I've Wrenched Over 25 Years and I've NEVER seen this AC Problem Before

[@Jumalten001]

"This cant be Fixed!" Car Wizard: And I took that personally

[@mylenh]

except when gets a 5.4 3v

[@ProctorsGamble]

Challenge accepted! 💥

[@henrykim4230]

@@mylenh just put some thick oil and drive off fixed

[@gemballacirrus]

Can you imagine the phone call to the owner of that Jetta? "Yeah, this is Omega, the reason why the AC is not working is because of coffee" LOL! I have to be honest, that was really good investigative work & also very refreshing to see that Omega is perhaps about the ONLY shop that is willing to help lower costs of repairs vs gouging the customer. I only wished I lived in Kansas :(

[@trondsimonsen4025]

It`s a Passat :)

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

You gotta thang fer ternadas?🤣

[@calimilk1113]

MAGA!!!

[@henrykim4230]

not price gouging. Difference between Omega and typical shop is Omega does actual diagnose. Guy like me will parts canon cuz too lazy kek

[@at_3831]

My wife knows how this happens, I was in the hospital last October and she set a full cup on her dash to look for something and it tipped over and soaked her entire driver’s side with hot coffee double sugar triple cream! The car ran and got her to work with all the warming lights on and blinking randomly with driving lights, then somehow she got it started again and drove home. After sitting a month to dry out it ran like new but by then she had a new car

[@nobatteriesincluded3968]

Honesty goes a long way we need more honest auto technicians 💪🏼💯

[@1983dmd]

When you see him advertise crap like PDS, I would not say this is an honest mechanic. You and I have a different opinion of what is an honest mechanic....

[@nobatteriesincluded3968]

@@1983dmd Im speaking about auto Mechanics….my comment was a broad statement generally speaking honesty is the best policy all that other ish you’re talking about sounds personal 😁

[@richardwarren7492]

@@1983dmd And he's on KZbin making a buck - never forget that.

[@clydesuckfinger8068]

I was. C-130 crew chief in the Air Force. The airplane I worked was built in 1965 and had 2 High Frequency (HF) radios with the long wire antennas going from the forward fuselage to the tail. I was having an issue when HF2 was keyed to transmit it would flash the radar scope. After much troubleshooting, we found corrosion between the HF2 antenna mast and the fuselage. Replaced a few parts, cleaned and treated the corrosion, and the flashing went away. Gremlins.

[@walsakaluk1584]

Intermods. Corrosion makes a great diode Fences aound antennae farms are notorious for doinng this too. Anyway that wasn't CW's issue. It was a great bit of trouble shooting.

[@brucegilbert7243]

Undoubtedly, a shorted lighting attenuator.

[@davidfleishman2275]

I worked at a Volvo heavy truck dealer. I have seen the "coffee" deal in the A/C controller, the radio, the power window switch, And power control switches on the dash.

[@Renville80]

Is that thumbnail of you going after a CD 143 beehive??

[@davidfleishman2275]

@@Renville80 Only on ICON though

[@charlesallen1874]

Glad I saw this. I had a golf vr6 that had good a/c. But the backup lights didn’t work. I discovered the bulbs had been removed. I put new bulbs in, backup lights worked. A/C compressor no longer came on. In order to have a/c, I had to leave the backup bulbs out. So, I wasn’t crazy. It’s a vw thing. 🤪

[@davidmarks6042]

You may be crazy, that just wasn't a symptom of it... 😜

[@charlesallen1874]

It is strange that so many cars have cup holders above the radio, and climate controls. I love my Mercedes slk, but I will never put a cup in the cup holder , which is above all sorts of electronics.

[@theanswer6902]

I have a 2002 Saab 9-3 with a manual transmission that would shut off when put into reverse. It was a real head-scratcher. There was a lot of rust in the trunk area, and a ground wire had a poor connection. The fuel pump is on the same circuit as the backup lights. When put into reverse gear, the fuel pump would lose power, and the engine would shut off. By simply reestablishing a good ground connection, the issue was resolved.

[@thiefrules]

​@@charlesallen1874 it's like an afterthought for the american market. I feel like all the german engineers have their drinks in a double sealed thermos, at the bottom of their bag on the passenger floorboard. "why drink while you drive? Drink after you arrive" 🤣

[@ProctorsGamble]

@thiefrules That’s exactly it! Germans always wonder why Americans can’t drive without a liter size drink 😝 95% of cars in Germany 🇩🇪 are manual transmission so you need both hands 🙌

[@connorcurtis7109]

Awesome troubleshooting! As a diesel mechanic, that's what I'm most proud of is troubleshooting accurately. Nice job, Danielson and Wizard.

[@user-xw6cr4pu9m]

Those pics of Wizard hair are wild!

[@LeverPhile]

Hair moved from head to beard ... 😁

[@rossjohnson2478]

@@LeverPhileGravity works!

[@icuranis4597]

Simple case of coffee in hand while engaging the shifter. Other vehicles have cup holders next to window switches. Leave your drink in the door, shut it and it's splish splash, switches taking a bath.

[@notbanksy8294]

I took a 80s vw rabbit to a vw shop around the year 2000, they basically told me to leave, lol.

[@300DBenz]

Any 80s European car scares modern day shops, even the dealerships!

[@oldblueaccord2629]

There full of relays that go bad.

[@notbanksy8294]

@@oldblueaccord2629 yep, it was an electrical nightmare.

[@LMacNeill]

Hell, *any* vehicle from the 1980s scares most shops these days. If they can't plug a computer into it and pull codes, they have zero clue how to work on it. 1996 is the first year OBD-II was required by law in the US, and you'd be surprised (or perhaps you wouldn't) at the number of shops that simply will not touch anything without an OBD-II port.

[@dashcamandy2242]

@@LMacNeill I had tons of problems in 2008 with my '94 Cavalier, which was OBD 1.5 (transitional period between OBD and OBD-II). Nobody could pull the Check Engine codes, not even GM dealers because they didn't have the scanners anymore. If I couldn't make an educated guess, I had to "fire the parts cannon" until the problem was resolved.

[@Vincent-ke5zn]

Congratulations on 25 years of marriage and my best wishes for many more years

[@Mike-k9k9n]

My Truck's AC compressor is making a mild screeching noise. Shop wants $1500 for a new compressor. My friend, who is a mechanic, showed me that it was the AC Clutch Bearing. New AC Clutch, $75, $50 to my friend to install it. Took all of thirty minutes......... Yes, there are dishonest shops out there..................................

[@thiefrules]

Make sure you leave them a nice review

[@fastinradfordable]

And I’m sure the $50 aftermarket clutch lasts as long as original 😊

[@michaelmcgregor3108]

So, a lot of shops have a policy to not replace just the bearing or clutch. This is due to the theory that a bad bearing or clutch will cause excessive heat and can cause the ac shaft seal to fail shortly after. Then it becomes an "ever since" issue. As for the $1500 estimate, that should include compressor, reciver/drier, orfice tube or txv and a system flush. All those parts are required by the compressor manufacturer for you to have ANY warranty. Not saying this is the case 100% of the time, but it is the reason the shops i have worked at articulated to me. I will replace just a bearing or clutch at my shop, but will warn the customer that there is a chance of compressor seal failure down the road. 9 out of 10 have no issues however.

[@DinDooIt]

@@fastinradfordable Clutch kits aren't expensive, usually.

[@johnwight6041]

And that is why I don’t trust most shops and just do the work myself

[@wernerdanler2742]

German car manufacturers all freaked out when Americans started demanding cup holders. They couldn't believe anyone would have drinks in a car while driving. You don't drive 200 kilometers an hour down the autobahn with a cup of coffee in the car. Now i see people with drinks in one hand and their phone in the other driving and texting.

[@dylanjk5946]

they are poorly designed if u ever get into a situation where u have to slam on the brakes hard the drink is going straight into the radio and ac controls i had it happen a couple times in my jetta but i had the base model with turn knobs and a aftermarket radio so it didnt matter

[@Nordic_Mechanic]

The 2004 a8l concept didn't have front cupholders. But to sell in american, they added them. But it sits behind the keyboard for the entire mmi system. Because of that big transmission, the front cupholder are shallow and don't hold big coffee that well. Brake hard and it soak the keyboard. I fixed a lot of those.

[@antiangelofmusic]

I remember working on a 2005 Jaguar X-Type. It needed a compressor. Replaced compressor and flushed the system. I charged up the system and the pressures were perfect. Was blowing cool but not cold air. Took the car for a ride and it got colder but not adequate .Took the car for a ride and it got colder, but it still wasn't working properly. I realized part of the mechanism for the door that shut off the outside air had broken. When I blocked the door closed, it worked perfectly. Upon opening the hood I discovered that there was so much heat transferred to the body around the engine and excessive heat transfer in general that the heat was affecting the performance of the air conditioning in fresh mode. Very poor design.

[@dylanjk5946]

@@antiangelofmusic thats cus the xtype used a ford engine cant expect much from ford

[@antiangelofmusic]

@@dylanjk5946 those duratec V6 engines are known to be a very good engine. My 2002 Ford ranger truck has a 3 Liter V6 and has 200,000 mi on it. Still runs like new and only consumes less than a quart of oil between 5,000 mile oil changes. Always starts and never lets me down. Besides the fact that what I was talking about has nothing to do with what engine is in it. SMH

[@georgegonzalez2476]

Typically VW. The Rabbit I had was designed with the radio antenna lead routed through the front wheel well. Then in through a flimsy gasket, then roted right over the main fusebox. So every time you drove through a puddle, water woudl slide down the antenna wire and drip directly into the main fusebox. Which was not waterproof in any way. The saga continues.

[@Flies2FLL]

I had a '77 Rabbit that never did anything like that. The floorboards were rusted out, and water would get in that way, but never via the antenna lead.

[@gryfandjane]

I got a recall notice on my ‘78 Rabbit for that same issue. Funny, I hadn’t thought about it for years. I ended up re-routing the antenna lead myself and corrected the problem. Never had fusebox trouble, which is more than I can say for the fuel pump connector under the dash…

[@everyhandletaken]

if coffee didn't exist, this video wouldn't exist. pretty sure VW didn't invent putting beans in water.

[@dashcamandy2242]

Both of my uncles on my mother's side owned Rabbits. From '73 to mid-80s, gas and diesel, three in total. The '73 was the most reliable, but every single one of them would die on the side of the road when it rained because the fuse box got soaked. It wasn't a question of IF, it was a question of WHEN and WHERE. lol

[@towhee7472]

And people called me crazy for my no food and drinks in the car rule.

[@vtecispower]

Agreed 💯,no food ,no drink my car

[@dragonbutt]

Time to use a flipper zero just to sit in your car and eat a whole bag of those chocolate filled wafers

[@JDMHaze]

This is literally why that exist

[@marcomonteiro1446]

And my family chastises me constantly about it Even tho it’s a 21 and was custom ordered to my specs They are like let it go it’s an old car now

[@TadVarn]

Food and drinks is what I mostly do in my car. If Im afraid about some spill in my car or some scratch on doors at a parking lot, it means I cant afford it

[@solidgoldshayne]

I had a 2007 Volkswagen Jetta gli 2.0t fsi 6-speed for about 5 years and the air conditioning never worked. I recharged the refrigerant, changed the air compressor, and the control switches. Still no air conditioning. I had it up for sale and nobody wanted it due to the non functioning ac, a few months before I sold the car, I bought a 2 pack of cabin air filters, one for my gli and one for my 2007 Passat vr6 4motion. The cabin filter in my gli was so blocked up that when I installed the new cabin filter, my air conditioner started working and I managed to sell the car.

[@jungl3ist]

why don t you change your filters annually when you change oil.... beyond me

[@davidburton3447]

I personally would clean the circuit board, get out a magnifying glass, and resolder any corroded, joints. Then I'd put it back together and test it. Chances are it would work. Cleaning it would eliminate the shorts, and checking over the previously stained spots would show you the majority of any damage. Obviously if that didn't fix it, then it blew one of those surface mount resistors, capacitors, or a transformer. BUT the fact that it works when you turn on the lights tells me that nothing is likely blown. Just have a quicker path to ground for the electricity to go than the intended path. Wouldn't take even an hour to save the customer the part cost. Leaving just the labor, denatured alcohol, and solder (if you'd even bother with the dime or so for the "reagents") Go for the bigger win on this one wizard. Cleaning, inspecting, and touching up a couple solder points is super easy, and if I'm right you'll be the owner's hero.

[@ORRadtech]

If it were mine and I was doing the work I'd absolutely try that first. As a shop that has to warranty the work, replacement is the way to go. Used ones on Ebay appear to be in the $50 range, his supplier is likely less and probably come with some sort of warranty. Having a tech spend even 30 minutes on the repair at shop labor rates would cost more than the part and leave the shop responsible if it failed again next week.

[@mihaisirbu1]

As someone that is in college in EE I can say you are 100% correct! That is exactly what I would do, that whole PCB can definitely be saved, worth the try!

[@alfyer5]

I work repairing electronics and this is the way to go

[@basshnter1997]

A little time spent on repairing the original part seems smarter than installing a used one of unknown condition.

[@robertvanruyssevelt7159]

It may be super easy for some but unless you have experience it is easy to stuff the board up completely. This car also required a couple of new components on the board as well as connections.

[@ssrrocks22]

Being in electronics for many years. You could try to wash the board with some acetone to clean off the coffee and should be able to clean off any corrosion around the LEDs as well. Hope this helps. Great diagnosis!

[@CW-pu4yb]

Yeah, but it's not long term reliable

[@ssrrocks22]

@CW-pu4yb That is certainly possible, yes. However, in my years of working on so many electronic circuits and having to deal with just this sort of thing, it is worth a good old college try. At the cost of control boards like this, it's worth it in my estimation...

[@kylemontano228]

@@ssrrocks22since he runs a business, i think he needs to replace the unit outright so the customer stays happy and doesn’t return back with the same problem again. for a personal vehicle, cleaning it is definitely worthwhile

[@JBM425]

@@kylemontano228If he can find a decent used unit, definitely go with that. If it came down to a new unit, then I might try the cleaning first and give it a month or two to see if the fix holds.

[@mymomsaysimcool9650]

Me, former owner of 2 Jettas, 1 Fox, screaming “It’s electrical!!!!” My 3 VWs always had weird sh1t going on with electrical. Those VWs did teach me a lot about electrical wiring and electronics. So there’s that.

[@Musicreach101]

You’re a glutton for punishment eh? 😅.

[@midiman5045]

Are you still buying VW's?

[@pawem5105]

First thing that came into my mind was "It's an electrical problem with the AC control head". I'm not a mechanic, just experienced VW owner. ;)

[@bills.4573]

Mom had a 1977 Dasher (the Fox resurrected that body style) & I'll never forget when an undersized wiring harness below the dash caught fire & dripped melting plastic insulation on her bare legs. We joked that VW should have just skipped the fuse block since the wiring served as a fusible link! Strangely, the only fuse that blew regularly was the one for the (analog) clock & Blaupunkt radio.

[@garganega]

@@bills.4573 My father's Fox did the exact same thing.

[@Land_Raver]

Had a jetta that the ac quit working on. Replaced the compressor switch. No dice. Then I noticed the clutch was not spinning. The bolt in the middle and had sheared the clutch in the middle. Took it to VW for another issue shortly after seeing it. They said metal was in the ac system after I told them what the problem was. They wanted 2200 dollars to fix it. I bought the clutch and fixed it for $35.

[@JVHShack]

@CarWizard I strongly suggest trying to clean the original PCB for the A/C control panel with white vinegar and/or 91% (or better) isoprphyl alcohol (IPA), aka, "rubbing alcohol," and scrub with an old toothbrush. I do this all the time with my vintage computer motherboards and it usually brings them back to life (with some trace repair from battery corrosion in those cases). If you use vinegar, rinse the PCB off with the IPA. At the very least, please try the CRC Electronic cleaner that I've seen you use in a previous video.

[@davidpayne3938]

Good job finding that electrical fault, I've got a similar electrical back feed problem with my twenty years old Ford Transit that lights up the dashboard when the key is out of the ignition. I wished we had more people like the Car Wizard here in Great Britain that care so much about their clients..🙏

[@NVRAMboi]

Thanks Wizard! At the beginning of this vid, I thought, "typical VW electrical problems". At the conclusion I thought, "WRONG!" Boneheaded owner failure." I don't buy European vehicles and kinda hate that because (to me) VW has some really attractive designs and some/several models that approach affordability.

[@JohnnyBean78]

My friend had a '99 Passat B5 V6 and his aircon stopped working. He was able to figure out the blower motor went and replaced it. A lot of work went into that repair. It was working better than ever after that. Good job on these resolutions. I like the extraordinary thinking outside the box. Not many mechanics go that extra mile like you guys do.

[@matt.604]

Long time ago I bought a non-working Wii for cheap. The problem was that there was a hair pin stuck in the disc mechanism. Goes to show how simple accidents can have simple fixes, if someone knows how to troubleshoot and not just throw away.

[@midwestlee-iw8nl]

good call. mrs. wizard has not changed in twenty years .

[@accordinglyryan]

Agreed, she has aged very gracefully

[@triduck]

Hvac control head 3:33 low refrigerant would allow the compressor to turn on just long enough for the system to low pressure on the high pressure side. The coil windings on the clutch would fail more and more until it just stop working

[@Subgunman]

As an electronics tech for commercial two way radios, I have seen coffee damage in many radios. If you can get the assembly down to bare board sometimes you can wash off the board with 97% pure isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush. Once the corrosion is cleaned off a good visual inspection is needed with a magnifying glass and look for traces or components that may have corroded away. If so unless you know how to do surface mount repair AND can find out what parts are needed, time for the e-waste bin. I have been able to salvage many boards and kept customers happy by being able to just clean off the corrosion and touching up some solder joints, testing and if good applying a coat of silicone conformal coating spray to prevent similar reoccurrences. Many times an hour labor is cheaper than even a used sub assembly board. One of my favorites was a towing company that had their radios mounted flat against the dash with the controls facing up………….just under the drink holder. Sodas are far worse than coffee….$$$$, unrepairable control panel board. New board and labor $$$, reinstalling the radio in a different location..$. Thank goodness the IC chip crisis is over, this even applies to todays electronics dependent cars.

[@stevengreco1939]

The Car Wizard channel is a great KZbin channel!

[@Aerobat1191]

I realize that was 3 weeks ago (I just found you when i watched your recent Fiat 500e videos). You probably don't need to replace the control head unit. While it's disconnected, you can rinse the circuit board areas you showed with distilled water and or brush the problem spots on the circuit board with isopropyl alcohol. Scrub the problem spots with a the alcohol and a flux brush. Distilled water and Alcohol won't harm a circuit board. ALL modern (Post 1990) circuit boards are washed with a water based detergent and rinsed with de-ionized water. Trouble spots and touch-ups on the circuit board are cleaned with isopropyl applied by a flux brush. Notes: 1- Try to restrict the fluids to the circuit board and connector surfaces. don't let the rinsing fluids get into the switches (Those are usually applied as the last items during circuit board assembly after the base circuit board has been soldered and washed. 2- Allow the entire circuit assembly to dry before applying power. You can accelerate it with a hair dryer but be wary of the plastic switches.All of the other components withstood over 300ºF when they were soldered en-masse. If you removed the crud (conductive salts) from the circuit board paths, it should be just fine. I say that because, if it worked when you turned on the headlights (which effectively shunted those diodes), no 'electronic components' (semiconductors) on the board were harmed by the coffee induced shorts. [But the switches might be sticky if they got coffee in them?] Distilled or de-ionized water rinsing is actually a part of a circuit board's manufacturing. If you don't let it get in the switches and dry the assembly, it won't hurt anything. Even if you do get water in the switches, they may get sticky but should still work. But we usually solder them on last to prevent them getting wet.

[@dougcook5167]

Over-caffeinated car controls...that's a good one Davey!😅🤣😂

[@florinlepadatu5648]

before buying a good used hvac panel you should try clean the mess with some alcohol rebuild those corroded points and rebuild the pcb in that area. All you need is a multimeter and a solder gun. I know is a multi layer pcb but the corrosion seems on surface so worth the try is not so difficult if it works will work for years if not you can't brake anything else... Same thing can happen on the gear shift selector so imagine that they will tell you to change the gearbox... I love the fact that you dig deeper to the root cause and not change parts all around hoping will work afterwards - great job!

[@rachelblack3816]

You don't necessarily have to replace that control head! It depends if the invasive fluid is just conductive, or also corrosive. If it's only conductive (it hasn't damaged any electrical traces), then you can try just cleaning the surface of the printed circuit board with alcohol and a toothbrush, then rinse it off with distilled/deionized/RO water, allow it to dry (a hair dryer, not too hot, works fine), and it could be good as new. Neither the alcohol nor the pure water will harm the electronics, but the unit should be fully dry before powering it back up. The coffee probably isn't corrosive, so a good cleaning should work fine. If you have an ultrasonic cleaner, use a fresh bath in the cleaner and clean it that way, rinsing it off well with purified water, dry, and you're back in business. I've seen electronic failures like this many times, this could be a very, very easy fix.

[@ianmontgomery7534]

don't use an ultrasonic cleaner if it has lots of MLCC capacitors or crystals on the pcb. Some may fail from the vibration but if you have to use one then only use it for a short time (under 3 minutes). I have never used anything else but a flux cleaning fluid and water de-ionised) for cleaning and a hot box for drying.

[@mcplutt]

Why bother when there are perfectly good units out there for cheap.

[@ianmontgomery7534]

@@mcplutt time involved in sourcing them i guess.

[@mcplutt]

@@ianmontgomery7534 Probably not a lot of time, as long as you have the part number.

[@rachelblack3816]

@@mcplutt The advice I gave is good for most electronics, some of which may not be readily available, or cheap. That's why.

[@Airpaycheck]

After I bought my 2006 Tundra (used) I started digging around looking for a smell. Turned out it was a combo of sodas and coffee. Sticky stuff was behind and under almost every panel. Had to gut it all to clean it up. Fortunately there were no electrical issues. Looked like it was in an unreported accident with a full crew of folks fresh from Mickey D’s. The truck was wiped down but nobody really cleaned up the mess.

[@Barbarapape]

I have to repair liquid damage on consumer electronics most days. The most common itemts that i see are remote controls and laptops. The damage that coffee and worst still soda drinks can do has to be seen to be believed. If it has happened recently you can repair them, but not when the fine pcb tracks have been corroded away. One tip is whatever you do don't use WD40 or contact cleaner, i use a little IPA on a cotton bud or if the damage is just sticky, clean water will remove it, then allow it to dry.

[@afitzsimons]

IPA = Indian Pale Ale = beer. Louis Rossman could fix the board in a jiffy.

[@markbrown8097]

​@afitzsimons there's no PP3VHOT

[@afitzsimons]

@@markbrown8097 HaHa.

[@jacobsmithjr]

I'm so glad I have a decent, honest, old school mechanic like you working on my cars.

[@steelwheels327]

Couldn't you flush the board with a contact cleaner and see if that fixes it instead of replacing the head?

[@JTHelectronics]

was thinking the same thing, i'd clean everything with isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush, the 'corrosion' he mentions would probably brush right off and im quite sure this would work, but with labor hours being what they are might be cheaper as a shop to get a replacement

[@craigross8777]

Love your honest work ethic, too often it is a rear thing these days. I had a very similar problem once when I worked for Hyundai in New Zealand where the a/c control panel wouldn't turn off, causing the battery to go flat. Cheers

[@mcapps1]

I could LITERALLY diagnosed that in 5 minutes...you've never worked on a W210 MB? If it's intermittent, it's ALWAYS the controls. I've been a mechanic since 1984. 12v to the clutch if you want to make sure about the LONGSHOT. Intermittent=electrical.

[@GadgetMart]

He’s clueless with anything other than mainstream repairs. Literally and oil brakes and suspension shop

[@TheFlyingBusman]

To be fair, if you clean that control unit PCB with isopropyl alcohol and maybe reflow the solder joints then it will most likely be good again.

[@DavidHaile_profile]

That is also my conclusion. Electronics have a bad reputation because people don't know how it works and are afraid to dive in and fix it. Spray it with PCB cleaner and reassemble. Easy, cheap. Also - connectors stop connecting. Unplug, spray cleaner inside, replug. That method doesn't fix the underlying problem, but it kicks the can down the road for a few more years. I was an Electronic Engineer for 34 years.

[@imagseer]

Faulty grounds are the usual suspects for electric weirdness; now we can add coffee to it!

[@AgonxOC]

Wizard, we may disagree on many things when it comes to brand and model opinions, but I can certainly appreciate you honesty and your desire NOT to do immoral things and rob customers blinds. Kudos to you!

[@jessestevenson8041]

I am a big VW guy, I’ve had several, I work on them, mod them ect. My daily is a MK8 GTi. VW’s can be SUPER temperamental and buggy if you screw with the electronics and not know what you are doing and/or don’t maintain them properly.

[@chinoyhouse8247]

We had this problem years back on a 2014 Range Rover Vogue. The dealership had a very hard time diagnosing the problem and they’ve decided to replace the Transmission module, the fuses, Replaced the entire transmission and it turns out that a drink went in to the rotary shifter and shorted out the selector putting the car in Neutral at random times and giving transmission error codes. That was a nightmare because it would choose PRND but mostly neutral. No more drinks near the console after that. Good thing that HVAC control didn’t shorted out and killed the harness.

[@stephengorin3059]

Just before you throw the baby out with the bath water, try and remove the damaged board from the plactic trim. Use a good contact cleaner ( CRC brand ) and a old tooth brush and scub the board in the affected order. blow off with compressed air if needed ! This has worked on many circuit boards to clean the residue from the board in the past. The reason why a good contact cleaner is used as the cleaner will dry and leave no trace behind ( i come from a electronics back ground and have had this type of problem many times before ).

[@TheMCKEEMOTOR]

The wizard is carrying the used car repair KZbin on his back. The peoples mechanic.

[@robertenn6818]

I have a 2010 Ford Fusion that would go hot to cold. No one could figure it out. A youtuber described his workaround by turning the lights on. To my amazement. Ac came right on, nice and cold. Still use it t activate my ac, but no one beleves me when i described it. Thanks to the Wuzard for the explaination.

[@jhonditch4269]

Dr Pepper killed my keypad

[@obsoleteprofessor2034]

Look up "Fate is the Hunter" (1964 film). Same thing happened.

[@oibal60]

Read it. Excellent.

[@OddBike]

I had one of those "how is that related?" faults in my Alfa Romeo 164. When I bought it 2 things didn't work: the power mirrors and the power antenna. Set the mirrors by hand, then dug around and found a blown fuse... replace it, antenna works, great! Then one day I bumped the mirror control (it's on the door panel next to your knee, because Alfa) and suddenly the antenna stopped working... and the fuse was blown again... waitaminute... I discovered they shared a circuit, and the power mirror switch had an internal short that would pop the fuse if you moved it a certain direction.

[@raygalantine542]

Rinse the module in distilled water until the water runs clear There is a good chance it will work fine once it dries out I have done this myself with electronics that have been soaked by coffee or soda and it has never failed!

[@marcusvision]

Idk...that component looks pretty blown. Could possibly solder a new one on.

[@fromabove9774]

Any “mechanic” in my area once they plugged in and saw no codes would have taken that customer down a $6000 A/C parts cannon waste of time. Thanks for using your brain.

[@unclepeanut15]

Unpopular opinion but I prefer working on these cars. VW’s are easy to work on

[@chrisg723]

We love our 2012 2.5 Passat! Aisen transmission and great inline 5👍

[@jasongarcia3692]

Audi used to put fold out cupholders above the radio and ac controls. Saw spilled drinks cause tons of non warrantyable failures.

[@blumobean]

Have been involved with VW's since 1963. I am presently sitting in a 2009 Jetta. You have to love German electronics.

[@Watcher3223]

Still better than English electrics, though that isn't really saying much. But, to be fair in this case, liquid damage would have been just as bad in American or Japanese electronic equipment, especially with interconnected systems in cars these days.

[@JBM425]

@@Watcher3223True. This was a quirky issue that you can’t blame on the manufacturer.

[@309gti8]

Before you even listed the possible causes, I wondered if it was the control panel! Glad to see you guys found the problem.

[@2URLex]

Well the problem is that it’s a dang Volkswagen.

[@williamegler8771]

Yet it is the second largest automaker in the world with 6% of the global market that has millions of repeat buyers who are obviously satisfied enough with their current vehicle to buy another one from the same manufacturer.

[@kimblem.w9952]

@@williamegler8771 they drive good but they're not the same quality German made product that they were known for making 20 years ago. They're also extremely frustrating to diagnose and fix from a mechanic's perspective. Would much rather drive Honda/Toyota or older GM.

[@2URLex]

@@williamegler8771you’re not saying anything I haven’t heard before lol

[@maxst2]

14 passat owner here. One of the best cars ive owned. Everything is built solid and at almost 190k only thing ive done is fluids. Replaced brake rotors due to warpage and was shocked to see the pads were barely worn, ive owned this car since 6k miles... and never had them worked on.

[@brilliantbeaches5389]

​@@kimblem.w9952 From an American mechanics perspective. Europeans can fix them easily.

[@JacksAutoDiagnostics]

This is one of those cases where I always ask the question, what exactly is not working correctly? It could be a short or bad ground, but looking at the indicator lights on the a/c controls, that pretty much points you to the problem because it isn't working correctly. What about a 2010 Buick Lacrosse that won't crank. No crank no-start, but if you hold the key in the crank position for 3-5 seconds, the car starts and runs!

[@porcelainthunder2213]

Had one of these as a rental a few years ago. I hated the thing.

[@Michael-yi4mc]

I loved the Tesla that I rented

[@Tsakinnen]

Had that problem two times in Astons Martins... Customers decided it was a good idea to shower the center console with the coffee... It went crazy

[@Darksyne]

Not surprised its a Volkswagen 😂

[@k6-3spetznazhelmet]

Volkswagen 👎👎👎👎

[@maxst2]

Its not even a VW issue... it was a human issue. Liquids and electronics don't mix.

[@diegosilang4823]

My 2001 Accord HVAC control failed preventing me to adjust temperature, vent and AC. I took it apart and found one tiny capacitor poorly soldered and it is about to fall off. I soldered it back and VOILA saved me $75.

[@DS-li3ck]

I miss the old wizard, that actually did repairs. Now it's almost a show of cars other people work on in your shop.

[@CarWizard]

The repair videos are the lowest views Ive ever gotten

[@YungEagle3k]

He runs a business dude would you rather he just do everything? And have no money, no views? Please stop coping

[@zarakdurrani7584]

No entertainment value in that. If he made purely humdrum repair videos showing him wrenching on things and replacing parts 90% of his viewers would stop watching and look for other entertaining shows. It's just human nature and there's nothing wrong with capitalising on it. At the same time the Wizards videos are insightful and informative.

[@JoeUrbanYYC]

@@CarWizard And you've actually been adding some repairs into the videos lately so it's a weird comment.

[@larrybud]

Should have repaired the ac control head! Clean the coffee from the pcb, fix any corroded traces and replace leds and mosfets that might be damaged!

[@JRs-Garage]

Hahahaha our Passat has the same stupid problem, it’s a WV thing 😂😂🤦🏼‍♂️

[@notbanksy8294]

Wolksvagon. Hell yeh.

[@aeonhelendale8777]

Can't agree more. I love my LTD cause you can practically stand in the engine bay with the v8. And since the removal of so much from under the hood, there's even more space! Literally 15 minutes and I have all 8 plugs and wires changed. To make some jealous, I can reach every bolt on my headers with space to go.

[@TheTardis157]

I too have a fun AC issue on my 2012 A3. Vent temps are mediocre but it will cool eventually and the electronics work perfectly. High side pressure was too low and low side was too high. Turns out the AC compressor it uses has no clutch and uses a refrigerant control valve to direct the refrigerant within the compressor. It has been slowly failing for a long time so it doesn't send enough refrigerant to the expansion valve and instead lets it circulate within the compressor. It takes all of 15 minutes to change once you have the system pulled down. Gotta love weird issues.

[@johncomella6920]

I just watched your video. They will be back!. Pressure switch at the bottom of the compressor is a very well known Passat issue with intermittent AC compressor engagement!

[@Calilasseia]

Tip for anyone encountering a Skoda Superb in the USA (though they're probably rare over there, while in Europe there are thousands of them on the road). Volkswagen bought Skoda some time back, and poured money into using Skoda as a sort of budget version of VW. As a consequence, there's a fair amount of parts commonality between modern Skodas and VWs. The Skoda Superb is basically a cut price Passat. Has much of the same equipment, but Skoda charges ⅔ of the money when new. Here in the UK a brand new Skoda Superb will leave you with around a £20-22K bill, while a new Passat, if you can find one (VW announced they were discontinuing the Passat in the UK market in the near future) will take you to £30-35K. BUT ... the parts are pretty much the same in the European markets. Might be different Stateside, but worth checking out just in case. If you have a Passat, it's possible that cheaper OEM Skoda parts will slot in sometimes, because the parts for the two are shared to a fair degree in the European spec cars. Just don't spill coffee in either. :)

[@xelercheddar8026]

I knew it was three once u said ac was blowing ice cold, i woulda probably tapped the control unit with my 3/8s extension and it probably would kicked on and knew immediately

[@LMacNeill]

I once had an A/C that wouldn't work because of *too much* refrigerant. It'd run for a little bit and then shut off, and wouldn't cool again for a good hour or more. It had been low on refrigerant, and someone put too much in accidentally. Apparently there's a safety switch in there somewhere that shuts everything down when the pressure gets too high, and once that switch was triggered, everything shut down until the pressure would bleed off on its own, which took about an hour or so. Two different shops quoted me an entire new A/C system, but I knew it definitely did not need that -- how could it *EVER* cool if the entire system was shot like they claimed it was? A dead compressor will *NEVER* compress refrigerant, so how could it be cooling *some* of the time? I finally found a shop that actually ran a TEST on the system -- hooked up the gauges, and measured the pressures in there. They sucked a bit of refrigerant out of there with their A/C machine, charged me a small fee for their time, and sent me on my way with a perfectly functional A/C system.

[@BobsTank]

Reminds me of my childhood. My dad wouldn't leave the keys in his 1968 Plymouth Station wagon so I could listen to the radio. I got bored and through trial and error, I learned I could get the radio to work without using a key if I stepped on the brake pedal while using the turn signal and activating the Hazard lights. That was the day I learned about electric feedback.

[@bloajmj2680]

My favorite is the sun roof/ windows and rain casuing the doorlocks to lock and unlock rapidly

[@2SlayZGTE]

I love your positive attitude and your integrity! The world needs more of that. Thanks for the interesting and informative video and keep up the great work!

[@eric1985elcamino]

I’ve come across some odd ones in the past but one of my favorites was having to explain to a customer that his new aftermarket tow mirrors were the reason for his check engine light. The new tow mirrors did not have the integrated ambient air temperature sensor that is used by the ECM as a cross reference temperature for mass airflow data lol

[@denawiltsie4412]

I worked for a computer company in southern California and originally the solder flux was cleaned off with a freon compound. California banned it so we switch to water. The boards didn't have parts that would be an issue with water so we would clean them and let them dry completely before we used them. There is one exception. A customer returned a unit that had been under 6 feet of water for days. We fixed what needed to be fixed and the unit worked however after a while, the boards started failing. It seemed the long exposure gave the water time to get in the part eventually causing it to fail. We scrapped all the boards and didn't make that mistake again. You should be able to salvage the board if the water doesn't get in the switches, you can completely clean and dry it. Otherwise, it would be better to replace it.

[@Plekteret04]

I did have a issue with th AC on my 04 Ford Ceown Victoria. It didn't get cold and the clutch on the AC compressor did rattle. It turn on and off. A technician did find a leakage on the botton of the accumulator or dryfilter. Has rusted hole in the bottom, caused by rhe water humidity on the bottom of the plastic bottle around the accumulator. Now it works perfect😊

[@snuffysmiff]

My late wife had an '06 HHR in which she once somehow managed to dump a fairly large amount of sweet tea into the center dash. I used 2 full cans of WD-40 trying to negate the effects but still had to replace a dead battery two days later. It never had a problem with any of dash controls.

[@MobileAutomotiveServices]

I've repaired a ton of miswired aftermarket stereos. Same symptoms: works only when the running lights are on. Instead connecting power input to the accessory circuit, they connect to the running lights. Not quite the same thing as liquid damage, but I'd like to think I would have caught this one. Probably not as fast as your shop did; nice catch!

[@adamjones2299]

To ask someone to rewire a "pop out" screen in a modern car was 600$. The head unit itself is 2 grand sans labor. Dont risk it if you cant afford it. It seems dumb, but the days of a hundred bucks from a junkyard are over. Even the batteries have to be programmed to modern cars.

[@barnesandrewj]

Was great to see you and Mrs Wizard from the early days and some of your family pics. Nice to see behind the curtain. Beautiful family brother!!

[@MyCatInABox]

3:43 Look at them youngins'!😊 Looking good,Mr. Amd Mrs. WIZARD...er, uh, "David and Jenny"🙂👍 thankyou forsharing those pictures with us

[@jrussell1074]

A coworker bought a new bug years ago. Had intermittent problems since new. Towed back to dealer and the dealer would keep it for at least a week each time and not give a loaner. This went on until the warranty ran out. He bought another car, not a VW, and parked it in the garage until the crazy OT we were working slowed down. He got a manual and went over the car step by step until it was fixed. It turned out to be simple and cheep to fix the problem. The car has worked good for him ever since.

[@MrAmk3rd]

I had that car. Loved it, was a 2015. Never had an issue with it. I put 150k+ on it, mostly highway, b4 i sold it. Replaced it with a Lexus, also doing great. Another great vid. Keep them coming. 👍👍👊👊🤘🤘

[@louisvl10]

no way, i love the conclusion of the repair. electrical gremlins always have a logical explanation :)

[@jmaxim80]

this is one of your best videos in my opinion, great job

[@aperson7754]

Good job Omega. You all are an asset to your community

[@DugatDizzyLizzys]

HI Wizard. Noticing little things like the lit controls when its turned off, makes all the difference from "I can't fix it", too, "this is the cause of your problem".

[@georgecurtis6463]

These spill problems were an issue since electronics were installed in cars. Back in the 70s the brand car i worked on had spilled fluids issues with window switches and turn or emergency light issues. Then shifting issues and on and on.

[@woodway11]

#1 first test...easy to verify by just putting it on pressure gauge. if too low , low pressure switch will not allow compressor to run, protecting the compressor.

[@YungEagle3k]

Funny how most people didn't even watch the video, someone spilled coffee on the hvac controller, car has no issues from its own, just the owner making a mistake.

[@TassieLorenzo]

VWs are plenty capable of generating electrical issues without coffee being spilt on circuit boards!

[@spookytreats2195]

Car wizard your the best I admire how you and ms wizard got out of hard times , I as a auto technician life is hard for me

[@zumik83]

This is the reason why I don't understand detailers, mostly DIY'ers, who liberally spray all kinds of cleaning products directly on those modules before cleaning them with a microfiber towel. It's not hard for that cleaning solution to make its way into the module, breaking it. There is also the practice of steam cleaning the interior of the car, another NO-NO, in my opinion.

[@KutWrite]

"Cool!" Literally! Loved the "Dave & Jenny" photos, too.

[@stevebot]

You should see what red wine does to circuit boards, it rivals battery acid.

[@charlesgould8436]

We had a 70's chevy passenger van and one day it started and ran but the heat wouldn't work and the lights also maybe... come to find out the ignition switch slipped out of place, no accessories worked. Just turned the key back in place and all good.

[@BluesyBor]

LOL, I've got a similar problem two weeks ago in my old Focus - AC worked without problems until one day when it worked perfectly fine in the morning, I drove to a shop (20 minutes of driving), left the car for half hour and then came back. At first AC worked for a few minutes, but then I realised it doesn't anymore. All the lights and indicators on the unit were fine, but the air coming from the vents wasn't cold anymore. It was blowing regular outside air on me. I turned it off for a while, 15 minutes later I tried to turn it on and according to the controls everything was working, but it started blowing HOT air instead of cold, so I turned it off for good. Next day? AC was working fine! I didn't spill anything in the car (never did it in any car to be honest, I care for things like that), I owned it for 4 years straight, I doubt this kind of electrical problem would hide for this long. AC was checked and repaired every year - I do it in all my cars regularly - so I have no idea what could be wrong in the mechanical part. I know that when it happened, the compressor wasn't turning for sure (I checkedunder the hood). Maybe some overpressure in the system? Or really something electrical failed, since it was blowing hot air, maybe it was the control unit or some sensor? I won't know for a while because I sold this car to my pal who also do cars professionally - I told him about this adventure, so if he'll encounter it again he'll fix it and tell me what was lurking inside. And I know he's a bit like you, Car Wizard - able to pinpoint problems that others deem unfixable or label as "that's how it is in this model". :D

[@daewooparts]

Had a customer with a 2001 Daewoo Nubira with the same issue, coffee ☕️ spilled into the AC control module & was shorting out thru the lights thru the tiny lights that go thru a dimmer switch & headlight switch, the board was messed up ,luckily for me & her i had 3 new units & as soon as i plugged in the new unit, everything worked fine

[@waynekaminski5438]

That is just a great diagnosis by Danielson! Glad to see Danielson is still with Omega.

[@Renville80]

I would second the suggestion to try cleaning the circuit board and the overlay. You said you can find used controls easily enough, so it might not be a bad idea to give it a try. I'd go with something like Formula 409 to dissolve the gunk on the board (denatured might affect the conformal coating which is supposed to protect against liquid damage), then a good rinse with hot water and a thorough 'airing out' with an air hose.