or any clog, it will reduce the cooling of the air-conditioning system of the car.

Failed or blocked condenser

The condenser is a device that receives the refrigerant in its gaseous state and removes the heat to convert it to a liquid. If this component is blocked or damaged, it may cause warm air to come out of the vent, thereby creating discomfort.

Compressor problem or failed clutch switch

The air that comes out of the vent is compressed by the compressor after the refrigerant has been converted into gas. Any problem with this component will cause a malfunction of the entire cooling system.

Blocked expansion valve

When the expansion valve that dispenses the right amount of refrigerant to the evaporator is blocked or has failed, the air from the vent suddenly turns from cool to hot, and if moisture is present, it can cause the valve to freeze.

Allow Our Technicians at Glenwood Foreign Car to Solve Your AC Problems

The air conditioner in your Volkswagen is built to make you comfortable on your drive. At Glenwood Foreign Car, we put our customer’s comfort as a priority, which is why we ensure that their cooling system is working properly with cold air to keep you happy on your drive.

If your air conditioner is not blowing cool air, allow our expert technicians to diagnose the reason and fix the problem. We are trusted by Volkswagen owners in and around Yardley, Upper Makefield Township, Newton, and Morrisville, PA. Contact us now to get the best expert care for your Volkswagen!