improving Urq A/C efficiency...

["Jouko Haapanen" <joukoh@vtoy.fi>]

Last night I decided to have a look at my Urquattro's fresh air intake as I
was wondering about the poor cooling of the A/C and the ominous sounds the
fan motor was making.  I took off the fresh air control from on top of the
fan motor (firs clue: screen missing) and found enough birch leaves and
birch seeds to start my own composting centre.  The fan was full of sh*t,
and better yet, below, on top of the A/C core were birch seeds enough to
block almost 30% of the total surface.  I washed the ducting and the fan
motor, and vacuumed out the A/C core.  I put everything back together and
presto, a huge improvement in cooling, a quiet fan, and no birch seeds in my
face from fresh air vents.

I ordered a new screen (811 820 585), which is appropriately called a
"foliage grille" by ETKA.  I wonder if the screen is fine enough to keep the
stupid birch seeds out of the system in the future?  There does not seem to
be a fresh-air filter available for the Urquattro, only for next generation
Coupés and 80/90's onwards.

I also managed to crack the plastic rain cover (team doorhandle couldn't
find anything more brittle to use...) so I've ordered a new one of thos as
well.

I also discovered (I think) that the Urq's A/C workes in recirc mode only,
or at least in my experiments, the fresh air flap is closed as soon as you
turn on the A/C.  Otherwise you wouldn't get cold air from the fresh air
vents, I guess.  It just goes against what I think of recirc systems, I
don't know if it's nice to sit in the car with four adults for multi-hours
with no fresh air...

I wonder if you could change the recirc to a separate button, allowing you
to run the A/C without recirc and keeping the fresh air vents (which would
no longer give cool air) closed, as I often close them anyways when I'm
running A/C on long trips.  You could run recirc just for initial cooling
and when required.  Any BTDT's??

Jouko Haapanen
Pori, Finand