SL 08 A/C Efficency

[damick]

The a/c seems extremely weak. I do live in hi temp/humidty locale, the acseems like a joke. Is there any way to measure outlet temps that may indicatenormal operation? This car has only 3000 mi on it.

[fjwagner]

same problem here in Houston. The A/C does not seem to be able to cool that well on those hot humid Houston days.

[Slither]

Mine still works OK after 2 years.

At work I'm parked outside baking in the sun.

My procedure: walk round car open all doors & hatch then close them to let worst of heat out.

Start and put HVAC in recirculate cabin air mode with fan set to 2.And all the way cool.

Open all 4 windows about 1/2 inch.

After about 10 mins close windows and slide back to outside air.

Have you checked your antifreeze level? This is the time of the year when it can taken a sudden plunge..?

Failing that talk to the dealer maybe a batch left the factory sans proper charge..?

[darkwind25]

It is pretty weak AC.The compressor on them is pretty small and weak.I have the same probs on my V. It takes forever for the Ac to get cold and it is working with in factory specs.

[Slither]

Mine works okay once I've been going about 10 mins.

Theres a procedure for best cooling that I listed above.

Hope this helps folks.

[Versa Madness]

Something else to try. If you drive your car and stop for a short bit, say at the store or what have you, when you leave do not start your AC till you have driven down the road for a minute or two. The reason is while your car sat for a short while the AC condenser gets hot from the heat of the radiator while parked. Driving for a short bit before engaging the AC allows the condenser to cool and 'catch up' for more efficient cooling once started.

[keanucosmo]

Mid to upper 90's & high humidity will require fan on 4 and recirculate. Low 90's I have used fan speed 3. But it has cold air & cools well even when outside is very hot & humid. I would get the dealer to check it out.

[DejaWiz]

Bought my '08 SL this past Feb and have almost 6,000 miles on it. A/C is working great here in Omaha with recent temps above 100F with the heat index and high humidity. Recirc + Fan Speed 4 for about 10 mins to cool things off quick, then I can bump it back to 2 or 3.

I do have window tint which helps out tremendously.

[somdamon]

I am not overly impressed with the A/C as well. I had my windows tinted and it really made a noticable difference in keeping the interior cool with A/C operation.

My start up procedure is as follows:

1) Start car and open up rear windows completely.2) Turn A/C on Fan speed 4 - coolest setting - recirculate mode.3) Drive for about 3-5 minutes letting the hot air escape out the rear window openings and then close rear windows.4) Cut back fan speed and cool temp setting as desired but continue operating in recirculate mode at all times.

This works well for me!

[srellim234]

If you happen to have a sunroof, keeping it tilted up, especially while parked, is a very effective way to help cool the car down. We leave the roof tilted while running the air for a few minutes when we get back in the car, too. Heat goes right up through the roof. I realize you can't always do it in a place like Florida with the pop-up thunderstorms at this time of the year, but try it if you have the roof and when you can.

Our a/c has been just fine running it on 105*-115* days in the desert but even on thunderstorm days the humidity factor here doesn't come close to what you have to deal with. System must be on recirculate, though, because the system doesn't cool down 100* outside air fast enough to be effective.

[damick]

Would like some one who feels their a/c is working well to take a temp (f)reading at the center dash outlet under normal operating conditions,and a/c settings.

This would give me a benchmark as to whether I have a problem or accept the fact that this is just a weak a/c setup.

Thanks to all for previous replies.....

[Xtrykr]

My A/C is too freaking cold! I wish there was a setting between the 0 and 1!

[damick]

I have been in Winnipeg, think you only run the a/c 3 days a year...eh??

[AMD]

I also find the A/C is kinda weak.

In comparison to other cars, it's kinda warm.

It's not that bad though. I guess if I was living in California or Florida or some place like that I'd complain more, but since I live in Canada, I don't need full A/C too often!

[Slither]

QUOTE=damick]I have been in Winnipeg, think you only run the a/c 3 days a year...eh??[/QUOTE]

No thats me I wear my parka all year round with a/c.

[Bubs daddy]

Been between 90-110 degrees every day since May. Air conditioning works just fine on my Versa.

[Shad0wXCalibur]

It's around 100 degrees in the afternoon here almost every day and it does take a little while for the A/C to cool down but once it does, it's just fine. On long trips, I can keep it on 2 and still have it cool.

[Offshore1]

I am surprised! The V's I test drove (A couple) and mine has pretty good AC. Where I live it is HUMID and getting cool AC is tough on alot of cars. BUT, I have found a way to make the V's AC even better/colder.

After you have run the AC for a while, pop the hood. You'll see the AC cooloing lines w/ condensation on it on the passenger side. There is a rubber hose to the right of the radiator that cones up and connects to aluminum tubing. That aluminum tubing snakes around to the firewall and disappears behind a heat shield.Get pipe insulation at the hardware store and put it on the cold AC lines (one w/ condensation). You'll need smaller size for aluminum piping and 1/2" for rubber hose. Hopefully you can find the pipe insulation that has the adhesive added so it will stay closed, but if not, use wire ties to keep it on the pipe. You want to insulate from the bottom of the rubber hose all the way to behind the heat shield. You can slide the insulation on the pipe - behind the heat shield a little way. That way the cold AC line is insulated about 90% of its travel in the motor box.

After doing this, the feon in the pipes stays much colder and does not get warmed up by all the engine heat. Your AC should be much colder.

I'll try to take a pic of what I did, but in the meantime; I have a pic that shows what line to insulate, but no clue on how to post a pic here.
Modified by Offshore1 at 11:52 AM 8/8/2008

[ziadc]

Mine works okay once I've been going about 10 mins.

.

Ohh I can't believe it 10 min to get cool ! I think something is wrong you should get a Versa with Gulf specification here you will get the A/C's cool air at the time you turn it on

[feloniousmonk]

It's not really the A/C system being weak. The Versa is tall, has a lot of glass. And, being an entry level car, it has little insulation. Under the sun, all of these factors turn it into a very good oven. Such is life, tint the windows and cope.

[aquaman67]

Does the in cabin air filter have anything to do with the efficiency of the AC?

[clarkemode]

My A/C gets down to 38 degrees F after driving for about 15 minutes on the highway. Fan setting 2, recirc on. Most of the time, gets to around 40-41. It rises at stop lights to around 45. I have a blue onyx versa with the beige interior with 21,000miles.

[damick]

My A/C gets down to 38 degrees F after driving for about 15 minutes on the highway. Fan setting 2, recirc on. Most of the time, gets to around 40-41. It rises at stop lights to around 45. I have a blue onyx versa with the beige interior with 21,000miles.

Thanks...just what I was looking for. Will check my outlet temps to see how they match up.