Is it just to warm here in the South for my MINI AC to work? Or is that unique to my MINI Cooper S?
When it is hot outside, it barely gets cool/cold, it only gets cool/cold when it is not so warm outside. But in my BMW MCoupe I get big nipples as soon as I turn on the AC.

Any experience?

Is that normal?

H

 

I think the '05+ A/C systems in the MINI are much improved in terms of cooling efficiency over the '02-'04 cars, but compared say to a Dodge Neon, that car will cool down the interior a lot faster.

No complaints from my '05 MCS A/C here in hot and humid Miami though.

I don't have a sunroof and I think that helps tremendously the A/C. I also think cars equipped with factory sunroofs tend to have hotter interior than solid roof ones.

Tinting your windows should help to cut down the amount of heat making into the cabin.

 

Set your Mini ac controls to blow out the upper vents only.

We want photo proof of the nippleness in the BMW!

 

Also check and make sure that the air temperature at the vents is between 40F-48F. If the air is coming out hotter you may be low on refrigerant, have a leak or some other problem.

It never hurts to take the car to a A/C specialist and have them check at the system performance with a good set of gauges.

 

Having the air circulation button set to "Recirc" (Button with lit) helps to improve the cooling efficiency.

 

I had my A/C serviced as mine had a leak and started to blow warm air.

After the warranty service, i can set it at 68F on a hot 95F day and
get a nice cool breeze. At the "LOW" setting, the air is actually too cold.

might want to get your MCS serviced.

 

I think the AC of my '05 is colder than any car I have driven recently. Very pleased with AC here..

 

I think it's probably safe to say that MINI AC unit isn't as robust as many of them out there. It is adequate, I think, but it takes a bit of adjustment to get used to.

 

Second the "set it to recirculate" comment. That setting works much better at low speeds, like around town. Car will get good and cold and then you can put it to the outside air setting if you like. Normally I only use the outside setting when the AC is on when going down the freeway or if I've been a long time driving at low speeds. Having said that, it does seem like it takes the Mini about twice as long as my wife's car to start blowing really cold. Think it's a very small unit. Also keeping the revs above 3 grand helps a lot.

 

I love my MCS, but am not thrilled about the a/c. It's fine on a warm day but if the car is parked outside for a while on a very hot day it just doesn't seem to cool down as much as I'm used to. I have a black roof and a sunroof so I think that contributes. If it's hot I definitely run the recurculate and just leave it on the low setting. That seems to get me cool as fast as possible, and sustains it best when I'm rolling but struggles when I'm stopped for a while. Certainly not as cold as our SAAB or Toyota - but won't make me want to drive it any less!

 

My 05 A/C can't keep up with the heat & humidity here in Alabama. It is the worst A/C I have ever had. I don't care how you set it, upper vents, automatic, manual, or recirculate, the majority of the air flow is directed to the humongous vent on the dash that blows (wastes) nice cool air directly at my windshield. Since the majority of A/C is blown at my windshield the force of air coming from the vents actually aimed at me is very low. It is either a really bad design flaw or MBE people in Europe like to have really chilly windshields

 

For folks less than happy with thier A/C performance, I suggest grabbing a thermometer and check the dash vent air temperature. Your system may be undercharged.

 

I've also been having problems with my A/C. As you say, it blows cool but not cold. Even when cruising on the highway, turning on recirculate on seems to be the only way to get cold air. After a while, I'll turn the recirc off and the vents actually seem to be blowing warm air. That's how much a difference it makes. I made an appt with service to get it looked at before the warranty is up (along with the rust issue) but that's not until Aug 1st.

 

A lot of people miss this point,when the car recirculates inside air it is only trying to cool down 80 degree inside air at 50% humidity,not 110 degree outside air at 100% humidity.Dont worry about what it says in the manual about degrading the in car air quality.I would rather be cool.The other benefit is your ac cycles less often which means your gas mileage is better and the car runs cooler.

 

Take it in and have it checked out.Before you do, check that you have the vent in the upper dash position.If not, it sounds like you have it on "defrost "and not in the a/c position.I guy that bought a Mini from me told me the same thing,I reminded him to check his setting and no further a/c issues.

 

The heat factor has been over 100 down here in South Carolina and the A/C is doing a great job - using recirculation mode is definitely a big help.

 

>Is it just to warm here in the South for my MINI AC to work?

I have an 05 Mini Convertible 5 speed. I drove it the other day when the outside temps hit 103. My cabin (with the top up of course ;-) was downright cold ! Even the passenger in the back commented on how great the air conditioning was. Try using the recirculate mode, that way you cool the cool inside air instead of constantly cooling the hot outside air.

Once I dropped off the passengers, it was down with the top, on with the sunscreen, and away I went. It was so hot that I managed to still perspire
with the top down at highway speeds. Got a great tan, though ! :-)

 

110 in Vegas today. DS/B here (and black leatherette). I have had the car for 3 days and it barely gets cool by the time I make it home in 30 minutes from work. THe AC when I have it on manual does not go below 60 degrees. Is this normal? I have not tried the "recirculate" yet so I will try that.

Getting the windows tinted real dark on Saturday, so I'm sure that will help too.

 

I guess I'll try the recirc too, but honestly, I am a bit surprised that a 05 MINI S with less than 20000 miles does not do a better job in terms of AC.

Thanks

H

 

I had the MINI at the dealer today and they found a leaking o-ring that prevented the A/C from getting below 50 degrees when it should be below 40. (They also will warranty my door sill rust issue)

 

My 04 MCS AC works great. It was near 100 today in NJ and I didn't see a difference from using it on an 85 degree day. I usually keep mine around 68 and it stays nice a frigid . I also think the 5% tint all around makes a big difference in keep the car cool.

 

To improve AC performance, Keep the RPM's around 3000 or above as it will allow the compressor to work more effectively.
I was satisfied with my AC, but after installing an overdrive crank pulley the air is now really cold.
I would recommend the 4% pulley if no supercharger pulley is planned or the 2% if you plan on upgrading the the 15% supercharger pulley.

 

Mine works fine and I just leave it on 68 in AUTO. My vents blow 42-46 degree air. If that ain't cold enough, thank the government for making automakers convert to R-134a.

Rawhyde

 

The tint HELPED, but not THAT much. With the windows up, sunshade in the front window, etc. etc. my AC still sucks! It gets cool, not cold. I agree with the original poster that with the MCoupe, it gets CRAZY cold. *sigh* guess I am just going to have the bear with this heat for another month.

FYI, this is my ONLY complaint about the car 1700 miles into it. Needless to say it's a relatively major issue living in Vegas.

 

My MCS 2004 w/ auto climate control is cold! Even at 110 + degrees outside...keeps the car at a nice 72 where I set it. no special window tint either.

Also, we only average about 10% humidity which probably helps a bunch!

When i visit my family in Fla...I start croaking as soon as I get off the plane...pure sweat!