I've read in a few write-ups that air conditioning / climate control is worth having for damp weather, and some folks here have added a/c after sale.
Yes, I know it's a soft-top, but if it was obvious I wouldn't be asking this
Does anyone who has it have any compelling advice? Or anyone without it wish they did?

Aircon was a £1000 upgrade when new, so as you would expect not that many Barchetta's had it fitted. Its a nice thing to have but its not the main reason to buy a specific B.



Adding aircon can be done but is a good few days work and you would need a donor car.

I've only had my 'B' since Nov and it doesn't have aircon. My only comment is that in wet weather if you have been in it and left the car for a few minutes (eg at the petrol station) you sometimes get condensation on the rear screen..worsening the already poor view A quick blast from the central airvents clears this nicely though. Never had any probs with the windscreen or side windows though

I added air con to my Barchetta last year and find it makes a huge difference to clearing the interior windows in the winter. As this is my daily car, it also make it much more pleasant in the summer when putting the top down is impractical - driving to meetings in a suit, hot rainy days, etc. It wasn't cheap but well worth it.

Patches, did you do the work yourself ? Did you get the aircon from a donor car ?

If you dont mind me asking what the bill was ?

No - a bit beyond my mechanical skills as the engine had to be removed. All new parts were used - mostly original from Fiat. Price was £1,250 + Vat for a total of £1,468.75. Mostly happy with the work although they left the car dirtier than when they got it, scratched the console and nicked the console box. It also took them longer than the 5 days quoted because the FIAT condenser unit was back ordered. Apparently mine was the first B they have done. If I could do it again, I would buy one with factory air con rather than retro-fit because it is much harder and expensive to do it afterwards. That said, I am still glad I did it and it has worked very well since it was installed in May 06.

I would like to fit it to my B, but will only do it if I get my hands on a donor B.

Air con - I have air con in the Alfa, I don't use it in the Winter, I had air con in the Peugeot when living in France, it had a leak so it didn't work, never needed it even in 40C heat. I don't have air con in the Barchetta, but I maybe have the advantage of keeping the Barchetta garaged and I use a dessicator in the cockpit when it's not being used. More recently I use it mainly on Fridays to go to work, down the A21, but then I also have to use it through the rest of the week as and when it's required, a round trip of 85 miles. It has poured and poured in this area way in recent weeks and I've never had a problem with demisting or condensation in that time. I don't know if that helps you but that's how it is for me, I don't need air con.

A

Hmm. Some broadly different views - oh well, I guess I'll have to make up my own mind! Thanks again, all.

The Air-con system has an air-drier a small form of dehumidifier if you like, so in winter it should reduce condensation but if you have a leak through the windows etc the air-con wont dry the car out if you know what I mean.

The air con should be used all year round if you have it to keep the seals moist if you don't they can dry out and the system may leak through the dry seal. I've got Air-con in the BM and use it at least twice a week to keep the system operational.

patches said:

No - a bit beyond my mechanical skills as the engine had to be removed. All new parts were used - mostly original from Fiat. Price was £1,250 + Vat for a total of £1,468.75. Mostly happy with the work although they left the car dirtier than when they got it, scratched the console and nicked the console box. It also took them longer than the 5 days quoted because the FIAT condenser unit was back ordered. Apparently mine was the first B they have done. If I could do it again, I would buy one with factory air con rather than retro-fit because it is much harder and expensive to do it afterwards. That said, I am still glad I did it and it has worked very well since it was installed in May 06.

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Hi - am a new Barchetta owner and want to add the AC - is Patches still on here. Looking to find out list of parts needed and recommendations for a good garage to fit it. Went to Andorra this summer - definitely too hot without the AC.

cheers

Still here. Not sure what info I still have (sold my Barchetta a couple of years ago when I bought an Alfa Spider) but will check and come back to you. Have been recently looking for a Mark II Barchetta with air con but very, very rare.

Welcome back, patches - keep looking for that chilled B

FB - tell us about your trip to Andorra. Apart from the heat, how did your new B behave?

As the only "B" in Africa (I believe) - I can tell you that life without aircon would be a nightmare. It is a must, here.

Wow, thanks will write more details about Andorra this evening. But suffice to say car was very good 38 mpg down through France, Andorra, back to France via Spain, then Marseille, Vittel, Ghent and back to London ?

hmm i never knew aircon was that special on a B, mine has aircon but i never looked/use it lol

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animedrift said:

hmm i never knew aircon was that special on a B, mine has aircon but i never looked/use it lol

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It's a good idea to use it regularly, otherwise the seals fail and you get leaks, which can be v expensive to fix

i did read that and thanks for letting me know, its up for sale but ill make sure to run the a/c atleast twice a week too

Where are you selling it? There's quite a lot of interest on here for Bs with air con