Heat Pump Servicing

[girarcat]

Hi!
Just left my car at my local dealership for the 2nd year service.
Aside from the normal things done during a typical service, they told me they were also supposed to replace the heat pump's "cooling agent" (as dictated by their computer).
This sounded a bit weird to me (considering it's a 2 year old car) so I asked what was that about. They didn't seem to know much about it. They couldn't even tell me how much that would be.
I was told they should replace a gas bottle for the system responsible for cooling/heating the car whenever the car is parked and I ask it via the app to be climatized prior to my departure.

Since it was supposed to be within the official servicing requirements, I asked them to go ahead no matter the cost.

An hour later, I got a call from them telling me they were not prepared to do such thing, and that they would leave it undone. They told me maybe other dealers in other towns were prepared to do this heat pump servicing, but it turns out that they were not and they didn't know about anywhere else I could go to have it done.

So, first of all, anybody here has any clue on what this cooling agent thing is about?
Second, why should this be done every two freaking years?
How is it even possible that it cannot be done at the official dealership?
What happens if I just skip it and don't do it?

Had I known when speccing the car that the useless heat pump would require some special servicing I would have told them to shove it up their butts.

Thanks for your help folks!

[Baconrage]

I have a heat pump fitted and wasn't told anything needed doing to it when it went in for its 2 year service.

[girarcat]

I have a heat pump fitted and wasn't told anything needed doing to it when it went in for its 2 year service.

Thanks, that's kind of reassuring.

[Ponk]

My 2 year service is in March so I won’t know until then.

[Elea4]

Some Borns (and other MEB vehicles) have had R744 (CO2) coolant leaks and needed to get topped up or even completely refilled. The potential issue is that when using CO2 as a coolant it needs to be under much higher pressure to function (>100 bar) and therefore requires very tight and secure hoses and connectors.

Not every workshop will have the right tools to evacuate this system. In Germany I've seen people charged 200-400 euro

Here's what the exact process looks like:



AFAIK the recommended period is every 4 years, but the general advice is if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So unless there's an actual error code then turn down the refill request.

But if you have a leak, it should definitely be covered under warranty.

[milkyway55]

Some Borns (and other MEB vehicles) have had R744 (CO2) coolant leaks and needed to get topped up or even completely refilled. The potential issue is that when using CO2 as a coolant it needs to be under much higher pressure to function (>100 bar) and therefore requires very tight and secure hoses and connectors.

Not every workshop will have the right tools to evacuate this system. In Germany I've seen people charged 200-400 euro

Here's what the exact process looks like:



AFAIK the recommended period is every 4 years, but the general advice is if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So unless there's an actual error code then turn down the refill request.

But if you have a leak, it should definitely be covered under warranty.

Fehler_Klimaanlage.jpg

That's for the air conditioning though, not the heat pump, isn't it?

[girarcat]

Some Borns (and other MEB vehicles) have had R744 (CO2) coolant leaks and needed to get topped up or even completely refilled. The potential issue is that when using CO2 as a coolant it needs to be under much higher pressure to function (>100 bar) and therefore requires very tight and secure hoses and connectors.

Not every workshop will have the right tools to evacuate this system. In Germany I've seen people charged 200-400 euro

Here's what the exact process looks like:



AFAIK the recommended period is every 4 years, but the general advice is if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So unless there's an actual error code then turn down the refill request.

But if you have a leak, it should definitely be covered under warranty.

Fehler_Klimaanlage.jpg

Thanks man, I think you might have a point here.
I got a call later on saying the chief mechanic believed it was not necessary to service the heat pump, that if I hadn't had any leak I could just skip the procedure and wouldn't notice any difference, and so on.
Then, when I picked the car up, I talked to a different guy and he said there was an official recall for some units which needed the heat pump gas to be serviced but my car was not affected so no further action was required. I didn't believe him first (why would they tell me initially it was part of the normal servicing if it turns out to be a recall?) but after reading your message I think he might have been right. That would also explain why they were unable to find out how much the operation would be, 'cause if it were an official recall I assume it would've been free of charge.

[Elea4]

That's for the air conditioning though, not the heat pump, isn't it?

The heat pump IS the air conditioner

R744 is used both to heat and cool.

When you don't have a heat pump, R1234YF is only used to cool and only the resistive PTC heater is used to heat:




Check out the brochure for incredibly detailed info about how almost every component of the entire climate system operates, including every sensor, controller and valve:

https://cupratraininghub.com/assets/upl ... orn-EN.pdf


CLIMATE SYSTEM WITH COOLING AGENT R1234YF
The passenger compartment is heated using the
heat generated by a high-voltage PTC heater.
While cooling is achieved thanks to the Circuit with
cooling agent R1234yf. The cooling agent transmits
heat in the exterior radiator (condenser) and
absorbs heat from the passenger compartment
(evaporator).


CLIMATE SYSTEM WITH HEAT PUMP AND COOLING AGENT R744
It is a circuit that operates on the heat pump
principle, i.e. the system can operate in two ways.
When cooling, the evaporator absorbs heat to cool
the passenger compartment.
When heating, the inner gas radiator transmits
heat, as if it were a condenser and the high-voltage
PTC heater works partially.
This cooling and heating functionality is achieved
with a series of components that are explained in
this chapter.
In addition, the R744 brings two major
advantages:
• It is more energy efficient.
• It is environmentally friendly.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Using the climate system in electric vehicles affects
their range; therefore, the aim is to extend the
range as much as possible when in use.
Thanks to the new system with heat pump and
cooling agent R744, the range is increased at
exterior temperatures below 0ºC.
By using a heat pump circuit, the high-voltage PTC
heater no longer has to work so intensively.

[girarcat]

Ok, so I gather nobody here has been asked to service the heat pump during a normal servicing, right?
Maybe aside from those affected by the leaks issue.

So I'll just pretend they never told me a thing about this and will keep on driving without a second thought.

[Ponk]

That's for the air conditioning though, not the heat pump, isn't it?

The heat pump IS the air conditioner

R744 is used both to heat and cool.

When you don't have a heat pump, R1234YF is only used to cool and only the resistive PTC heater is used to heat:




Check out the brochure for incredibly detailed info about how almost every component of the entire climate system operates, including every sensor, controller and valve:

https://cupratraininghub.com/assets/upl ... orn-EN.pdf


CLIMATE SYSTEM WITH COOLING AGENT R1234YF
The passenger compartment is heated using the
heat generated by a high-voltage PTC heater.
While cooling is achieved thanks to the Circuit with
cooling agent R1234yf. The cooling agent transmits
heat in the exterior radiator (condenser) and
absorbs heat from the passenger compartment
(evaporator).


CLIMATE SYSTEM WITH HEAT PUMP AND COOLING AGENT R744
It is a circuit that operates on the heat pump
principle, i.e. the system can operate in two ways.
When cooling, the evaporator absorbs heat to cool
the passenger compartment.
When heating, the inner gas radiator transmits
heat, as if it were a condenser and the high-voltage
PTC heater works partially.
This cooling and heating functionality is achieved
with a series of components that are explained in
this chapter.
In addition, the R744 brings two major
advantages:
• It is more energy efficient.
• It is environmentally friendly.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Using the climate system in electric vehicles affects
their range; therefore, the aim is to extend the
range as much as possible when in use.
Thanks to the new system with heat pump and
cooling agent R744, the range is increased at
exterior temperatures below 0ºC.
By using a heat pump circuit, the high-voltage PTC
heater no longer has to work so intensively.

Would that explain why when it’s very cold outside and I pre warm the cabin for only 2 mins, it’s nice and warm, but if I don’t prewarm and just jump in, it takes 10 mins to get to the same temp as prewarming ? I noticed this recently during the cold spell.