A/C Issue.

[DonDakin]

When i went In to get my AC compressor replaced the technician told me that he saw a case on another car where an AC compressor had failed and shorted and the ready light would not come on. I don't know if it's the same situation that you have but it sounds similar.

In any case I agree if the AC compressor is required in order for the drivetrain to work correctly then it should be covered by a drivetrain warranty. I know that sandage had problems with his AC compressor and it was just out of warranty. I don't think he had to pay the full price I think they covered the AC compressor and he had to pay a smaller amount. i guess he can chime in on that. I don't know if that's president or not but I would definitely push with Mitsubishi to get the conditioner compressor. Maybe what you could do is get Sandy's old serial number from his first car and trying get Mitsubishi to acknowledge that they replace that air conditioning compressor out of warranty and use that as a lever in order to get them to fix yours.

I was so upset when sandy told me about this. I hate to see it happening again but if you can get Mitsubishi to replace it and cover the costs then I think that would be worth fighting for.

Let us know what happens.

Don.....

 

[sandange]

In Reference to my 2012 Miev AC failure
I've quoted myself from an entry from a previous posting
http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2144&start=10
from this forum

Just another up date -
I received a call from my dealer a few days ago and was told that the charger and the compressor for AC were toast.

With 63,000 km ( 39,146 miles ) on the car,
The charger was covered but.....
I was 3,000 km ( 1,864 miles) over for warranty on the AC compressor.

A moment of panic hit me when I was quoted almost $ 4,000

I told him living here in Canada I could lived without AC.
and was told that the car must have the AC operational in order to control the battery temperature.
Now I know we had a discussion here one on this subject but thought that we concluded the batter was NOT actively cooled.

I protested the quote of $4,000 and told them it was not acceptable, He said he would look into what he could do for me.
I spoke with Mitsubishi Canada and was told it was the dealers call.

Got a final call from the dealer service department today, Mitsubishi offered the compressor free of charge and I am paying the dealer for installation and the coolant recharge
I settled for that- about $ 400

It's been 3 weeks today,
I should have Blacky back next week .
It will have been almost a month of paying for gas again. - ouch

Good luck with your situation

 

[PV1]

I agree that if the HVAC system is required for the car to function, then it should be covered under the 5 year powertrain warranty, or possibly under the 8 year battery warranty.

Maybe that is one of the benefits of the base 2012 model with no thermal management of the battery (no cold weather/quick charge package)?

 

[adam]

I-Miev 2012 here and I live in Canada. I didn't used the A/C during the winter at all then when I started it this spring, it is now making a loud noise ( as if I had an ICE car engine running )....

I have 45000 km on it but this is my 4 th year, so it will not be covered by the warranty.

Make sure to have the A/C running regularly even during winter to avoid this.

 

[DonDakin]

Sorry to hear that adam.

Sounds similar to the problem i had. The ac compressor was still working but making noise. I hope it lasts. Perhaps you can contact dani and get the compressor from his wreck if it fails completely.

Don......

 

[mdbuilder]

Mine is making a similar but not as severe noise . Luckily this 2012 entered service in September 2013 so it still has a few months of warranty coverage left. Owned it for two weeks :roll:

 

[Marathonor]

Hi,
Yesterday my 2012 Peanut began to make diesel noise when I started the AC. One week ago I've noticed noise in the front like something a little bit loose.
I went to my dealer today and the diagnostic is 2 AC brocken braket. The estimated cost for 2 brakcets is 300$ CAD + 1h Labor.
The dealer tech said that it's not the first time he had this problem.

The car is not under warranty, so I need to pay, but I've sent a message to Mitsubishi Canada.

My car has only 36 000 km and I drive very carefully.

Olivier
Laval, QC, Canada

 

[PV1]

Why is this bracket so prone to failure? Does the AC compressor vibrate that bad or is the bracket that weak? It seems more owners have had issues with this bracket than have had battery/charging issues.

At least it is a relatively inexpensive fix and not the compressor itself :roll: .

 

[Phximiev]

Can you post a picture of the broken bracket?

 

[mdbuilder]

Evidently there are rubber isolators invloved, the compressor is fairly heavy, the bracket mounts directly to the frame. It does not vibrate but every road bump causes some movement. Mine failed just under 3 years with just over 11k miles :roll:

 

[SyCo]

Why is this bracket so prone to failure? Does the AC compressor vibrate that bad or is the bracket that weak? It seems more owners have had issues with this bracket than have had battery/charging issues.

At least it is a relatively inexpensive fix and not the compressor itself :roll: .

The brackets and/or the rubber isolators are too weak and they will separate from the brackets. The isolators are like glued/welded to the metal brackets but they look pretty weak. On mine, two out of four were loose/separated. So, instead of replacing them, I've used tie-wraps to hold the rubber feet/isolator tight on the brackets and its holding really good. Maybe there is a little more vibration because the rubber isolators are not as "free" as before but I don't really mind because it cost me almost nothing to fix

Of course, this must not be confused with AC compressor failure that some are experiencing.

Thanks !

 

[Marathonor]

Hi,
The part has been ordered from Toronto and should arrive on friday. I will ask to my dealer to take some pictures of the brocken bracket.

I've called Mitsu Canada, and the only thing they did it is to note my complaint but refuse to take any responsibility because I'm out of the warranty.

I hope the compressor is still ok but I will know only after the new brackets will be installed.

I confess I'm not sure to keep the car, in 7 months I have experimented electrical problem (Motor unit warning and impossibility to charge and to drive sometimes, resolved know) and some minor things. The dealer told me it's unbreakable with no money to spend anymore and finally I did not made any cost saving compared to ICE.

Olivier

 

[PV1]

I'm sorry that you've been experiencing these problems. I know it can be discouraging, but overall the i-MiEV fleet is relatively solid. Stick it out a bit longer and things will hopefully get better.

I think that because others with faulty compressors have experienced that the car may not go READY, that it should be considered part of the power train and be covered under the 5 year power train warranty, as it is vital for vehicle operation. That should also extend to this bracket.

 

[Marathonor]

Thanks for your encouragement. My daughter is so proud that I drive an electric car !. Yesterday she was sad as I was disappointed with the i-miev.

I've talked to the dealer expert technician, and he explained me that AC could be removed without impact to the car and there is no link with something else in the car ?

 

[mdbuilder]

Thanks for your encouragement. My daughter is so proud that I drive an electric car !. Yesterday she was sad as I was disappointed with the i-miev.

I've talked to the dealer expert technician, and he explained me that AC could be removed without impact to the car and there is no link with something else in the car ?

Do you have the chademo fast charge option? A/C comes on during fast charge, if no fast charge that may break the A/C required linkage.

 

[Marathonor]

Yes I have the chademo fast charge port and I've explained to the technician what I read in this forum about the link with AC and Chademo and he replied that the AC is a not related with charging.
Perhaps he is not aware but he is the i-miev expert in this dealer.

 

[PV1]

Is this it?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c8ichylzl6q5axc/AC%20bracket.jpeg?dl=0

 

[Phximiev]

The brackets and/or the rubber isolators are too weak and they will separate from the brackets. The isolators are like glued/welded to the metal brackets but they look pretty weak. On mine, two out of four were loose/separated. So, instead of replacing them, I've used tie-wraps to hold the rubber feet/isolator tight on the brackets and its holding really good. Maybe there is a little more vibration because the rubber isolators are not as "free" as before but I don't really mind because it cost me almost nothing to fix

Syco, given PV1's picture, can you provide a second picture of where you put the tie-wraps?

 

[Marathonor]

I don't really know if it's what you present on the picture. When the tech lift the car, he asked me to come under the car and take the AC by hand (without removing the plastic protection), showing me that the AC compressor was moving, but with the plastic protection and the dirt I didn't really had a clear view. What I remembered is that compressor seems like a little bit dirty and greasy like on your picture.

 

[Marathonor]

Hi,
I just came back from the dealer. Peanut seems in better shape now, with no noise/vibration with A/C on.
I've kept the old parts, which seems a little bit rusted but seems not broken. I did not had the chance to talk with tech as he was not there today.

I will post the old part later (how do I insert image ?).

Olivier.