My Passenger AC is nice and cool, but driver's side is warm/ambient - 10 to 20 degrees warmer. It cools a little bit after the system runs for a while, but the air is always noticeably warmer on the left side of the car no matter how long it runs.

So I search JTIS and TSBs and they talk about the "Temperature Blend Door Actuator" failing to move the blend door to the correct position... This forum has a few mentions of the "check your Blend Door" - but really not much. I checked a few parts sites and don't see anyone selling a "Blend Door Actuator."

Then i see the post from 740i - "AC, cold and warm (half and half)", which sounds like my issue - and contains a reply from elardizabal that basically says "recharge your AC - that fixed it for me." Now that sounds alot simpler than removing the glovebox and screwing around up in there to replace a part thats prolly gonna cost a hundred bucks.

BUT - something seems fishy. I've had cars where the AC needed recharging and the air coming out is warm all over - not just on one side of the car. There's literally a 10 to 20 degree difference in temperature between whats coming out of all the vents on the passenger side (center, side, and footwell vents) and the temperature of the air coming out of the vents on the driver's side. The descriptions I found of the blend door say that it is for "mixing warm and cool air" - not that it mixes left and right air. And there aren't dual zones in the X-type.

So neither explanation really seems to hit the mark. Any suggestions?

 

Yes the refrigerant charge is probably low. It starts at one side and when the heat is absorbed it cannot cool the other side (common fault). Here is the blend door TSB.

bob gauff

 

The hexperts were correct, it just needed to be charged up with more Freon, which unfortunately isn't free ($131 at the local garage this morning - $67 in labor - 45 mins - to check and test the system, and $47 for the "free-on.") That's what makes me a DIY'er - but I dont have the gear to do that sort of thing.

But at least its all nice and chilly again.

Tx