Tata Indica V2 DLS - AC Problems. Please Help


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Hi Friends,

Owner Tata Indica V2 DLS 2002. Clocked about a lakh kms which is not much in 10 years. Relatively well maintained. Single Owner/driver myself till date.

Serviced in TASS first few years but have avoided TASS for past few years due due to high costs and few bad experiences. Mostly service/repair the vehicle in my supervision now with help of local known mechanic/electrician etc.

Now having AC problems for past year or two, very likely leakage as soon after the gas is recharged, in about 2-3 months the AC is back to nill OR not working so very likely leakage in the pipe or something!

Whats the best & cost effective way to fix this, like say replace the pipe(original part) under the hood/bonnet and any other minor leakages without too much fuss and just recharge the gas! & where and who in Bangalore might be best & trustworthy to handle the job?

Also how much can I expect for the car if I wish to sell it for a bigger one? Emerald green (greyish) colour. Normal white plate registration. leather seat covers. radio CD player etc. Good condition.

I know there are quite a few experts on this forum & I hope to get to get some responses.

Thanks,
BloreIndicaOwner
 
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Get the help of a good local A/c mechanic. they may test the leak check, overall issues and expenses. Then come back to us before do the repairing.
 
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Releesh, Thank you. However I got the issue fixed two days back.

Here are the details if it helps anybody.

While TASC was being very fussy & snobish saying we will first fill AC gas about half tank which will be wasted for checking leaks etc & then check for all leaks and fix those with new spares & labour etc gave me an estimate of around 6K and I am sure in the end they would have charged something like 8K.

I went to Aditya CAR AC at Kormangala in Bangalore and told them there is a leakage in the pipe & need it fixed & they seemed to have done a good job in my presence for 3.5K. Important thing is there was no nonsense & hidden costs.

Here are the details.

1. they will connect a high pressure pump and check for leaks using soap water by pouring over important aluminum joints and connections under the hood/bonnet. There are other ways to check but soap water is cost efficient apparrently.

2. Once the leaks are detected they will know which pipe to change. The 2nd way to confirm there is really a leak is to see/check for heavy oil stains around the leakage joint as oil is mixed into AC gas apparently! (Usually the suction pipe will be fine. ) The cause for AC pipe & other pipe leakages in Diesel cars is typically engine overheating so if your radiator fan had stopped working or you had any other similar engine heating issues then there is all the more reason to expect a leak.

3. Replace the leakage pipe and refill the gas - 30 min job. The pipe should cost around 1500 or lesser. Check again using soap water for any possible leaks. After refill the AC blower should be able to cool the air to around 10 degrees celcius in 5mins with outside temperature around 35 degrees which they usually check by connecting an electronic thermometer in the blower.


Got a bill/receipt for payment & a six month verbal guarantee for no issues from both the technicians working the car as well as the shop owner. But I will keep my fingers crossed until then!

I am quite happy with the cooling from past 2 days after the repair.

Hope this information helps others!
 
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Indicadls, this is where usually TASS or any company ASS would take you to and charges would be on the higher side, good thing that you went to the local A/c repair shop where this is the most common way to sort out the leakage A/c issues and charges arent that too high comparable to most of the localised A/c workshop.The same treatment was done on my friends indica two months back and we were charged 3200/- and negotiated and finally paid 3k for the job.Thankyou for sharing your experience.
 
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My type 3 esteem a/c condenser replaced and filled gas @ Rs4600.The work is OK and they verbally given guaranty for 6 months too. But i feel the cooling takes time than earlier. Earlier my car a/c was a instant chiller. I checked it later with MASS and they are confirmed the temperature comes down to below 5 degrees by connecting an electronic thermometer in the blower. But it didn't cut off then.Please help to reduce my confusion?

1. Is it the cooling difference may be due to the new condenser, which they told is from the Maruti OEM company not MGP (MGP was not available and too costly). they charged Rs. 2800 for condenser.

2. I heard some local A/c mechanics using cheap Chinese gas instead the original and some guys take back and reuse the same gas already in the car. Is the gas quality effect the cooling?how can we confirm the quality?

By the way A/c cooling is OK if car running more than 10 minutes and cooling is less when car is idle.
 
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Thanks Varun i shall do clean the cooling coil and confirm
Hai raleesh,
After doing the service work try keeping your car interior dust free mainly the left leg room of your front seat because in most of the cars the AC breath from there, if you can do a PVC flooring then there is more chance to keep your AC clean.And do ask the mechanic to add a AC filter if it is not in your car to prevent the dust to reach the cooling coil.
 
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Thanks alexddas, I didn't done the PVC flooring, but not that much dust inside. i regularly do vacuum the interior. Any idea, from where i could get the AC filter for esteem Type 3 ? is that same for some other maruti model too?only MGP available? can we get it outside ASS?
 
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Thanks alexddas, I didn't done the PVC flooring, but not that much dust inside. i regularly do vacuum the interior. Any idea, from where i could get the AC filter for esteem Type 3 ? is that same for some other maruti model too?only MGP available? can we get it outside ASS?
Raleesh. its a shame that the great models of Suzuki in dusty India, the swift and ritz do not come with an AC filter, so you have to relay on your AC mechanic to suit it from punto,beat or any other cars for swift and ritz.So ask your mech to suit it from any other car.
 
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About 2-3 days back I got a real shock! my car AC stopped working again & I started fearing the worst! AC gas has leaked again or the place I refilled in Jan might not have done it right etc etc.

However AC had suddenly stopped working so I was also thinking there could be something else wrong! Checked the fuses & other stuff all was okay!

Then it struck me .... to check "AC Belt" which basically powers your compressor could have slipped!

Showed it to a good known mechanic, he said AC belt is broken & fallen off, Bought a new good quality belt for Rs 160 & got it fitted & the AC is back to working like NEW! Cools in 60 seconds! Be aware that there quite a few types of AC belts depending on the pulley type in car & you have to really buy the right one for your car!

So next time your AC stops working in ANY CAR, do check your AC belt after fuses etc!

To my surprise[surprise] I also discovered a place on the outskirts in Bangalore who does a CAR AC gas full tank refill for just Rs 1150/- & place seems to be quite reliable as he uses a meter etc. PM me if you are in Bangalore & need the garage address! I had paid Rs 1600 earlier in Jan for the same refill!
 
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My Tata Indica LSI (Petrol) Is By Now 97K done . she is still going strong[clap] but suddenly , two days ago while driving on highway to Negombo , it was found out that there is no cool air coming out of the AC[frustration] . it was sudden and the AC was quite find in the Previous day .

so i had no choice but to refer to a Local AC Mechanic , who had dismantled the Dash board and after taking out the AC Coli( whatever it is called) assembly . after inspection he told me that the coil is rested and cracked [confused] and need to be replaced .

uploaded some pic of the process
 

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I Had to replace the AC Coil (whatever it is called )assembly , and after that the pressure test was ok and , the GAS was good to go. one Peculiar thing was that the AC Mechanic told me that the Thermostat was not there (probably not inserted ???) in the assembly. he told me that this was Bizarre since the AC temp could not be regulated within the cab when the AC is on. i 100% sure that the AC assembly of car my indica was never been touched before. do Indica LSI (Petrol) is it natural to Lack this part ? ,
 
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Thread Starter #14
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Just curious Which year did Tata Indica start selling in SriLanka? I sold my DLS 2002 last year after about 11 years. I do miss my Indica at times.
 
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Releesh, Thank you. However I got the issue fixed two days back.

Here are the details if it helps anybody.

While TASC was being very fussy & snobish saying we will first fill AC gas about half tank which will be wasted for checking leaks etc & then check for all leaks and fix those with new spares & labour etc gave me an estimate of around 6K and I am sure in the end they would have charged something like 8K.

I went to Aditya CAR AC at Kormangala in Bangalore and told them there is a leakage in the pipe & need it fixed & they seemed to have done a good job in my presence for 3.5K. Important thing is there was no nonsense & hidden costs.

Here are the details.

1. they will connect a high pressure pump and check for leaks using soap water by pouring over important aluminum joints and connections under the hood/bonnet. There are other ways to check but soap water is cost efficient apparrently.

2. Once the leaks are detected they will know which pipe to change. The 2nd way to confirm there is really a leak is to see/check for heavy oil stains around the leakage joint as oil is mixed into AC gas apparently! (Usually the suction pipe will be fine. ) The cause for AC pipe & other pipe leakages in Diesel cars is typically engine overheating so if your radiator fan had stopped working or you had any other similar engine heating issues then there is all the more reason to expect a leak.

3. Replace the leakage pipe and refill the gas - 30 min job. The pipe should cost around 1500 or lesser. Check again using soap water for any possible leaks. After refill the AC blower should be able to cool the air to around 10 degrees celcius in 5mins with outside temperature around 35 degrees which they usually check by connecting an electronic thermometer in the blower.


Got a bill/receipt for payment & a six month verbal guarantee for no issues from both the technicians working the car as well as the shop owner. But I will keep my fingers crossed until then!

I am quite happy with the cooling from past 2 days after the repair.

Hope this information helps others!
Ithink usually AC gas leaks are checked by using nitrogen .
Nitrogen has the following qualities: (a) inert, very dry and non-flammable; (b) does not go into solution with refrigeration oil to create non condensable pressure problems (i.e., after leak testing an HFC (R-134a) system using R-22 and nitrogen, there is typically zero percent non condensables (nitrogen or air), if evacuated afterwards).
Diluted Liquid Soap. Speed is important to technicians when performing a leak test. Large and medium size leaks can be quickly located in exposed areas such as under hood components by applying diluted liquid dishwashing soap directly to suspected leak points.
Multiple Leaks. If a large leak is discovered repair it and perform a follow-up leak test. Leak tests should be performed following each repair until all leak points are found and fixed
 

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