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<<I often wonder if black colored cars and high temperatures is true or just a myth. If it was true, then why is the sheet metal around air cooled cars like VW Beetles and Corvairs black and not a lighter color. Does black retain more heat or does it dissipitate heat faster than other colors>>

It's a solar issue more than anything. Black absorbs all wavelengths of radiant energy and hangs on to them--that's why black is black: it's the absence of color. White, conversely, reflects all wavelengths, which is why lighter colors are generally cooler in direct sun. Energy that you would feel as heat is bouncing off the lighter colors.

In other news.... I'd say there's an issue with something: either the climate control system in your car or YOUR climate control system

Good luck

 

Here's some facts for you I gathered yesterday on the way home.

103 F and Sunny
LY/W MCS with sunroof
35% tint on 2 front side windows
25 % tint on 3 rear windows

Drove down the freeway @ 70 MPH for a few miles with windows open to equalize the temperatures. Set AutoAC to 76 F. Fan went to high, AC on and recirc on. Drove 12 miles @ 70 MPH before fan speed went down one notch. A couple of miles later I had to exit the freeway, but the recirc always stayed on and the fan speed never went below the one notch below high.


OK, so is this:
Normal or not?

 

Im also it TX, I have one word for you TINT. It made a huge difference!

 

>>AC sucks
>>Electric windows sucks.
>>
>>Of all the cars I've owned with AC and electric windows, the MINI has the worst of both.
>>
>>An AC system that barely cools in Texas heat and a "one touch down" electric window that never works.
>>
>>Just thought I'd mention that.
>>


Try moving from that hell hole people call Texas. My parents live near Dallas and I hate to visit. Hell in summer, frozen tundra in winter and constant traffic jams all year.
NOTE: I live in FL and think the AC is fine, I rarely have to use speeds 3 or 4, but I also have a white top and silver (not black) door panels.

 

you want it cold? move up here to michigan. it's the start of june and we all still have the heat on. i was working in the garage tonight and just after dusk i could see my breath in the air..brrrrrrr. but this must mean it will be in the 70's for x-mas right? i wish it would start to get hot out. i myslef do not like air, i tryed to order my last truck without it and that was a no go option. every car gets air nowadays. it's just just extra weight i have to lug around and steel hp. i only used it once becasue i girl i was seeing at the time wanted me too. i prefer the windows down at 60mph.

 

i think in my next mini i'm going to skip the auto A/C.
it's more of a pain in the *** than it's worth.
i think the OBC's outdoor temp function is much more usefull!

 

<< i prefer the windows down at 60mph.>>

Wind in my hair... sun in my face.... amen!

 

Hey all,

I have an appointment for this Monday to have my AC checked out and my left door electric window. I'm also having them check for a vibration I'm having at about 3500rpm which I think is a heat shield on the exhaust and the stumbling problem on take off. I'll keep y'all posted on how it comes out.

By the way, my windows were tinted for free by my dealership because my MINI arrived with the Patina dash instead of the Silver Cooper dash I ordered.

I also work for a Manufacturer of Automotive AC kits even thou I work in the AC parts division where I maintain their electronic and paper parts catalog. We also remanufactured compressors and carry a full line of AC parts, besides cruise controls, power window kits, keyless entry kits and we're OEM for Ford's cruise controls and fog light kits.

http://www.scsfrigette.com

 

Let us know how the appointment goes.....good luck!

 

I'd have to say that my ACs working just fine. The fan may not push as much as some units I've had but the net effect is very good. My car cools off in the "normal" time for a car that's been baking under the Texas sun all day...no tint either! I had an electrical glitch in the system early this season which was easily fixed at the dealer. No problems since. I'd have to agree with MundoMini, while the light/dark color thing may be theoretically true...in practice its a minor issue the AC should easily overcome. Besides, his all black Cooper S is wicked-awesome!

 

Well, I took my MINI in on Monday to have my AC checked out and left it there all day. When I returned in the evening I asked my service advisor if they found anything wrong. He tells me: we couldn't find anything wrong with it. It's putting out 43° duct temperature and all looked OK. So I asked him, when did he check the duct temperatures? He said, right after you dropped it off. I asked him what was the ambient temperature when he checked my duct temperature. He said about 72°. No ****. Like I told him, the AC works fine as long as it's cool outside. Did you check the temperature in the afternoon after it's been sitting in the sun all day. No, he admitted. At least my left door window is working now and they reprogrammed my doors to unlock when I pull up on my emergency brake. The next day, I pulled an AC thermometer from our inventory and started to monitor my own duct temperatures. The coolest duct temperature I've been able to get all week is 60° with the system on recirculate and the blower on it's highest speed. If I take it off recirculate the temperature either stays the same of rises slightly. I called my service advisor again and told him about my best temp readings and he re-scheduled my MINI to come in again next Monday. There currently seems to be a 30° difference between ambient temperature and duct temperature meaning that in it's current condition if and when the temperature rises to 100+ my duct temperature will be 70° and that's not cold enough to cool the cabin even with tinted windows. So the saga continues. Maybe next week they'll fix it and I can be cool as I motor.

 

Anybody else taking duct tempertaures?

 

I've been trying to take my duck's temperature all day, but the thermometer keeps falling out of his butt.



Oops, there it goes again...

 

If your AC sucks return the car to the dealer immediately.
Tell him/her you want AC that blows.
NotMiniDivision

 

Mundomini: I knew all along that the duct temperature was the actual culprit behind the lack of cooling efficiency of your MINI's A/C. 60F at the dash vents tells you that you either have a fren (R134a refrigerant) leak somewhere in the system or that your A/C compressor is shot. You could also have a problem in the evaporator, thermostat or some other component in the A/C system.


My A/C ('02 Cooper CVT with manual A/C controls) churns out COLD air at the dash vents. Temperatures recorded are between 39F to 41F and ambient temperature is 90F+ with 100% humidity factor at time of reading.


Good luck in getting your A/C problem diagnosed. If need be, take it to another dealer and force then to take the dash vent air temperature under the direct sun heat in your presence.

 

I live in New Orleans, where its always humid and almost always hot. I've never had my AC blower above 2. I crank it to 2 when I get in the car and then have to notch it down to 1. Blowing more air out of the vents does not get the car cooler faster.
I agree that the air blowing out of the vent is not as cold as the AC on some of the American-made cars I've owned. But it's been more than sufficient for our Tropical climate here.
I have BRG MCS with a Black Roof (no sunroof or tinted windows). I didn't buy the Auto A/C - figured for a car this small, do you really need climate control?

 

On your maual system does the little green light on the AC button ever flicker or go off? Or does it stay on? If you are in the first group I have some experience. If not I won't bore everyone with the story.

Motor On

 

>>On your maual system does the little green light on the AC button ever flicker or go off? Or does it stay on? If you are in the first group I have some experience. If not I won't bore everyone with the story.
>>
>>Motor On


No it doesn't and should not. This means that your A/C compressor is cutting in and out for some reason (Electrical failure, etc).

My A/C button green light stays solid on all the time.

 

We talked about this a couple months ago. I was worried about it then, and am suffering through it now.
95 degrees? That is cold trend here in Phoenix.
110 - 115 degrees is the norm. 118 days are yet to come.
When I get into my car for the drive home each day, the temp reads about 114. Inside the car is known to be 10-20 degrees hotter.
Ever tried to shift with a 125 degree metal shift ****? Not fun!

I don't think that most people really understand the heat here in Phoenix.
You get a sunburn in less than 15 minutes in the afternoon sun.
It doesn't even cool down below 100 degrees at night!

I'm born and raised in the Phoenix desert. I handle the heat better than most (can't handle the cold). Every summer, the Local News does reports on the heat inside of cars. How it can kill a dog in less than an hour, how black does retain more heat than white, and how to cool down your car as fast as possible.
And it never seems to amaze me how every summer, someone leaves their baby in the car and it dies. How can you forget a baby in an oven????

With all this said, the MINI does lack in the AC department.
I am Liquid Yellow, and I do have a black top and sunroof. However, I have LIMO tint all the way around, and I have a solid graphic covering the sunroof to cut down on the heat. All this helped a little, but the fact remains that the AC is just to weak.

First: The blower motor it just no powerfull enough. Sitting in the drivers seat, you can barely feel the air on your face. If your in the back, forgetabout it. I stopped driving my little boys around in it during the day. They would be sweating all the ay to my parents house, 15 minute drive.

Second: T he position of the air ducts is bad. The 2 for the drivers side are positioned right behind the steering wheel. It cools my fingers and hands just fine.
But the wheel block 80% of the air coming from the ducts.

Thrid: The air ducts are poorly designed. The way the vents sit back intide the vents doesn;t allow you to direct the air very well. You can point the vent right at your face, and the air is still directed in a straight out direction more or less.

Last: It seems most of the air is directed through that bid vent on top of the dash. I assume it is to cool the car down faster, but I don't like it. I wish I could turn it off and redirect the air out the front!

My wife drives a Tahoe. O man, that thing cools down in less than 5 minutes. You can feel the air blowing in your face. The air blows so hard you can see the air blowing my kids hair around. There is a lot of airspace in the Tahoe, I bet 3 times the amount of the MINI. And it cools down 4 times as fast!

After all this is said, I still love me car. I am going to take it in to the dealer next week just to have it checked.

Sorry this was so long.

 

>>I've been trying to take my duck's temperature all day, but the thermometer keeps falling out of his butt.

I think you've been into my medicine. Bad, scooterboy, bad!

 

>>My wife drives a Tahoe. O man, that thing cools down in less than 5 minutes. You can feel the air blowing in your face. The air blows so hard you can see the air blowing my kids hair around. There is a lot of airspace in the Tahoe, I bet 3 times the amount of the MINI. And it cools down 4 times as fast!
>>

well, the Tahoe probably burns about 1 gallon of gas to acchieve the cooldown in 5 minutes

 

I don't think that'd be a problem if the AC worked as well as some other MINI owners say theirs does. You can drive a car in PHX without tinting if you have good AC. But it sounds like the AC unit in the MINI is hit or miss with its performance. Mostly misses as far as most people have reported. Only one or two people have reported on the MCO, that their MINI AC works as well as other cars.

 

minimac...

well said.....I went to 30% tint both front windows, 18% back three, added silver reflective sun block I made from front window shade that covers the entire sunroof area, resting between the sunroof and the mesh screen. Below 100 degrees it helped dramatically. 100 to 106 helped noticable, between 106 and 114 it helped, but still warm with the AC running full blast constantly. I also cover the chrome shift **** with a small rag along with front windshield sun block when parked in the sun. But agree, the blower is not powerful enough and the vents are poorly positioned because of the speedo taking up all the room where normal vents would go to blow on driver and passenger. I'd take the speedo arrangement along side the tach and instead of the navigation, just 2 extra vents with a stronger blower, laugh! I don't think the Germans gave enough thought to the desert climate here in Phoenix as 90 degrees and under with the tinting, not a problem. Without the tinting, the car was unbearable in the summer heat here in Phoenix at almost any temperature...the tinting did make a big difference. Almost went to a tint on the sunroof, even with the metallic better tints, probably would be ok, but just didn't want to risk sunroof cracks with heat being trapped between the roof and tint screen....did read hear that cooperflags.com has a new product for both white and back roofs which is perforated and applied on the roof like a flag that would reduce light, but you really need a block there IMO........

 

>>did read hear that cooperflags.com has a new product for both white and back roofs which is perforated and applied on the roof like a flag that would reduce light, but you really need a block there IMO........

He already has that on his car. He works for a Repro shop and made his own. Basically it was the IJ movie poster and looked cool as hell! Fantastic job. Then for his back window he has the same graphic he uses in his MCO sig line but on perfed material so he can still see out the back window. Also very cool!