I have had my 2007 MCS for a month now, and the auto A/C seems very weak. I previously had a 2005 MCS with Auto A/C, and was able to set it to 70 degrees - and never have to touch it all year! With the new car, I can never seem to be able to find a comfort zone. Anybody else experience a weak A/C system? Should I take it to the dealer?

 

Same here. I have to keep it at 60, or on "low". Seems to me that the programmers screwed up when they converted Celcius to Fahrenheit

 

it's bmw, my auto temp on my 330 stinks

 

I'd say my AC is less than "strong". Seems to require setting the temp lower than you'd expect... and yes, I adjust it more than I'd like. MAX AC blows too much air but the air isn't so cold, regular auto AC requires setting temp low, still not so cold... I fiddle with the blower vents to direct them right on me, that helps... Good thing I wouldn't stick passengers in the back, seems like it wouldn't be so comfy from a temp standpoint!

Anyways, I'm guessing from my experience and some other comments that the AC is indeed "weak" by design... There's probably nothing wrong with yours...

 

I'm sorry to read this, I was hoping that the new cars woould be better than my '03.

When I first got it I thought something was just wrong with it, but found cranking the temp down helped. Next I'm going to tint the sunroof, I think I get a lot of heat gain there........

 

Is it just an Auto A/C thing? The MCS I test drove with manual A/C seemed cold enough.

 

mine works fine here in hotlanta

when I get in the car I put it on max, recirc

after it's cooled the car off I put it in auto, mine is set to auto recirc

recirculation is the key to getting it really really cold, with mini, and all other brand's

 

i live in miami. yeah, the AC definitely isn't the best. i dont think yours in particular has a problem :-\

 

Auto recirc seems to be the key for me, also. Plus, it keeps the stinkies out.
And, yep, if it's really zesty outside, a bit of MAX initially cools it right down.

I have found this MINIs auto air to be the best I've ever used. (along with the tinted windows).

 

It seems to have a hard time "catching up" with extreme heat/sun. Perhaps its the large glass area. Less than robust but a bit better than my 04.

 

I haven't been impressed with the a/c, but then again, it's 95 or more every day in the summer, with nearly that in humidity! I have the auto air, but it doesn't function nearly as well as our 5-series, so I just use manual settings. I'll have to try recirculating air, though--maybe that will improve the situation.

I did tint my sunroof, and it does help a lot.

The real problem is that London simply isn't as hot as Houston...they don't understand heat.

 

I find when the temps get over 95, AC takes a long time to cool off the car and then it doesn't even keep up well and I don't have a sun roof.

 

Same here in Louisiana. You can't use the auto air until the car has cooled off. You have to set it on recirc - max and 60 degrees. I still think the blower is a bit weak. I had my sunroof limo-tinted and it helps some, but I may have to get all my windows tinted.

 

+1 the R56 auto air doesn't work as well as my R53.

 

+2
The A/C on the '07 I test drove didn't cool nearly as well as my '02.

 

On my '03 I left it on Auto year around and maybe only adjusted 2 degrees from winter to summer. I've only had my '07 a couple of weeks but I'm adjusting it constantly. I was chalking it up to a learning curve with the addition of several new buttons but if it is truly automatic why do I have to play with any buttons at all? If I wanted manual controls I could have saved some bucks. The only complaint I had with my '03 was the blower fan would come on each time I started the engine even if I had the system turned off during "windows open" weather. An auto system should know when to max-out, recirculate, and when to back-off. That's what makes it automatic. I'll give it a another week or two but then I'm calling my MA.

 

Wow. If you have to adjust constantly, I also would get it checked out. In my month of ownership I've put on over 6, 500 miles, mostly in hot southern/southeast weather. Depending on outside heat, I'd go between 68 and 70, with auto recirc on. If I got in the car after she was parked and the temp was 95ish, the blower fan came on to get it to the temp I had set (never lasted more than a few minutes to cool down) and it was COOL.

I don't think these are just my impressions because I traveled with/carried home grown southerners who were used to the sticky heat. All made comments about how well the AC worked.

I can't help but wonder if tinting the windows is the variable. The windows in the MINI are monsters.....

 

Read these carefully:

http://www.mini2.com/forum/2nd-gen-f...nside-car.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=104807

There is an ongoing problem with temperatures inside the car and you should log yours with your local service writer.
My center pillar is usually at 130 degrees now under normal driving. It's very difficult for the a/c to overcome that, especially when it's almost 100 degrees outside...

 

Yesterday it was 95 + degrees out . Had auto ac set @ 74 stays cool, no problem
MCa w/sunroof

 

I have found my car stays much cooler and the AC catches up much more quickly if I leave the sunroof in the first open position. I assume the hot air rises out.

Not always an option, I realize.

 

+1. Also, while some have apparently had a problem with excessive heat, this certainly isn't a design issue. If, in fact, excessive heat generation is causing your a/c to feel weak, the ventilation fan would be going full force constantly (with auto a/c engaged). I find the a/c quite good, except on some occasions, the fan speed drops down more than it ought to. This is easily remedied, though.

 

Arnbut,
I checked out the posts over on mini2 and ran across the italicized red comments you made. This thread https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...highlight=weep
discusses the windshield washer weepage issue. Yours is the first theory I've seen that connects it to excessive bonnet heat. Very interesting. My wipers have the leakage (not all the time....seems to be a random issue as far as I can tell).
I, though, have the MC and since it doesn't have the turbo, I'm wondering how the heat connects to the weeping. Your boiling theory does make perfect sense.
I will check out the pillar heat today. Can't say I've noticed the heat buildup, but I'm mainly running AC that is working beautifully.

 

I have the MC with auto AC and AT. No sunroof. (white roof) Keep ac setting at 76or78. Absolutely no problem with comfort here in Palm Beach county Florida.

 

Agreed, the auto a/c is weak. I constantly adjust the temp, which defeats the purpose of 'auto a/c' IMO. If it's been sitting in the sun, it never cools off, even though the fan gradually turns itself down.

Took it to the dealer last week and was told everything was "well within MINI spec", so I guess I'll just have to suffer through the long, HOT summer.

 

Just motored down to Olympia (40 miles round trip) and the pillar does NOT get hot in the MC.