Seeing the core A/C evaporator on the to do list set off the alarm bells, since we had gotten that replaced not too long ago.
BHPian GForceEnjoyer recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I clearly did not keep this thread updated! My apologies, pre-boards, then boards followed by 12th grade made me quite busy. Anyways, the coolant issue was traced to a faulty reservoir cap which was causing coolant loss while driving, something similar to what BHPian DrZhivago had predicted above. We got that fixed and it was business as usual.
Last week though, the A/C stopped cooling out of the blue! There was also a strange whining sound that was directly proportional to engine rpm when the A/C was on. We gave the car to the ASS for a diagnosis and were in for a very unpleasant surprise.
Take a look at this list. They asked us to replace basically everything, adding up to an eye-watering 37529 rupees! To make matters worse, the compressor assembly and valve evaporator was unavailable (hence PNA, part not available, written next to them):
Seeing the core A/C evaporator on this list set off the alarm bells, since we had gotten that replaced not too long ago. Hence, we decided to take our business elsewhere. We found an independent workshop, Auto Cool. A Fiesta owner had previously had their A/C fixed here, which was reassuring to hear. Over the phone, we were also assured that genuine Ford spares were available with them if necessary.
Upon reaching the shop, some basic tests were run and the whining sound was acknowledged. Turns out that there was oil leaking out of the compressor (this issue could be fixed by refurbishing the compressor), while the cooling coil had to be replaced. The total estimate was exactly 12000 rupees, less than a third of the authorised service centre! We gave the go ahead and video proof along with pictures of the new and old cooling coil was shared with us.
We got the car back this morning after it had spent roughly half a day at the shop. The A/C is now working perfectly again! Great experience with this shop.
The old and new cooling coils:
The testing equipment hooked up to the car. A healthy system would give a relatively low reading (less than 30 as per the mechanic). Before the fix, our Fiesta’s reading was over 70! The mechanic’s explanation was that the load on the compressor was way higher than usual due to the oil leak and faulty cooling coil:
The car with the dashboard and centre console removed. This is a screenshot from the video shared with us so please excuse the quality. No fit and finish issues upon re-installation apart from the gear lever that was slightly wonky; it was fixed within minutes.
In other news, the car is close to having covered 115000 km! Here’s the odometer reading at present:
We’ll be getting wheel alignment and balancing done soon. Running has been low recently, so we might also take the car out for a spirited highway run.
Until next time. Cheers!
Keyword: Did AC overhaul on my 1.15 lakh km run Ford Fiesta: Jobs done & costs