MY13 Passat V6 Aircon

[kleung]

I've noticed ours tends to "freeze" on longer drives on hot days

In a domestic AC unit, icing up can often be indicative of insufficient refrigerant charge. The system should also be smart enough to automatically reduce compressor output once the evap coils reach a certain temperature, in order to prevent freezing, so the mechanism responsible for this this may not be working.

It might also be worth checking that the cabin air filter is not clogged and restricting airflow.

[Radius]

Hi everyone,

Echo what everyone else has said. From our own experience on a MY10 R36 - we started getting issues where the airconditioner compressor refused to cool on startup (fan would ramp up to blow ambient air only), then would intermittently kick in after 5 to 10 minutes of driving. Eventually it took longer and became unpredictable as to when or if it would kick in. Dealer confirmed no leaks and adequate gas on initial inspection, and reported it working fine (which it was because it wasn't tested on startup but after a 20 minute drive). In the end, it was due to compressor failure or maybe just the electronic pressure valve attached to the compressor.... unfortunately it seems no-one really "rebuilds" the valve (which is way cheaper than a new compressor).... I was told that this is because if the valve fails, there's a reasonable chance that the compressor has secondary damage as well. There have been a number of threads on VWWatercooled of similar problems at least on prev gen passats like mine.... not sure whether B7s are supposed to have this remedied at factory.

Oh yes - forgot to mention - we also were getting faint "grinding" / worn bearing type noises when the air conditioner compressor was running - however only noticed it when it became absent with the new compressor. We'd probably been having issues with the AC system for around a year before we brought it in.... but because it crept in so gradually we got used to the problems until the system really packed it in.

We now have a perfectly functioning air conditioner system that kicks in immediately. On recent 35+ degree weather parked outside with AC set to 21.5deg the cabin is nice and comfortable within 3 minutes or so.
The other note re: overcooling. As reported by other threads, we have also noticed that the AC climatronic system is "over-enthusiastic" on sunny days. This is apparently due to sun directly hitting the sun sensor on the centre dashboard (at least on ours!).

Sorry if this info is non-technical but hope it helps- I'm not technically minded! Good luck getting your AC sorted - hopefully your issue will be simpler (and cheaper) to fix than ours!

[booba]

Hi everyone,

Echo what everyone else has said. From our own experience on a MY10 R36 - we started getting issues where the airconditioner compressor refused to cool on startup (fan would ramp up to blow ambient air only), then would intermittently kick in after 5 to 10 minutes of driving. Eventually it took longer and became unpredictable as to when or if it would kick in. Dealer confirmed no leaks and adequate gas on initial inspection, and reported it working fine (which it was because it wasn't tested on startup but after a 20 minute drive). In the end, it was due to compressor failure or maybe just the electronic pressure valve attached to the compressor.... unfortunately it seems no-one really "rebuilds" the valve (which is way cheaper than a new compressor).... I was told that this is because if the valve fails, there's a reasonable chance that the compressor has secondary damage as well. There have been a number of threads on VWWatercooled of similar problems at least on prev gen passats like mine.... not sure whether B7s are supposed to have this remedied at factory.

Oh yes - forgot to mention - we also were getting faint "grinding" / worn bearing type noises when the air conditioner compressor was running - however only noticed it when it became absent with the new compressor. We'd probably been having issues with the AC system for around a year before we brought it in.... but because it crept in so gradually we got used to the problems until the system really packed it in.

We now have a perfectly functioning air conditioner system that kicks in immediately. On recent 35+ degree weather parked outside with AC set to 21.5deg the cabin is nice and comfortable within 3 minutes or so.
The other note re: overcooling. As reported by other threads, we have also noticed that the AC climatronic system is "over-enthusiastic" on sunny days. This is apparently due to sun directly hitting the sun sensor on the centre dashboard (at least on ours!).

Sorry if this info is non-technical but hope it helps- I'm not technically minded! Good luck getting your AC sorted - hopefully your issue will be simpler (and cheaper) to fix than ours!

thanks mate for the input, thankfully mine still has about 20 months of warranty.