Damn air con again I'm already £1000 deep help

[IRONHEAD1975]

Here we go again,it all started last year I had new condenser fitted£500 then a new pump £500 to get the aircon working well now the system is stuck on hot passenger side and cold driver side and today it's decided to stop blowing out of all the vents Volvo said it needs a new ccm and a damper.i have Vida and it won't recalibrate codes as follows ccm-dd21 Lin-bus 2 signal too high/signal too low ccm-dd20 lin bus 2 incorrect data ccm-dd33 damper motor,defroster no communication.i have a few questions first is the ccm the control panel with the heater knobs and fan control i.e. Waterfall and can it be replaced with one from flea bay without needing programming by main stealers.two can I replace the ddm myself easily any help would be greatly appreciated 👍🏻🍺

[IRONHEAD1975]

Forgot to mention main stealers want £1350 for replacing ccm and fitting new damper they charged me over £100 just to tell me lol

[IRONHEAD1975]

After a nights researching about this I found a replacement ccm on eBay £19.99 you have to take the waterfall out and remove the ccm panel to locate the correct serial number on the back of it to get a correct match there is a lot of diff ones.so Iv just completed the swop plugged it in and hey presto just saved myself £1330 from dealers I calibrated the dampers after no problem after completed the job hope this helps someone else 👍🏻🍺

[Dippydog]

Now that's a result! A working fix and saving all those £££££s Well done.

[iainmd]

For the 4th time in 6yrs of ownership our V50's aircon is broken. I've given up on it. It's genuinely the worst engineered air conditioning system in the history of mankind. Seems to be the condenser every time but this time I refuse to spend a single more penny on the old shed. The condenser was replaced about a year ago and it's gubbed again.

I highly doubt our V50 will be replaced by another Volvo sadly.

[kmb]

Originally Posted by iainmd

For the 4th time in 6yrs of ownership our V50's aircon is broken. I've given up on it. It's genuinely the worst engineered air conditioning system in the history of mankind. Seems to be the condenser every time but this time I refuse to spend a single more penny on the old shed. The condenser was replaced about a year ago and it's gubbed again.

I highly doubt our V50 will be replaced by another Volvo sadly.

Sad news, what brand was the replacement condensor?

I had a Valeo Condensor fitted to my C30 about 6 months ago but haven't covered many miles since, they do appear to be in a vulnerable position for stone damage.

[iainmd]

It has had 3 genuine Volvo condensers and the last one was an NRF one from Eurocarparts. None have lasted.

[LizardOfBodom]

Originally Posted by iainmd

It has had 3 genuine Volvo condensers and the last one was an NRF one from Eurocarparts. None have lasted.

Sorry to hear that, but just for research purposes - how often do u use AC and what distances u covered with it ON since last breakage? Just trying to understand pattern here.
Have done 51k miles now in mine and AC was never an issue but I use it sporadically - to demist during rain and in summer when driving on highways. Otherwise its off. Would heavy use accounted to the problem in your case?

Have to add that my colleague's S40 had the same issue as yours, and it was also FL car (2008). I wonder if that has something to do with?..

[Bendolfc]

Same here, had mine 9 years and done 125K in it (car is on 200k), barring getting it regassed 3 times, most recently about 3 years ago, it is still ice cold.

They certainly messed up the condenser position or design when they did the facelift.

[iainmd]

Originally Posted by LizardOfBodom

how often do u use AC and what distances u covered with it ON since last breakage? Just trying to understand pattern here.

Have to add that my colleague's S40 had the same issue as yours, and it was also FL car (2008). I wonder if that has something to do with?..

First condenser replacement and regas was at ~55k miles and 3.5yrs old. Was fixed under Volvo Selekt warranty

Second condenser replacement I'd need to look through receipts but my perception is probably evenly spaced between first and third failure at maybe 70-80k/5-6yrs old.

Third replacement was at 105k/7yrs old.

Current failure around 120k miles and 9yrs old. Not fixed and won't be fixed.

I have no recollection of my old pre-facelift S40 ever needing anything other than a single regas during its 13yrs so my guess is that something changed post-facelift or that a T5 engine bay's layout protects the condenser better than the 1.6D. Both had/have an undertray. Either way, I'll not be throwing any more money at the V50. It's a complete shed and my wife doesn't seem to care if the aircon doesn't work.

In terms of how often it's used, the car is left in Auto mode with A/C on permanently just like I've always done and my S40 was.