87 Air conditioning does not cool, DTC B16A284 is stored in the thermal management control module
87 20 12 2061660/1 December 15, 2020.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

A8, S8

2020 - 2021

All

Not Applicable

Condition
Customer states:
 When the air conditioning system is activated the system does not generate cold air.
 It is not possible to activate the air conditioning system using the HVAC controls.
 The A/C button does not respond when pressed.
Workshop findings:
 The air conditioning circuit head pressures are checked and are confirmed low.
 The refrigerant in the circuit is recovered and found to be very low or empty.
The following DTC may be stored in the thermal management control module, J1024 (address word 00C5):
 DTC B16A284 (Refrigerant pressure for cooling passenger compartment Signal too low).

Technical Background
A refrigerant leak test reveals a leak at the
bolted connections of the refrigerant line with
inner heat exchanger that connects the main
circuit to the rear evaporator. When the line is
removed an incorrect and/or damaged O-ring
seal is found (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Damaged refrigerant line O-ring seal.

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© 2020 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

The refrigerant line with inner heat exchanger is
located inside the left front wheel housing liner
(Figure 2).

Figure 2. Location of the refrigerant line with inner heat
exchanger that connects the main refrigerant circuit to
the rear evaporator

Production Solution
The O-ring seal type and installation procedure improved at the refrigerant line supplier.

Service
1. Perform an air conditioning circuit leak test diagnosis using either contrast dye or by pressurizing the circuit
with compressed nitrogen and investigating the leak location with a soapy water solution at each end of this
refrigerant line. Provided no damage to the mating sections of the line are found replace the O-ring seals on either
end of the line. If a leak is not found at either end of this refrigerant line, continue with the leak diagnosis and
repair.
2. Please take photos of the customer concern and upload them into DOC-IT with the repair order. Photos should:
 Have a date stamp and VIN reference.
 Be taken in focus and with sufficient light.
 Where it is appropriate, mark the affected place for a reference to the concern for analysis.

Page 2 of 5
© 2020 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Warranty
Claim Type:

 110 up to 48 Months/50,000 Miles.
 G10 for CPO Covered Vehicles – Verify Owner.
 If the vehicle is outside any warranty, this Technical Service Bulletin is informational
only.

Service Number:

8744

Damage Code:

0050

Labor Operations:

Refrigerant drain and fill (with contrast)

Diagnostic Time:

Claim Comment:

8703 1700

See SRT with
associated
operations

Front wheel housing liner remove and reinstall 6616 1901

See SRT with
associated
operations

Check air conditioning system for leaks

8701 0150

See SRT with
associated
operations

Subsequent evacuation and recharge after
leak found at line

8703 9999

40 TU

Refrigerant line with inner heat exchanger
remove, replace seal rings and reinstall line

8744 9999

30 TU

GFF

0150 0000

Time stated on
the diagnostic
protocol (Max 30
TU)

Road test prior to the service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Road test after the service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

As per TSB #2061660/1

All warranty claims submitted for payment must be in accordance with the Audi Warranty Policies and Procedures
Manual. Claims are subject to review or audit by Audi Warranty.

Required Parts and Tools
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© 2020 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Always check with your Parts Department and/or ETKA for the latest information and parts bulletins.
Part Number

Part Description

Quantity

See ETKA

Fasteners, Bolts, Nuts, and Screws as needed per the
Repair Manual

See ETKA/ELSA

4E0260749B

02

Seal ring
3D0260749C

01

Seal ring

Tool Number

Tool Description

NITROKITG

Automotive A/C Nitrogen Leak Test Kit
VAS 6160/VAS 6150

VAS tester with current version of ODIS
(Windows 10)

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© 2020 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2061660) are subject to change and/or removal.
©2020 Audi of America, Inc. All rights reserved. The information contained in this document is based on the
latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property
rights of Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes
at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may
these materials be modified or reposted to other sites without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Page 5 of 5
© 2020 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.