Another AC thread

[Andrewcoja]

It's starting to get back into the mid to high 90s again so I figured I'd bring up air conditioners. Is it normal for the AC to not work well above 95 degrees? Below 90, my AC works pretty decently. I set it to 68 degrees but it doesn't really hit 68 degrees. Above 90 and it barely gets cold. Above 95 and I've got it on max cold and fan and I'm still sweating in my car. That's after waiting a few minutes for it to start blowing cool at all. It's not blowing hot or anything, the air is still cool but it's not as cold as other people's ACs. My buddy's viper has an AC vent under the glove box for some reason that shoots air right into the seat and nearly froze my gentleman's area.

I've read before that the AC compressor in the e82 isn't that great. I just want to see if this is normal before taking it somewhere to get the refrigerant level checked. I know from the sticker on the hood that says 1.1 lbs +/- .03 lbs that I'm more likely to screw everything up if I try to do anything with refrigerant myself. I just don't want to spend over a hundred bucks getting it checked if the AC just sucks to begin with.

[TX135i]

I'm interested in this too. I live in Central FL and today I was beginning to wonder if it was working. Took a good 5-10 minutes to feel as cold as I thought it should. Definitely talking longer now that it's getting steamy outside.

[Andrewcoja]

No one else lives in a hot area?

[cbl117]

My anecdotal data: I've noticed my AC struggle a bit when the temperature is above 90-95F. It gets cool quickly, but I wouldn't call it cold. It does seem to get cooler the longer its running. Its a hell of a lot better then my 2006 civic ever was in the socal heat lol.

[ccdre]

Originally Posted by Andrewcoja

No one else lives in a hot area?

My AC isn't handling the triple digits well at all. I'm having to use the "Max AC" feature just to stay somewhat comfortable. Perhaps I need to get it re-charged...

[zx10guy]

Since buying my car new (MY 2013), I've always thought the A/C wasn't cooling so great. Made a mention of this to my service adviser when I went in for service once. But at the time it wasn't very hot out so the mechanic wouldn't be able to do a proper test of the A/C system.

In contrast, my wife's Acura RDX cools pretty well and of all cars, my old 2006 Focus cooled the best. That Focus could cool the cabin so well you could hang meat in it. Even my wife said she has never been in a car that cooled so well.

[Gregoriovv]

Here in hell, um I mean Phoenix, temps above 110f are the norm in summer. My ac seems to work pretty well considering the ridiculous heat. Of course my car rarely sits in the sun so the ac is not trying to cool an already baking interior.

[Wakka]

I had really bad AC problems going into this summer here in florida. I recharged the AC, and it is MUCH better now. With that said, on really hot days it still takes a bit to get cold, but with it on max and my 15 minute drive home from work, i am chilly by the time i pull into my garage.

[Pissoff]

I'm not diagnosing your problem, but giving you something to check before paying out any money. The condenser, radiator, and cooling fan are all important parts of the ad you can check yourself. Making sure the condenser is clean. You need to make sure not just bugs but dirt will sit between the fins and clog it and the radiator. If the cooling fan doesn't run when the ac is on that's a problem. Air has to be moving through the condenser for the ac to work. It is just like you home ac condenser if the fan stops working the ac stops working. The last thing would be your cabin air filter good flow is needed there too. These are the things I would clean, replace, or check first. I know how much dirt is always in the air here in Texas. I always make sure I hose clean the radiator and condenser at every car wash.

[Andrewcoja]

Where is the condenser? I'll see if I can clean that out. After seeing everyone else's experiences, I'm thinking it's just a matter of the car not having a powerful enough AC for the southern US in the first place. It gets ice cold in the mornings when it's under 80, and struggles in the afternoon.

[Pissoff]

Originally Posted by Andrewcoja

Where is the condenser? I'll see if I can clean that out. After seeing everyone else's experiences, I'm thinking it's just a matter of the car not having a powerful enough AC for the southern US in the first place. It gets ice cold in the mornings when it's under 80, and struggles in the afternoon.

Condenser is in front of the radiator. They may be weak, but what ever we can do to make them as efficient as we can. I am also not saying that the system might need to be recharged. I was just saying that the before mentioned things can make the system not function at its best. Like I said too I'm here in Texas too, and I know how dusty the air has been. I would change the cabin air filter.

[awns729]

It was 90+ yesterday, and I was happy with my A/C. Maybe get a thermometer for the vents from an auto store's AC repair section. Ideally they (they=autozone repair video) say between 40-45 degrees F is what it should be on max cool + full recirculate. In my Subaru, I can get it down to 50 degrees, never checked my BMW. However, if you see 50+ F on max cool + full recirc after driving the car for a while, it's probably low on refrigerant. In which case you need a recharge and to find/repair the leak if its significant. (If you're losing refrigerant, there IS some leak no matter what, just a question of how fast/slow).

I do notice that when I startup the car after its already warmed up and idle it, the A/C is never super cold. I'd imagine it's because it's stupidly hot under our hoods. After driving and letting air hit the condenser, it improves a bit. Not a very big difference but noticeable.

Good luck!