1. San Diego is awesome!
2. Thankfully, I have no gripes w/ my '03 AC here is hot, hot, hot Texas.
3. The Econolube scenario is very interesting...perhaps an independent test is a good step to take.

 

I have to agree. My Jetta's A/C is MUCH better.

 

Cali has beautiful dry weather...what's brutal is 95F with high humidity in the midwest:impatient

 

I cannot turn the A/C up past 2 on the dial otherwise it gets too cold. I am quite impressed with it actually.

 

check for leaks, recharge your AC... then your set..

You could also consider checking on your cholesterol and blood pressure too.

STuff to consider

 

No problems in Houston and AC. Even when the car (w/sunroof) has been sitting out in the sun, it cools down quickly.

 

Cody,

Pay the 70 bucks and have some professions do it. Don't let the dealership touch it since they're not A/C specialists. Read my posting above to revive this thread.

 

I also am not satisfied with the performance of my auto AC. Had it checked and the dealer only tested the air temp coming out of the vents. They said it was blowing the right temp. But that test was done inside the shop, out of direct sunlight.

The last time I tried the AC, my computer was reading an outside temp of 90F and the inside temp would not drop below 80F (I used a little aftermarket termometer) I don't have any added tint and I don't beleave I should have to resort to tint for satisfaction.

I have ordered the sun-roof shades and we will see if that helps. It does seems to work better when not in the blazing sun.

I don't put alot of miles on my "Baby" so it won't go in for service until August. I will reguest a full system check for leaks and the proper charge of refrigerant. I understand that a AC system could be under-charged or over-charged, which will also hinder it's performance.

There seems to be alot of discrepancy about the AC performance on these cars. It's not that the some ACs are not working at all, they are not working at peak efficiency. This leads me to think that some systems were not charge correctly at the factory.

 

Is this more a problem with Auto AC or Manual AC???

 

Yes, the A/C sucks....power from the engine especially! The A/C on my 2003 Cooper is not good. It doesn't cool the car well, and it sucks so much power from the engine that I can only stand to even try to use it when it is unbearably hot and I am wearing work clothes (dress pants, etc.). The throttle response with the a/c on is horrendous and every take off feels like I'm pulling a tractor trailer. If I'm wearing shorts, you can bet the windows are going down no matter the outside temperature. And then starts the slippery slope, as the lack of use will certainly not help the a/c system. ARRGGHHHHH!!!! My a/c is manual, BTW.

 

Ok, so can I just use a 123a or whatever it is recharge kit? I have one in my garage, and my dad can help me, since he's done quite a few. How do you do the MINI though? Any how-to's?

-Cody

 

My first MC, "Little Pez," which I bought in '02 and had auto A/C, didn't ever get as cool as my other vehicles, a "94 Toyota p/u and a '92 Nissan Sentra, especially during the hot southern New Mexico summers. Now that I have a 2006 MC, "MINI Bee," and even though it is LY/B without a sunroof, the manual A/C system seems to be a better system, i.e., it seems to get and stay cooler than Little Pez ever did, and he was a PW/W with a sunroof. That said, MINI Bee still can't get as cool as his siblings, the Toyota and Nissan.

 

I live in hot and humid Arkansas, and the AC on my 03 MC has always worked great and and keeps me plenty cool. If taking off from a stop didn't feel like driving a riding lawn mower when the AC was on, everthing would be fine.

 

The AC on my '03 sucked, and so does the AC on my '05. The tint I got this past winter (supposed to keep 50% of heat out, whatever that means) doesn't help much, either. I have to keep it on recirc and 3/4 flow to keep the car cool at all, and even then it's useless if I have passengers.

 

Ours has to work hard here in humid South Carolina with the see-thru sunroof but does an excellent job.

 

We have auto AC and it works swell in our desert heat. No complaints at all!

 

I on my second MCS and they both sucked. Not to mention the in my driving position both of the drivers vents have to blow through my hands and the steering wheel to get to me. It motivates me to keep the windows down and the sunroof open which is more fun anyway.