Air Conditioning

As mentioned in an earlier post, FTP had to go into the garage for a few days. A strange noise was coming from the V belt which runs the alternator, power steering and air conditioning. Upon closer inspection there appeared to be damage to the belt.

The garage found that the air conditioning compressor was not running freely, which in turn was not allowing the belt to run properly. Rather than replace the compressor the garage removed the compressor and fitted a shorter belt. I have never wanted air cinditioning because I have always seen such things as adding more to a car to go wrong. Alas, my prophecy appears right, with FTP having no issues in 44,000 miles other than the air conditioning!

The garage said that they had never known a compressor to fail. They stated that compressor looked as though it had been submerged in water, causing loss of lubrication on the bearings. Thinking about this, it may be due to my enjoyment of driving through fords, especially the local one at Geddington, which I enjoy driving through all year round - after all its more fun when deep! I also enjoy exploring the Welland Valley when the river floods.

Geddington Ford, August 2013

I wondered if Perodua fitted poor quality air conditioning compressors, and so checked the part number: Denso HFC 13.4a. Upon checking this compressor is used by Toyota, Lexus, Land Rover, Mazda, and others. Hence, it is not an inferior part to standards of other manufacturers. Plus, should I decide to replace it and have air conditioning in the future, its cheap to buy of e-bay.

Do I still think the Myvi is reliable? Yes, but probably best not to regularly drive though fords, especially when deep in winter, if you wish to keep the air conditioning working!