AUSTIN VERT'S CLASSIC AUTO AIR SYSTEM NEW UPDATE

[Austin Vert]

NEW UPDATE: (17 - 06 - 2024)

Hi again,

I recently decided to purchase and install a manual heater control valve that is operated by a push /pull cable with knob attached, to give me better , more accurate control of hot water coming into the heater core. I have removed the Classic Auto Air electronic control valve and replaced it with the manual one. (see pics

As i have said before, i am not for the third time, going to folk out another $400. Au to buy yet another Classic Air valve, only to have it potentially fail somewhere in the near future, like the first two have done. The push pull knob got mounted just under the dash below where the cigar lighter is located.

Other than the Classic system, which never really put out a decent air flow and force from the beginning, this new manual heater valve upgrade will bring this sad system back to a working standard which will be just acceptable, all year 'round.

Thanks,
Greg.

 

[Cleveland Crush]

Good move Greg. When dealing with our cars (and most other mechanical things) keeping it simple is a wise choice.

 

[tony-muscle]

Thanks for the update. I will keep this post in mind in case their valve fails me in the future.

 

[Austin Vert]

Thanks for the update. I will keep this post in mind in case their valve fails me in the future.

Thanks Tony and Chris,

Yes, just to quickly recap, i bought my Classic Auto Air complete system from America back in 2012, and had it professionally installed. Please note that i don't really get to use it much at all on a year 'round basis, given that i live in a sub tropical climate , and mostly drive around with the top down. So around 10 months or so after installation, the heater control valve failed to operate. I then ordered and bought a genuine replacement part from Classic Air which of course fixed the problem. About another year later the second valve broke down and failed to operate. I contacted Classic Air to help resolve my ongoing problems, but they could offer no help or good advice to help solve my problems. They just told me that they sell good quality products, and just buy another part off them. At around the $400.00 mark to ship the part to my door, this was proving to be a very expensive game which i no longer wanted to play. ( i wonder how many of their parts are made in Asian Countries)

Enough was enough, so to get around this problem, i installed a ball gate lever valve on the incoming heater hose to the firewall which feeds the heater core. (see my post on that topic) That worked well, but i upgraded to the push/ pull manual valve to give me easy, convenient variable control over how much hot water comes into the heater core. That cost me a total of $32.00 Au for those new parts. I have also kept the ball gate valve acting as a backup if needed.

Lastly, if you have an original Ford factory aircon system installed, which uses a vacuum heater control i believe, then going to a manual operating valve may not be the answer here. Please research this as i have not, and cannot offer advice on that particular subject.

So i'm back in the game so to speak, and Classic Auto Air can take a running jump!

Cheers,

Greg.

 

[rhigg1959]

I just had a Classic air firewall out kit installed as I had factory AC. What should have been a few days job turned into a 6 week job. My installer had a few issues with the kit and could not get support from them. I ended up sending a support ticket to have them call my installer and got no response. Luckily my installer was able to figure out the issues and the work arounds himself.

 

[Austin Vert]

I just had a Classic air firewall out kit installed as I had factory AC. What should have been a few days job turned into a 6 week job. My installer had a few issues with the kit and could not get support from them. I ended up sending a support ticket to have them call my installer and got no response. Luckily my installer was able to figure out the issues and the work arounds himself.

Hi Ron,
Sorry to hear that. Not funny. Forum feedback on Classic Air seems to be a mixed bag over the years, as some members love the system, and some don't. I fall into the catagory of those that don't. To me Classic Air is a company that talks the talk, but doesn't really walk the walk! I got crappy support from them myself also.

Greg.

 

[RIBS]

I did a Classic Auto Air system in 2022. My experience was actually pretty good. The system went in easy and functions well, sales team that configured it for my vehicle options, tech support was very good... The issues I had were a pain in the @@$ but otherwise not a big deal…..the install instructions were a bad and duplicative copy paste job, the air tubes were too short, and the lead time for them to build it was 14 weeks. They shipped new tubes quickly. It’s been running strong for 2 years.

I do agree $400 for a water valve is a bit ridiculous….i get it’s probably custom to work with their system but that’s about 4 times the cost I would expect….i am guessing part of that was the shipping to your country but still…ouch!!

 

[Austin Vert]

I did a Classic Auto Air system in 2022. My experience was actually pretty good. The system went in easy and functions well, sales team that configured it for my vehicle options, tech support was very good... The issues I had were a pain in the @@$ but otherwise not a big deal…..the install instructions were a bad and duplicative copy paste job, the air tubes were too short, and the lead time for them to build it was 14 weeks. They shipped new tubes quickly. It’s been running strong for 2 years.

I do agree $400 for a water valve is a bit ridiculous….i get it’s probably custom to work with their system but that’s about 4 times the cost I would expect….i am guessing part of that was the shipping to your country but still…ouch!!

Hi Ribs,

Glad you had a fairly good experience. We live in times of high inflation, high labor costs, taxes, and high shipping costs, combined with product shortages, long wait times and poor quality products. Our hobby has become more difficult and quite expensive these days for sure, especially if you live away from the US. I get slugged with bad dollar exchange rates, expensive shipping costs, and Government import taxes.

Thank God i got most of my upgrades and renovation work done many years ago when prices and fees were much cheaper than today.

Greg.

 

[cjstaci]

$400 for a valve that fails every year. Sounds like a subscription to drain the bank account.