Some time ago material started blowing out of the vents, kind of looked like bits of light grey foam. The fan switch had already started having problems, only worked on 2 and 4. On 4 with the AC on the plastic on the switch got soft and slightly deformed. Now it only works on 4. The AC does not get cold, I had it checked, drained and refilled and still no cold AC. 1. Are these 2 separate problems? 2. Will I find anything to fix behind the switch panel? love my car
1 Answer
These are definitely two separate problems. I'll start by addressing the blower motor speed issue.
This is almost always caused by a bad blower motor resistor in a car. These directly control the speed of the blower motor fan while the hvac system in a vehicle is in use. Usually these are located underneath the dash very close to the blower motor itself. Here is a forum that discusses locating the resistor for your particular vehicle. http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5335524-95-Golf-blower-motor-resistor-replacement
Your second problem is going to be a lot more in-depth. There are several things that can be wrong with your AC system to cause it to not blow cold air. Provided that you already drained and refilled the system means that a shortage of refrigerant can already be crossed off of the list of things to look at.
From there, there are still quite a few possibilities for the cause of your problem. Your compressor itself could be faulty, you could have an obstruction within the coolant system lines, or your blend door for the HVAC system could be stuck in a position that does not allow the cool air to circulate. Here is another resource for you to look at to help you diagnose the trouble with your AC system. http://www.aa1car.com/library/ac_no_cooling.htm
AC problems can turn into labor-intensive struggles just due to the nature of the systems, so you should get a professional's opinion at any point that you feel you're in over your head or don't know how to proceed. Best of luck!