QuestionHi... I purchased a 1997 VW Jetta in January of 2001 with about 33K miles on it. In August of 2001 the air conditioning stopped cooling and I had to have the compressor replaced. (Fortunately it was still under warranty from when I bought it, and it was replaced at the VW dealer.) Now, less than 4 years later (at about 80K miles) my a/c is cooling poorly again. I am taking it to a mechanic to see if it just needs fluid or if it is the compressor again. Could it possibly be the compressor again? I live in Austin, Texas and my car is constantly parked outside, if that matters. Also, I rarely, if ever, run the a/c on the recycled circulation feature, but I do frequently drive with the windows down and the a/c on (I've heard this is bad, but its a tough habit to break). I know you can't tell what's wrong without looking at it, but I'm just wondering how likely it is for a compressor to break in under 4 years, if I should trust the mechanic if they say I need to replace it.
Thanks!
AnswerAlthough it IS possible for a compressor to fail after 4 years it is highly unlikely. I would more suspect that there is a leak in the A/C system and you are losing freon.
As far as NOT running the A/C compressor, Everytime you use the defrost setting for the front windshield the A/C compressor operates.
If you want to use the A/C with the windows open, Go ahead, Your only wasting gas, your not hurting the A/C.
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