C30 AC Compressor Failure

My 2012 Volvo C30 with a gasoline engine is giving me A/C headaches. The air conditioning just suddenly stopped working. It doesn't switch on at all, and naturally, it's not cooling. I even hooked it up to a basic code reader and it's showing an error related to the A/C compressor. I'm at a loss, any ideas?

4 comment(s)

Sounds familiar. I had a similar problem with my C30. Have you checked the AC relay? Sometimes undervoltage can cause the compressor to shut off. Worth a look before you start suspecting a refrigerant leak or something more serious.

Thanks for the quick reply! Where exactly is the AC relay located? And how would I check it? I'm not super mechanically inclined, so any details would be appreciated!

It's in the engine compartment, usually in the main fuse box. The manual should show the exact location, but basically, swap it with another identical relay and see if the A/C starts working. If not, it's probably time to visit a workshop. That's what I ended up doing.

Following your advice, I checked the relay, but no luck. Took it to a shop, and turns out it was an undervoltage issue causing the compressor to shut off, and the relay switch was defective. The repair cost me about 240€. Thanks so much for pointing me in the right direction!

Join the discussion now: