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Air conditioning

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37K views 127 replies 83 participants last post by  C5chris  
#1 ·
Love my car....except for 2 things: A/c can't take the south texas weather. Today it's 110 degrees in laredo,tx. I understand that's more than any a/c can probably take, but the crz is challenged even at lower temperatures......and to make matters worse when the auto/stop feature kicks in, not only does the engine die but the compressor turns off. That has to change somewhere down the road. The a/c also needs to blow harder. The highest level is not enough for this incredible heat. With the car being so small on the inside you would think the a/c wouldn't be an issue.........it is.
 
#2 ·
Might be a dumb question, sorry if it is... but do you have it on "Auto" with the temp set down as far as possible?
 
#4 ·
^

Get some Llumar CTX tint. I have that (15%) and also the Llumar Air Blue on the windshield here in Florida and it helps a LOT.

It'll cost you $250+ (assuming a decent installer) but well worth it.

Oh yeah, and if you set the a/c on auto at the coldest ("Lo") setting, and don't put it in Econo Mod, the auto stop won't trigger and you won't lose the compressor.
 
#5 ·
Love my car....except for 2 things: A/c can't take the south texas weather.
Any other Texas owners want to chime in??...
 
#7 ·
Well I'm in Tampa- once June hits my side of town averages between 95-100 with extremely high (85%+) humidity.

Last week, we hit 98 and the AC was more than adequate- and I like it cool. I set the AC on auto at 67 and it's always nice and cool.

Again, the key is to get some IR reflecting tint.
 
#13 ·
I live about halfway betw. Houston/Austin, and so far haven't had any problems with the A/C but it's only been in the mid 90's so far. My 150 mile a day commute is mostly highway. Lew, What color is your car, and do you have tinting? Darker cars supposedly absorb a bit more heat, although with all the glass, not sure that is significant.
 
#15 ·
Houston got into the 90s the last week or two, and I felt my AC was adequate, with room to spare. I'm sure it will be REALLY tested soon, though.
Also, I think that the AC goes into recirculate mode by default when you turn it on, IIRC.

EDIT: Nevermind, I was wrong. The AC goes into whichever circulation mode you used last.
 
#17 ·
agree with others ...

a really good tint that blocks a wide variety of non-visible light waves, as well as some visible will go miles to helping, the windshield can get a film that appears mostly clear but blocks a lot of heat creating radiation.

Let the car air out a bit, if it's been sitting closed up, or if you can, leave the windows cracked just slightly (this helps prevent frozen inside windshield in winter too).

Recirc once inside is cooler than out.

Max a/c and normal or sport mode. In fact, sport mode in general seems to not like to auto-stop often. I'll have to double check our a/c unit ... I know on the civic hybrid, there was an econ button for the a/c ... and if this was off with a/c on, I'm pretty sure it canceled out auto-stop all together.

even with some of that fancy windshield tint, one of those reflective screen things to block out more light while your not in it will help, also, find a spot to park with some shade.

I lived in FL most of my life, there are a lot of tricks to help keep a vehicle cool, my first vehicles didn't have working a/c ... so, you really have to figure out solutions where you aren't soaking wet by the time you get where you are going.
 
#20 ·
The aircon has been fine for me, although it doesn't seem to be as good as the unit in the Accord was (and that seemed to perform worse after Honda re-gassed it, strangely). The car does seem to trap a lot of heat, though.

I have problems with my sat nav on sunny days because of it. I use Co Pilot on my phone and the angle of the front screen and position of the power socket means it has to go in the centre, way out in front. It gets no shade from the roof or pillars there and a couple of times, it's gotten so hot it's messed up and stopped working. Not good when you're near the end of a long journey!
 
#22 ·
im a superhuman freak when it comes to heat tolerance. i usually set the AC to 75 or 80 on auto and it does its thing well. I dont even mind that it shuts off at auto stop. i have no problems with the AC in this car at all but i know im not normal in that regard.

In So. Florida btw.
 
#25 ·
Being in DFW, but only having the CR-Z since March, I haven't really tested it yet. But I am sure I will. Having said that, there are a few tips that I have learned thru the years, to cool off a Texas summer-heated car. Car window sun shades are a must. Even really cold air warms up quick thru an extra hot dashboard. Then when you start out, crack the widows just a bit and ALWAYS bring in outside air until it beings to cool off. Also, if you can stand it, put the direction of the air to both face and feet. Once the inside cools a bit, then change to recirculate. The cold air that has been blowing on on your feet is what the fan will pick up, and the cooler that air is, the quicker, and cooler the inside as a whole will become. It works for me, this process seems to actually cool quicker. But it does require a bit of patience. imho


BTW, I thought, and maybe I am wrong, that if you have the car in Normal or Sport mode, and the a/c on Auto, the Auto Stop won't cut off the engine if your inside temp in too hot, and the a/c is needed. But again, I haven't really tested that....yet.
 
#26 ·
Air conditioning/climate control

The air conditioning on my CRZ is weak and has to have the fan at least at position 4 to make any difference in cooling in summer or to demist the screen and side windows in winter.

The air con in my old Civic was quite powerful and I had no trouble even on the hottest days/dampest days.

Is anyone else having air con problems with their Zeds?
 
#27 ·
The air conditioning on my CRZ is weak and has to have the fan at least at position 4 to make any difference in cooling in summer or to demist the screen and side windows in winter.

The air con in my old Civic was quite powerful and I had no trouble even on the hottest days/dampest days.

Is anyone else having air con problems with their Zeds?
Nope. It was in the mid-90's when I left work, hit the Auto button and set to 76, air kicked itself up to full and the cabin was cool shortly after.
 
#100 ·
IMHO, Once the car is cooled down a bit, recirculating the air is the best help!
I don't have any tint, and am a little weird about having it done, especially on anything with the defrosting lines, though I would like to.

We've hit the upper 90s where I am this summer, and mine seems A-Ok after a few minutes. I always put it down to Lo to start out, and adjust it as I go if needed. Never leave the car in ECON mode, either.
 
#29 ·
I was amazed how fast the front de-fogger worked - if you are having problems with A/C and defogging, I think it's time for a trip to the dealership. Layman's guess that you need freon or there is something blocking the airflow.
 
#32 ·
Living in (not so) sunny England the air-con doesn't get much of a workout due to heat, but I find it demists extremely well. The Z seems to fog-up more than any other car I've owned, maybe down to the small cabin/lots of glass, but hitting the demist button gets rid of it very effectively.

EDIT: Just noticed the OP is not far from me (I battle the 62, Manchester to Leeds every day) - mine has no problems coping with our climate. Have you checked the cabin filter?
 
#34 ·
Well, the western Washington climate is actually very similar to most of England's (particularly northern England) and as far as I can tell neither Scotty nor myself have had any significant AC or defogging issues in terms of temperature or humidity. If he's having an AC problem, I'd definitely take it to a dealer/mechanic and have them take a look. It shouldn't have any trouble at all with the humidity or temp levels.
 
#37 ·
My a/c does a reasonable job, but the auto-stop is a killer after the car has been parked at work all day in the sun. Its a half mile out of the parking lot, then a long light. Then, another 1/2 mile and another long light. About the time the cold really starts coming out, I have to stop at the light, then auto-stop, and I swelter. Sometimes I put it in park to keep it running. Fortunately, the summers are not too long or hot in this part of PA.
 
#38 ·
Turn your AC to Auto (push the button) and dial it all the way down to "low" might keep the autostop from activating..