I've owned EVs since 2013 and instead of watching new car reviews all of similar style your latest series of EV workshop repairs is a breath of fresh air and right up my street being an ex REME electronics technician. More please and thanks 👍
Great to have ‘hands on’ repair videos on EVs. Many of us DIYers have worked on combustion cars for years, but are scared to wade in on an EV. Glad I went for a used BMW i3 and not a Zoe, a compressor should last a decade! French engineering clearly hasn’t improved much since my 1974 Renault 12 first car - which rusted to pieces at 14 years old. 😩
We've had repeated issues with the heater on our 22kw Zoe. The last one was a difficult to diagnose broken pipe in the system. £500 repair, mainly for labour - time to diagnose at Charlton's Boroughbridge. It's true that the heating is not very effective. But a good value and fun car. We like ours.
Would it be worth getting the unit off a crash damaged Zoe and then taking the gearset/internals out and seeing if they can be made up in batches by a machine shop?
This morning I was quoted £1.5k to have the compressor replaced at a Renault dealer in St Alban’s. I refused, as it felt much too steep. You guys confirmed what I expected to pay - roughly £400 + Labour. Would you please recommend a garage for this kind of repair in Hertfordshire? Do you guys have a branch here?
@@Wayneyboy101 went for a cheaper garage, but they did a botched job. I paid them £700, but heater stopped working in a few weeks, again. Went back to Renault, but not a dealer, went straight to Renault Retail. They fixed it for £1k, but no I have to fight the garage to get my initial £700 back. A nightmare. Renault should fix these for free, since they are known to break down sooner or later.
@@maerklin29800 To be honest, the car was never back to how it was originally. Right after the repair, it did work, as in, there was some heat coming through, but it was never back to how it used to be at the start. And eventually, I lost all confidence in Renault, both in terms of the quality of the actual car and parts, and in terms of the ability of the Renault UK official servicing to repair any faults reliably. It felt like they were reaching for the stars, frankly, not really knowing what they were doing. I had some charging issues later on, and they kept saying things like 'oh yeah, it's a known fault, we don't know why it's happening, but we can just reboot the car computer and that clears the fault'... until the next time you get the fault! I had originally put in an order for a new Zoe, but I cancelled, and part-exchanged my old Zoe for a Kia e-Niro. I've had the Kia for a year now, and it's a real game changer. Zoe is not cheap enough really to make it worth all the trouble. The repair bills just went through the roof towards the end, and I just got sick of it needing to go in...
Great video. I'm assuming the Zoe doesn't have a PTC heater to complement the Heat Pump like a Leaf has hence the underwhelming heating? I'm currently replacing a faulty PTC heater on a Leaf which requires quite a bit more disassembly!
Hello, great to see some EV Mechanics at work ! I was wondering, I am having problems with my Zoe 40, there seems to be an ENGINE WEAR SENSOR. The value of this sensor should be smaller than 1,2, mine is 1,4 and so I am having the message "electric engine" in the display all the time. Renault doesn't want to repair it and tries to sell me a new engine.... do you have any experience how to fix it, or is it possible to bridge or trick this sensor ? The engine is running normally.
Hi this video is very interesting.thank you for that. I would like to ask something. My Zoe 22kw 2015 has problem with heating as well. Basically when is outside temperature less than 5 degrees then heater works but it is not like warm enough in a car it's just fine. But when temperature is above 5 degrees then heater doesn't work and blowing just cold. I did try everything but nothing really helped. Do you think this repair could help my zoe as well and finally have nice comfort in my car?
I do enjoy the garage videos. It was mentioned that the heat is a common fault. Would be an interesting video to find out what are the common faults with some EVs as it might help narrow down the selection of when purchasing perhaps?
was the system not flushed?? for a 45 min repair I doubt it, Metallic paste can be clearly seen in the compressor which would require complete system flush and clean. Nex expansion valve, suction filter on compressor Replacement of heat exchangers Probable cause of compressor failure was lack of oil caused by a system leak, A vacuum test using dry nitrogen/hydrogen should be performed. If none of the above was done I doubt the system performed as it should
Hey! Thanks for the great videos. I wonder if you know if the Can clip works for the electric car Renault Zoe? Year model 2019. Battery 41 kw. Thanks! From Tommy
Thanks for your video. Are you able to use the heater while you are charging? Aparently is impossible. It is so uncomfortable to charge in winter if you have to stay on the car.
I have got the exact same problem in my Zoe, likely to be the compressor. Can you please advise where are you based and if it is possible to arrange repairs for my heater and a/c not working?
Nice video James. Interested to know how it works with these being battery owned . Are they reliable and cost effective if the battery was due to fail. Spotted one forsale the other day at £7000 said battery owned.
Good video , you got a nice little job now then James ,I'll look out for you, is there not a market for pattern parts on these things yet? Like ice parts? 👍😉
Get it warmer with the right mix of gpl instead. Bonus the gpl has lower head pressure compared to the other stuff so that compressor should live much longer. You'll struggle to get cold in a hot climate due to technicalities but for your region you'll be just fine.
I dont understand the heating issue with the Zoe, we have a 2016 Zoe and have no issue with it getting the cabin to 23-25C with an outside temp of 0C, I keep hearing about it but we've never known any such issue.
@@taqveem it's not, that's stated in the manual that in eco mode reduces the heat pumps output. Folks seemed to be just complaining in general the heating isn't great.
I presume there was no danger of any of the shredded aluminium getting into the refrigerant pipes? On ICE vehicles, a compressor in that state would also need the rest of the system (condenser, dryer, etc) to be replaced to prevent a recurrence of the compressor failure in a few weeks time from shrapnel making its way around the system.
I’m tempted to buy a local used one at the minute for £2800 with a broken heating issue. I’ve heard there are other issues with this and sometimes it’s a simple fix.
Disappointing from what seems to be a respected ev channel. Title seems to indicate '5 minute' repair. This implies a very simple problem like replacing a fuse or bulb. Or something very cheap and quick. It was £450 just for the compressor, not sure if that included VAT but you do have to add on the labour. 45 minutes to fix the problem was good going.
Hey! Why do you change the Ac compressor in this white Renault zoe, without flushing out the entire refrigerant system? They must be done when an Ac compressor has crashed. Otherwise it does not take long before the (Expensive) New Ac compressor crashes it as well.
the repair was not really 5 minutes but around 45 minutes. so maybe see a 45 minute repair in 5 mins more accurate title. but yes seems easy to do but part cost does seem a bit much for a poor heater. may be just buy a plug in car heater for the dash since only really needed in winter to keep warm.
Unfortunately, still don't trust Renault due to reliability issues. For a compressor to disintegrate after just a few years is very poor design/poor quality part. I've heard of other problems too with the Zoe, so I'll stick to my 24kWh Leaf, still totally trouble free after 4 years.
As 2015 car, take it air con compressor wear and tear rather than part that should reasonably still be fine inside 6 years?! Leaf more realistic buy for me due to having Chademo, so can use Instavolt.
That was actually really poorly made repair. If there is some contamination in ac system u need to change expansion valve, drier and most of all, flush that system! Otherwise that system won't work for long and that new compressor warranty is voided.
Would be an ideal car to replace my mum in laws dying old fiesta but the battery lease makes it unreasonable. If we could get a 6k car for her that’s top of her budget. But then paying £40 a month battery lease when she does 2k miles a year... not worth it
This cheap repair and isn't done of professionals :D all metal chips was left in system, no flush operation, dryer should be changed, and oil filled into new compressor. Are you kidding measuring temperature with hands??? You know thermometer was founded long time ago:D
£400 pounds for something that should never have broken in the first place? For a start it’s a $100 chinese made part and it’s just sub standard engineering and manufacture. What a ripoff. Renault, bending their customers over before taking them for a ride. Good repair though it’ll probably just break again in a couple of years.
Hello! And thanks! for a meaningless Video. Why don't you show how to unscrew the AC Compressor? And also when you vacuum and fill the coolant? And it is false to write that you repair the heater in 5 minutes. Thanks! From Tommy
This is my favorite EV channel.. It's practical, hands on with no bullshit. Thanks!
I've owned EVs since 2013 and instead of watching new car reviews all of similar style your latest series of EV workshop repairs is a breath of fresh air and right up my street being an ex REME electronics technician. More please and thanks 👍
Happy to see you guys looking after our older generation Zoes.
And its 17.5deg not 16 🤣 the new ZE50 heating has improved so much.
Enjoyed the video James. Really wish the Zoe was available here in the States.
Another great insight into ev repairs 👍👍👍
Thought EVs have nothing to go wrong ? 😉
Great informative video gives customers the confidence there are specialists out there with the knowledge to assist at a fair cost 👍
as always, a great video!
(please adjust framerate on camera, that flickering light is not so comfortable to watch. thanks ;) )
Great to have ‘hands on’ repair videos on EVs. Many of us DIYers have worked on combustion cars for years, but are scared to wade in on an EV. Glad I went for a used BMW i3 and not a Zoe, a compressor should last a decade! French engineering clearly hasn’t improved much since my 1974 Renault 12 first car - which rusted to pieces at 14 years old. 😩
We've had repeated issues with the heater on our 22kw Zoe. The last one was a difficult to diagnose broken pipe in the system. £500 repair, mainly for labour - time to diagnose at Charlton's Boroughbridge. It's true that the heating is not very effective. But a good value and fun car. We like ours.
Neither the heating nor AC is very good in our Twingo Mk2.
Thank you for this great video. Nice to know, how to remove the bumper and the ac compressor. Thumbs up!!
Would it be worth getting the unit off a crash damaged Zoe and then taking the gearset/internals out and seeing if they can be made up in batches by a machine shop?
This morning I was quoted £1.5k to have the compressor replaced at a Renault dealer in St Alban’s. I refused, as it felt much too steep. You guys confirmed what I expected to pay - roughly £400 + Labour. Would you please recommend a garage for this kind of repair in Hertfordshire? Do you guys have a branch here?
How did you get on repairing your heater? Which garage did you use?
@@Wayneyboy101 went for a cheaper garage, but they did a botched job. I paid them £700, but heater stopped working in a few weeks, again. Went back to Renault, but not a dealer, went straight to Renault Retail. They fixed it for £1k, but no I have to fight the garage to get my initial £700 back. A nightmare. Renault should fix these for free, since they are known to break down sooner or later.
@@tudorconducta1929 Did the compressor replaced at Renault Retail last long?
@@maerklin29800 To be honest, the car was never back to how it was originally. Right after the repair, it did work, as in, there was some heat coming through, but it was never back to how it used to be at the start. And eventually, I lost all confidence in Renault, both in terms of the quality of the actual car and parts, and in terms of the ability of the Renault UK official servicing to repair any faults reliably. It felt like they were reaching for the stars, frankly, not really knowing what they were doing. I had some charging issues later on, and they kept saying things like 'oh yeah, it's a known fault, we don't know why it's happening, but we can just reboot the car computer and that clears the fault'... until the next time you get the fault! I had originally put in an order for a new Zoe, but I cancelled, and part-exchanged my old Zoe for a Kia e-Niro. I've had the Kia for a year now, and it's a real game changer. Zoe is not cheap enough really to make it worth all the trouble. The repair bills just went through the roof towards the end, and I just got sick of it needing to go in...
Great video. I'm assuming the Zoe doesn't have a PTC heater to complement the Heat Pump like a Leaf has hence the underwhelming heating? I'm currently replacing a faulty PTC heater on a Leaf which requires quite a bit more disassembly!
Hello, great to see some EV Mechanics at work ! I was wondering, I am having problems with my Zoe 40, there seems to be an ENGINE WEAR SENSOR. The value of this sensor should be smaller than 1,2, mine is 1,4 and so I am having the message "electric engine" in the display all the time. Renault doesn't want to repair it and tries to sell me a new engine.... do you have any experience how to fix it, or is it possible to bridge or trick this sensor ? The engine is running normally.
Hi this video is very interesting.thank you for that. I would like to ask something. My Zoe 22kw 2015 has problem with heating as well. Basically when is outside temperature less than 5 degrees then heater works but it is not like warm enough in a car it's just fine. But when temperature is above 5 degrees then heater doesn't work and blowing just cold. I did try everything but nothing really helped. Do you think this repair could help my zoe as well and finally have nice comfort in my car?
I do enjoy the garage videos. It was mentioned that the heat is a common fault. Would be an interesting video to find out what are the common faults with some EVs as it might help narrow down the selection of when purchasing perhaps?
Thanks James. Looks like a component which needs fabricating out of more durable alloy.
was the system not flushed?? for a 45 min repair I doubt it, Metallic paste can be clearly seen in the compressor which would require complete system flush and clean. Nex expansion valve, suction filter on compressor Replacement of heat exchangers Probable cause of compressor failure was lack of oil caused by a system leak, A vacuum test using dry nitrogen/hydrogen should be performed. If none of the above was done I doubt the system performed as it should
Hey! Thanks for the great videos. I wonder if you know if the Can clip works for the electric car Renault Zoe? Year model 2019. Battery 41 kw. Thanks! From Tommy
Thanks for your video. Are you able to use the heater while you are charging? Aparently is impossible. It is so uncomfortable to charge in winter if you have to stay on the car.
Weren't there any shavings of the broken compressor parts in the cooling system?
They shows how damage new compressor. And also get shavings all around system :D
@@zigmasj what would be the alternative?
@@maerklin29800 you need check pipes where you can find shavings, after that you can make conclusion what to do next
oooohhhh this is the guy i have been writing with (i repaired 2 Zoe 's filter issue) nice to have a face on the guy :D
Nice new job you have. Well done
i have no heat only from driver feet side was hoping its only the hepa filter any advice ?
When is your 12 month MG ZE EV review coming up?
I have got the exact same problem in my Zoe, likely to be the compressor. Can you please advise where are you based and if it is possible to arrange repairs for my heater and a/c not working?
Nice video James. Interested to know how it works with these being battery owned . Are they reliable and cost effective if the battery was due to fail. Spotted one forsale the other day at £7000 said battery owned.
Why would a compressor break like that? Does it need regular servicing and oiling?
In Italy, Renault sells the compressor for more than €1.300
😢
Good video , you got a nice little job now then James ,I'll look out for you, is there not a market for pattern parts on these things yet? Like ice parts? 👍😉
IS THAT A NIGHTMARE ?
short break and strong "NO"
Lucky to hear that answer - pretty unusual answer.
Where is the workshop featured here?
Thanks for another great video
I wish Renault would send the zoe to the states.. I would be all over it. 😪
Get it warmer with the right mix of gpl instead. Bonus the gpl has lower head pressure compared to the other stuff so that compressor should live much longer. You'll struggle to get cold in a hot climate due to technicalities but for your region you'll be just fine.
I dont understand the heating issue with the Zoe, we have a 2016 Zoe and have no issue with it getting the cabin to 23-25C with an outside temp of 0C, I keep hearing about it but we've never known any such issue.
The issue is when its in Eco mode, the full power of the battery is not used to power the unit, hence it underperforms. Renault kept this fact hidden.
@@taqveem it's not, that's stated in the manual that in eco mode reduces the heat pumps output. Folks seemed to be just complaining in general the heating isn't great.
I presume there was no danger of any of the shredded aluminium getting into the refrigerant pipes? On ICE vehicles, a compressor in that state would also need the rest of the system (condenser, dryer, etc) to be replaced to prevent a recurrence of the compressor failure in a few weeks time from shrapnel making its way around the system.
Yes all the debris will be in the pipes etc so the whole system needs replacing.
Did you de-leaf under the bonnet?
I’m tempted to buy a local used one at the minute for £2800 with a broken heating issue. I’ve heard there are other issues with this and sometimes it’s a simple fix.
Subscribed! Thanks for the info!
Come on James bit of a dodgy click bait title 😉 the actual repair took longer than 5 minutes 😂
It's a 5 minute video, I guess.
Is there a company that can repair the ac compressor of Renault Zoe ?
The heater on my ZE40 was excellent, I assume it was upgraded?
System flush?
Is the camera set to 60fps?
Do they service outlanders?
Old Zoe’s are crazy expensive to repair when they go wrong and they go wrong a lot. £450 just for the part!
£480
Standard ICE compressor is hardly less expensive.
A replacement clutch and flywheel for a BMW 320D is £2500 fitted at BMW. This seems fairly cheap. :)
mine has 93000kms not one problem!
Disappointing from what seems to be a respected ev channel. Title seems to indicate '5 minute' repair. This implies a very simple problem like replacing a fuse or bulb. Or something very cheap and quick. It was £450 just for the compressor, not sure if that included VAT but you do have to add on the labour. 45 minutes to fix the problem was good going.
How much this repair costs?
Hey! Why do you change the Ac compressor in this white Renault zoe, without flushing out the entire refrigerant system? They must be done when an Ac compressor has crashed. Otherwise it does not take long before the (Expensive) New Ac compressor crashes it as well.
Isn't that what the mashine with the red and blue cable did?
I know that. But you don't show how to do the job. There is no one who can learn to do that job by watching your bad video. Thanks! From Tommy
the repair was not really 5 minutes but around 45 minutes. so maybe see a 45 minute repair in 5 mins more accurate title.
but yes seems easy to do but part cost does seem a bit much for a poor heater. may be just buy a plug in car heater for the dash since only really needed in winter to keep warm.
please where i can buy the renault parts to fix my zoe please help
From Renault
If its a common problem, why no recall? Bad Renault, Bad.
Unfortunately, still don't trust Renault due to reliability issues. For a compressor to disintegrate after just a few years is very poor design/poor quality part. I've heard of other problems too with the Zoe, so I'll stick to my 24kWh Leaf, still totally trouble free after 4 years.
fab video !!
As 2015 car, take it air con compressor wear and tear rather than part that should reasonably still be fine inside 6 years?! Leaf more realistic buy for me due to having Chademo, so can use Instavolt.
That was actually really poorly made repair. If there is some contamination in ac system u need to change expansion valve, drier and most of all, flush that system! Otherwise that system won't work for long and that new compressor warranty is voided.
That's exactly what our machine does.
@@Jamesandkate You have a machine which CHANGES the other components in the aircon system? Wow!
Would be an ideal car to replace my mum in laws dying old fiesta but the battery lease makes it unreasonable. If we could get a 6k car for her that’s top of her budget. But then paying £40 a month battery lease when she does 2k miles a year... not worth it
Get a leaf for < 6k
Get the i model with battery owned not leased or buy out the lease.
You can now buy the battery on the leased battery cars. Be worth checking the state of health first though
Some flicker on the camera that could set off an epileptic fit in some viewers.
The video was 5 minutes. Was hoping that the fix was 5 minutes!
*Total Bill £1000 inc VAT I bet !*
Do you live in Cleveleys now? lol.
Hope you took some Blackpool rock home with you.
They are based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, not Blackpool!
@@rolandgoodman8255 Thanks for that info!!
With a name like Cleveleys I thought it was Thornton/Cleveleys Lancs.
Funny way to recommend buying one by showing a common expensive repair.
This cheap repair and isn't done of professionals :D all metal chips was left in system, no flush operation, dryer should be changed, and oil filled into new compressor. Are you kidding measuring temperature with hands??? You know thermometer was founded long time ago:D
I would not work in that garage.
Why not. I'm curious.
@@mauricewatts2380 it's clear for everyone to see. you don't need to look to hard.
@@tomquimby8669 please tell us all .... Are you even mechanic ?
I genuinely cannot see a reason for not working there. It's clean tidy well lit and they appear safety aware. Please do tell.
Same, don’t understand what Tom is seeing.
£400 pounds for something that should never have broken in the first place? For a start it’s a $100 chinese made part and it’s just sub standard engineering and manufacture. What a ripoff. Renault, bending their customers over before taking them for a ride. Good repair though it’ll probably just break again in a couple of years.
Iv got a Zoe already bought a blower and now the compressor has given up. Renault are still shit cars.
Hello! And thanks! for a meaningless Video. Why don't you show how to unscrew the AC Compressor? And also when you vacuum and fill the coolant? And it is false to write that you repair the heater in 5 minutes. Thanks! From Tommy