Air conditioning that stops cooling — two different parts

The air conditioning gradually stops cooling because refrigerant is escaping. Honda extended the warranty to 10 years — twice, for two different parts with two different year ranges. Getting the part right matters, because a car can be covered for one and not the other, and a recharge that works for a season tells you nothing about which.

Symptoms

Air that is cool rather than cold, getting worse over weeks, and worst on the hottest days when you need it most. A system that works after a recharge and fades again over the following months is leaking rather than empty. There is usually no noise and no warning light.

Likely cause

Two separate manufacturing problems in two separate parts, and Honda describes each in its own words. The condenser — the radiator-like part at the front: "due to supplier process concerns, the A/C condenser may not have been manufactured to specifications. As a result, tiny holes may develop in the condenser tube walls that allows the refrigerant to leak out." The compressor — the pump driven off the engine: "the A/C compressor may not have been manufactured to specifications. As a result, abnormal wearing of the rubber seal may occur causing gaps in the compressor shaft to develop allowing refrigerant to leak out."

How should it be checked?

Establish which part is leaking before anyone quotes for anything, and then check that part's year range rather than the car's. Both extensions run from the original date of purchase, so on a used car of this age they have very likely expired — but a repair carried out while they were live should be in the service record, and a car that had its condenser replaced under warranty is a car with a newer condenser. Be wary of a recent recharge with no leak diagnosis. It makes the car test well on the day and says nothing about why the refrigerant left.

How can you check it yourself?

Run the air conditioning at full cold, fan low, for several minutes and hold a thermometer in the centre vent — a working system should get well below ambient and stay there. Look at the condenser through the front grille for damage or oily residue, and check the compressor pulley area for oil film. Ask when it was last recharged; "last month" is an answer worth following up.

The question to ask the shop

Has the A/C condenser or the compressor ever been replaced, and under warranty or paid for? Has the system been recharged, when, and did anyone perform a leak test? Was the refrigerant dye-traced?