Aircon "fixed" but now broken

[talkiet]

Aircon "fixed" but now broken

I managed to find a replacement compressor for the one that self destructed and supplied that to a (currently) nameless respectable Auto Air conditioning specialist and after some mucking about (they had to delay 2 weeks until they had a hoist working!) they took the car in to fit it...

They found 2 other issues, both of which seem reasonable (remove and clean TX valve and fit new filter drier) but when I picked the car up they mentioned that the blower fan had stopped working and I'd need to see an auto electrician or Nissan themselves... However as it was described to me it sounded like it only affected the cold air - they said cold was only coming out the drivers side vents.

On the receipt it says "Note: Blower fan direction not working needs a scan and electrical repair."

On the way home though I noticed that the only control that worked was fan speed. It wouldn't demist, or change any vents, and even setting the temp to 32C the drivers side still blew cold air at me. Even with AC turned off, the heater controls still didn't work.

So I'm pretty annoyed and I will be phoning them in the morning as all those controls worked for the heater before I dropped the car off to them and they admitted they had disassembled the entire dash to get to the TX valve.

I have attached a photo of the self check from the head unit... It seems to show an error 14 on one of the HVAC systems but not sure what that means. I also tried the AC slef test and while it beeps and all the lights come on, there's no action - no clicking, no blower, no nothing.

While I am going to make this their problem (worked before they took it, broken when I got it back!) if it's a simple reset procedure I'll give that a go first.

Any advice? (Oh, I noticed from the clock in the car they removed power to the car for 15 minutes)

Cheers - N

 

 

 

[The Max]

When a dash has to come out for that sort of thing, it's easy for them to mess something up if they're not careful. Sounds to me like the mixer motor is either disconnected or jammed in one position.

My guess, the dash needs to come out again. Man, dashboards are a pain in the arse to pull out. Thankfully I was able to leave mine in place while I pulled out every other panel working on the AV system.

Good luck dude.

[talkiet]

Oh dear. I decided to review the dashcam footage just in case it caught something interesting and it clearly recorded two staff discussing the issue and the main technician stating "it was working before but now it's &^*^*$".. "What happened" asks the other.. "I Dunno" says the first guy. (There are some more specifics that make it clear this blower fan direction and temp issue were not pre-existing).

They are going to get a polite but firm request in the morning to make this right at no cost to myself.

Cheers - N

[The Max]

Well done! At least you've got proof that it was working before they got their mitts on it. That definitely places responsibility with them.

Keep us posted on it. My guess is still just a simple matter of them not having reconnected some electronics back but hopefully they haven't mechanically busted something in the process. Either way, the problem is theirs to solve out of their own pocket, whether it's them doing the work or calling on an outsider to help them out.

[V35_Paul]

When i got my sat navigation and computer changed to English they had to disconnect my a/c and stereo for a week while it was getting upgraded. what ever was the last setting on my a/c stayed that way until they reinstalled the English set-up.

Just my 2c

[talkiet]

Interesting... They did say they had taken out the whole dash but they weren't clear on whether they disconnected the stereo/head unit at all. From the clock being about 15 minutes behind when I got the car back it looks like the disconnected the battery for that long.

The head unit still accepts commands and I can see the changes update on the screen (arrows, temps etc) and the LEDs on the buttons all work as designed - it's just that the only commands that seem to be actioned are the fan speed ones. 

Unfortunately the shop took a very defensive approach and suggested it was a problem that I should solve. Only then did I tell them I had dashcam footage of their mechanic talking to someone else and commenting (in colourful language) that it was "working before"... That only mitigated their position very slightly and they still seemed clear that they didn't expect to be held accountable for the cost of fixing it unless it could be proven it was something they actually did.

In any case, I have the car booked in to go see Nissan on Wednesday so they can at least plug a consult into it and hopefully at least tell where the fault is. If it's a computer reset or something simple then I'll get them to do it and forward the bill to the aircon specialist place - otherwise I'll look at going through mediation with the MTA (Motor Trade Association) or other legal remedies like the disputes tribunal/Small claims... I can't imagine that this is anything but an open and shut case given the evidence I have.

I should also note that when they disconnected and discharged the aircon a month or 2 ago (they couldn't find a compressor at the time - I eventually sourced one), when they handed the car back to me the guy sat in the car with me and demonstrated to me that all the heating and fan controls still worked, and only the AC didn't work because the system had a failsafe lockout when the system wasn't pressurised. So they demonstrated all the stuff working after the worked on it last time, and when I get the car back this time, it's all busted. Damn shame the dashcam over-wrote that conversation :-(

Cheers - N

[The Max]

There's definitely nothing for them to debate. They admitted themselves that it was working before they started working on it and it ceased to work after their job was completed. Ergo, they broke it. While there is a slim possibility that the system could fail on its own through a component failure but the timing of the events makes it a bit more than coincidental.

[talkiet]

I had Nissan plug in and they can't see anything obvious... Their belief was that there was a cable disconnected or broken while the aircon people took out and put back the dash - or perhaps they damaged/jammed something. In any case I went back to the Aircon place and their stance seems to have softened a lot and now they have said they'll make it right. They asked for a couple of days to find an auto electrician and will give me a call.

I'm happy with their new attitude so far...

Cheers - N

 

[V35_Paul]

Good to hear its going to work out in your favour