How to Fix Climate Control & A/C Fault in Range Rover Evoque
The first automotive manufacturer to attempt putting an air-conditioning unit in a car was Packard. That was back in 1939 – a time when companies were jostling for position in the luxury car market. But it wasn’t until 1969, well after the first A/C was installed in a car, that most vehicles started coming out with air-conditioning as standard.
Nowadays, the feature is so common that it is rarely counted as a luxury. Instead, air conditioning is a necessity, without which you can’t even imagine driving a car.
But, an A/C is a machine, and at the end of the day, machines can go wrong. So, it is important that you take care of all its components, perform regular maintenance, and take your vehicle to a certified technician for yearly AC checkups.
In the absence of such a regimen, the air conditioning system loses its performance, and you are left with no option but to consult a garage for an emergency repair.
A client recently contacted our workshop about his 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Vogue. He complained that the climate control and air conditioning systems were not working properly in his SUV.
Our lead Range Rover technician, Matt Fitch, also learned that the climate system was blowing warm air on one side and cold air on the other side. The driver-side vent was the one blowing hot air, which is why Mr. T hastened to call us at Fitch Autos.
The unusual fault in the client’s Range Rover Vogue intrigued Matt (our resident Land Rover expert), as he devised a plan to tackle this issue.
Faults Found
The client usually describes the fault and we ask them for the details before beginning the diagnosis. But, even with that information, the first order of business is always to check the issue ourselves.
Matt started the SUV, opened up the AC, and waited a few minutes for the compressor to kick into action. Once the system started to work, our technician felt the air coming out of the vents. Sure enough, the issue was as the client had described. Matt could feel warm air blowing out of the driver-side vent and cold air from the other side.
Our expert Range Rover technician tried to change the temperatures on the climate control system. He had to ensure that the system was working as intended. He raised the temperature and then brought it down, but there was no change in the air temperature.
Could it be that the buttons were faulty? Perhaps, the temperatures were manually set by the client and he forgot about it?
Such questions started popping into Matt’s head as he tried to make sense of the situation. The climate control and AC systems have several components and a malfunction in any of those parts could result in this fault. Our Range Rover specialist was sure by now that he had to dig a lot deeper to find the root cause of the problem.
Matt began to devise a plan while using the 15-step diagnostic procedure to his advantage. The detailed diagnostic process is the weapon of choice of all the technicians working at Fitch Autos. It helps declutter the problem while also clearing a path for the specialist to identify the cause.
Diagnostic Procedure
The tried, tested and trusted 15-step diagnostic procedure helped Matt begin the operation and solve the issue in a jiffy. The process helped solve the problem efficiently, which saved precious time for Mr. T.
By now, Matt had only tested the AC temperature by feeling it on his hand. He did not use any equipment to find out the actual temperature of the air coming out from the air conditioning. So, he brought the right tools and checked the air temperature.
The result was almost the same – cold air on the left side of the Range Rover Vogue but ambient temperature air on the right.
The A/C wasn’t blowing warm air out of the right side after all. It was just directing all the cold air to the left side of the SUV. That was an interesting find for Matt, but the newfound information did not change his plan of action. Whatever was happening, it was affecting one side of the vehicle and our technician was ready to solve that issue.
Matt started to inspect the buttons and dials for wear and tear. Perhaps, a faulty component was directing the air to go on one side of the vehicle. Luckily, there was nothing wrong with the buttons or dials and they were working as intended.
Thereafter, our technician inspected the blower, the pipes, the condenser, the compressor, and all the other components of an air-conditioning system. Interestingly, everything was working fine on that end. The only problem was on the business end of things.
So, Matt searched the vehicle for any relevant fault codes. If he could find something related to the climate control system, he could easily direct his efforts to that area. But he hit a dead-end once again as there were no fault codes present on the vehicle that would indicate a fault in the climate control and AC systems.
Matt was unperturbed by the new knowledge. He was adamant about getting to the bottom of this issue and so he soldiered on to the next task on his to-do list.
Next, he checked the gas levels in the compressor, but even they were optimum.
Matt had exhausted all his options and used up all the weapons in his arsenal, except one. The only thing left was the official Land Rover manufacturer technical information – something that only authorised garages have access to. He went through the technical bulletins to search for some kind of news from Land Rover and after searching for a while, Matt hit gold.
It turned out that Land Rover had posted a software update for this very issue in one of the technical bulletins.
Our Range Rover technician had come out victorious and found the solution to the problem. All that was left was to download and install the update on the 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Vogue.
The Solution
Our lead Range Rover technician downloaded the update for Mr. T’s SUV, using the super-fast internet at Fitch Autos garage.
While that was happening, Matt gave the SUV a full-fledged A/C service. He topped up the refrigerant, checked the lines leading in and out of the compressor for leakages, inspected the condenser, and tested the strength of the blower. Our technician also changed the cabin filter – a component that most vehicle owners forget even exists.
After the software was downloaded and installed, Matt checked the vehicle for fault codes. That’s because it can sometimes trigger the ECU to register an error. Fortunately, there were no codes present.
Finally, our technician started up the Range Rover and opened the A/C. It was working perfectly, the cool air was coming from both sides of the vehicle and the climate control was also working as it should.
All that was left now was to call Mr. T and give him the good news. Our Range Rover specialist called the client and informed him of the software update.
Mr. T couldn’t contain his excitement, as he tested his Range Rover Vogue’s A/C and climate control system by himself. Our client was happy and satisfied – loving the fact that he could now drive his Range Rover without being blasted by hot air.
Summary
Mr. T was left hot under the collar when he found that the A/C in his 2016 Range Rover Vogue was not working fine. He contacted Fitch Autos and asked for help. We wasted no time in helping.
Our lead Range Rover technician took the case, solved it within a day, and returned the vehicle to its owner. Needless to say, Mr. T was delighted by the result. He also appreciated the fact that he got great service and value for money at Fitch Autos.
What more could one want?
At Fitch Autos you get
- Great value for money
- Significantly lower lead time and a quick turnaround compared to Land Rover Wolverhampton.
If you are also searching for a remarkable service like this, you should stop searching anywhere else and drive straight to Fitch Autos.
Need a free courtesy car while we work on your Range Rover? No worries! Give us a call on 01543 401 258 and we will arrange this for you.
