[WAVEMAN]

2002 E39 530d Air con blowing lukewarm air !!!***PROBLEM SOLVED***

Can anyone give me any hints regarding my aircon blowing lukewarm air??
My 2002 530d sport seems to be unable to cool the damn air and its driving me round the bend. This is my first bimmer so im hoping some of you gurus will have some tips for me. My blowers are working fine as are the directional buttons etc. However i noticed the max button does not seem to be working.
Dont know if this is related to the warm air problem??
Basically the air blows through the aircon at roughly the same temp as the air is outside!!
Any suggestions welcomed.
Cheers.

 

[xXNealXx]

You might need an AC recharge, as it seems there is no rerfigerant. Also will be a perfect time to check the all the seals to see if there is a leak. Dye test will show this :thumbsup

 

[ChrisLux]

I've had exactly the same problem on my 07/2002 Touring , the a/c blows warm and the 'max' button doesn't work , or works intermittently .

I took it to a specialist and they did a re-gas and a dye test on it .

You're supposed to use the a/c all year round , even in Winter for at least 5 minutes every 2 days so that the seals on the system don't dry out and leak the refigerant out . However my wife though she knew better and didn't bother !!

Once it was re-gassed (last July) which I think was about £75 it was/is working fine . I've continued this year to use it all the time and now there are no problems with mine .

I have a friend who had similar problem , but they found his compressor had blown . He was quoted £400 from a main dealer , but found same thing on web for £95 , so it pays to search around .

I don't know where you're living , but there is a very good specialist I've used in Bordsley Green,Birmingham . Motor Climate 0121 766 5006 .

hope this helps a bit .

Chris

 

[WAVEMAN]

Cheers chris.
That seems to be the general opinion.
I'll go get it checked out and regassed.
chris.

 

[WAVEMAN]

Good man. Cheers for tha advice.
I'll get a regas and and a dye test as suggested.
Just need to find a good place in glasgow to do it for me.

 

[avneet07]

Kwik fit do a deal (or at least did one) air con regas £50 if it doesn't work you pay nothing. Should be a kwik fit near you ? Easy enough job doesn't take over an hour or two.

 

[WAVEMAN]

Uncanny!!
I had actually had it regassed already by kwik-fit (£45 as u say). It seemed ok before i left their place yesterday,but i wasnt convinced. Just taken it back to them and had it redone(no charge).....what a difference!! The guy confessed they had fitted a new gas cannister into their aircon machine this morning as they tried to do another car after mine yesterday and their machine chucked it half way through!! At least he was honest and apologised. Aparently kwik-fit aint quite the cowboys they used to be.
Now registering 9 degrees when up full. Sorted.
My max button still aint working but who cares i can manage to turn the air con on full blast myself and its well cold.
Cheers for the replies dudes.

 

[MTec B]

So they tested it fully then before you left yesterday.....well at least it is sorted - not too sure if the BMW system has a sight glass on it - but 45 quid is a good price.

 

[recovery man]

RE Gas

I also went Kwik Fit ,first time in my life , LoL thought they were very profesional in their approach and at 45 quid they are cheaper than any dealer in Scotland ,car is felin feezzzzzzzin now

 

[mikesmith2]

Is the max button for demisting the screen not the aircon?

 

[redadair]

Nice result mate, could you possibly PM me with the garage details that did it for you?

45 ain't half bad at all! Red

 

[chill6834]

Is the max button for demisting the screen not the aircon?

i agree with you , the max button is for them cold winter mornings when you cant see "jack" demists the screens pretty quick

 

[WAVEMAN]

It turns out my aircon was in need of a re-gas. However i also had a faulty AMBIENT AIR SENSOR which was telling the onboard computer it was -40 degrees!!! To be honest i hadnt noticed at first but i wouldnt have guessed it could affect the aircon. However a guru pointed out that the aircon will only allow you to have cold air IF the computer thinks the outside ambient air temp is above 5 degrees!! As an IT Engineer this is an obvious glitch in the system bmw!!! However i bought a new sensor from Douglas Parks in glasgow which was a very reasonable £19.95 (cheaper than ebay!!). Fitted it and bobs yer uncle, Ambient air temp correctly displayed on computer and all aircon working perfectly. Including the MAX button which i have to disagree with some of you about. The max button is used mainly for de-icing in winter but can also be used for immediate freezing cold air when you get in the car and its toastin cos you left it in the sun all day.
In the process of solving this one i managed to stumble on some top info on where exactly the ambient air temp sensor is, what it does and what else it affects and how to replace it (this can be easier said than done if, like me your car is missing the black plastic underside panel which it hides in!!). I am attaching a link to another forum thread as it tells all. Thanks to all the people who contributed to said thread and i hope you dont mind me adding a link to it. Hopefully this ambient temp sensor fix will help out someone else.
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101296
Also cheers to everyone who helped me out on my thread.