Man... is my car broken, or is the AC really that bad.

First: if I have the selector on floor/dash, 80% of the air comes out of the floor.

Second: The center-dash vents are pointing up at the sky when they're flush with the dash... you can't push them down far enough for the air to hit you in the chest.

Third: It's not that cold... takes about 25 minutes to get the car cool... my commute is half over by then...

And we're talkin'... it's not even gotten that hot yet. We've maybe hit the mid-80s once or twice. What am I gonna do when it starts getting around 95???

Let me know what you guys' experience has been, 'cause I'm about ready to take the car into the dealer. Couldn't very well test the AC in the 40 degree weather I test drove in... but had I known how bad it was, I might not've bought the car.

 

Welcome to the world of environmentally friendly refrigerant! Freon, as bad as it was for the environment, was a much better refrigerant. I've had my AC tested at the dealership before. They stuck a thermometer into the vents and the reading was within specs. However, as the air travels from the vents to the passengers, it warms up severely. It takes my car about 10-15 minutes to really cool down. Afterwards, it gets too cold. Tinting the windows with a good quality tint (mine is 100% fully metallized) will cools things down considerably.

If you are really worried about it, take it to the dealer and have it tested. It won't cost you a thing. However, I'm afraid it is probably operating within specs for this new refrigerant.

Also, do you have a moonroof? Get that tinted as well if you get the windows tinted. You will be surprised at the difference window tint makes... not just for looks, but because it keeps the car considerably cooler and blocks damaging UV rays from fading your interior...

-Jerry

 

Mine seems weak too. I plan to approach the dealer about this as well if it continues! The tint I had put on yesterday seems to help a lot though...

 

We don't get all that hot up here in Calgary, but my AC works fast and cools the car down great when I do need it. This is in 20 C weather (68 F).

I've had no problems adjusting the vents to hit me in the chest.

 

I agree....when my ac is on the floor/panel position...most of the air comes out of the floor, very weak from the panel....**** sux...little problems like these are adding up and I'm starting to hated Mazda a little...will probably go back to Honda/Acura....I'm not rice...but their quality just seems a little better

 

One thing I do is crack the windows about 20-30 min before I get off...then the AC seems to cool a bit quicker.

 

Yesterday, the temp. was over 90% here in California and my air-conditioning worked EXCELLENT..........


Later, Speedbump.

 

what i do is leave the ac on sucking air from the outside for 10 minutes then switch it so it sucks the arefrom the inside....and yes tinting the windows helps alot.....reduced the temp in my car by 30%

 

Thanks for all the replies people. I guess in a way, I figured it was just a sucky system, and then again in a way, I'm relieved that tint will help considerably...

I asked about the window tint affect in the 25%/30% thread going on right now... and I guess it's pretty obvious that I'm going to need to get it done... and quick.

 

My A/C cools down really fast i fine.

for about the first 20 seconds it blows out all the hot air, and then its pretty cold are coming out.

The thread your are refering too is 35%/20%, i just thought i'd clear that up.

But the tint does help keep the car cooler.

 

Mine works great too, actually starts blowing cold before I get out of the parking lot.

Stocker

 

No problems with my AC either - even last summer before I had tint.

Tint will help A LOT - I was amazed at how much cooler the car and I stay (you know how your leg or arm gets hot when the sun is beating down on it?) with the tint.

Also - are you sure you have the AC on recirculate? If you are continually sucking hot air from outside and trying to cool it, you will noticeably cut down the efficiency of the AC. Keep that puppy on recirc, and make sure you close the sun shade on the moonroof when parked.

 

Just a note on the freon issue:

I really don't know anything about freon itself, other than the fact that releasing it into the air is supposed to be bad for the atmosphere. However, there may be more to the issue of banning it than the occasional irresponsible "spraying" of it;

Certain products are banned, not because using them is harmful, but because manufacturing them is. Case in point- I used to refinish hardwood flooring for a living. There was a product called "Moisture Curing Polyurethane" - the absolute best stuff for floors. It works the opposite from traditional urethanes and paints - it actually needs moisture to dry. Humid days make regular polyurethane take forever to cure - this stuff would set up in minutes on the same days.

Anyway - the stuff is toxic as hell - we'd wear respirators when applying it. From what I know, it was supposed to be banned from use by now - but only because the toxins released when making the stuff are 100 times worse than when using it.

Just a little verbal diarrhea - but I gotta believe that the freon ban can't only be about the detriments of the final product. Jeez - more fluorocarbons are put in the air everyday from hairspray cans than freon, I'd think.

Anyone else know more about this? Sorry, I just find it kinda interesting.

 

I usually crack the windows (1/2")and have it on recirculate until it starts to cool down, then switch it to outside and close the windows. Works great and better on fuel economy.

Don

 

It's better all around to use recirculate whenever possible. The A/C doesn't have to "work" as hard to cool air that is already cool. You'd see better fuel economy by using recirc than by using outside air. Might not be very noticeable, but it would be better.

Just my $.02