dmchale

I've noticed recently that my AC doesnt blow nearly as cool as I would like... in fact, hitting the AC button doesnt seem to do ANYTHING to the temperature beyond what the fans can do set to maximum cold, but I know it's working to an extent since it will still dehumidify the car after it's been sitting in the sun all day.

Maybe I'm just used to the AC in my old Escort - driving with that thing full blast for a while and I'd feel like icicles should be forming on my face and I'd have to turn it down. But just driving around lately and even taking a 5 hour trip to Maine a few weeks back, I ran the AC on high the whole way and it never felt "too cold". Which imo it SHOULD if I'm running it that long.

I'm taking the car into the dealership for my 11.5k oil change next week, anyone think I should have them take a look at the AC while it's in the service department? Or does this seem to be on par with how everyone else's is working? TIA

oldmanatee

It sounds like your system might be low on freon. I took a 5 hour drive to the sunny coast of AL. a few weeks back and the AC worked fine after the inital heat wave at start up. but, once it got cooling, it worked fine.
Have them check. It's covered under warranty.....

heyitznosaj

Give the search button a try. This has been discussed numerous times and the tC's a/c is weak so you have to leave it on max at all times.

Vas_Finest

^^^^^yep. The a/c is garbage.

thelast60

I have noticed the same thing on mine. might as well just have no air most of ther time. if you do run it u run it high and suck all your gas.
So what else is there to do besides put more freon in??

Max

First off, your compressor uses the same power no matter what temperature setting or fan speed you're running. The only difference in power (gas) consumption would accompany the change in fan speed, which is miniscule, not to mention it's electrical, so doesn't directly effect performance like a belt-driven compressor.

Simply putting more freon in may damage a system or cause poor performance. It's not like gas which you burn through, there must be a specific amount of freon in a system to function well. Too much will hinder performance the same as too little.

Now... what to do about this... try running fresh air at startup, then recirc once your car has cooled down to below the outside temp. This makes a huge difference, the car gets colder faster and stays colder.

jct

this is my fix

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=69987

thelast60

Max thanks much for the advice, i will try that.


Hornet, you are crazy.

uber-xA-RS2

Upon intial start-up and for about 4-8 minutes after the AC feels a bit "weak" in my RS2. After about 10-15 minutes it's fine though. I will keep an eye on mine for problems you folks have experienced.

dwightS

A/C takes forever to cool off. It is very hot in Houston.

XaRS0888

i have to leave it on full blast just to have decent cool airs.

jct

wheres what the dealer said to me

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=70287

boilerman

My xA does not cool at all fast. And it has the TSB fix in theory. I suspect that the AC vent opening area is not sufficient. Must put the fan in high to get initial cooling effect and high fan is really noisy. And I only run the AC with external air damper closed.

oldmanatee

Max, thanks for the tip, it really does make a difference!!
Never would have learned this if dmchale had used the search button....

DarkManX

I must be a lucky one... My A/C kcisk ___. It gets cold real quick and stays real cold. Sorry to gloat, but this is the best A/C I have ever had in a car (well my crappy Dodge Omni was pretty nice with the A/C)

aj34474

My AC seems to work great too. I only have to use the LOW setting to stay cool...and sometimes, that's a little too cool. I've found that after I've I rolled down the windows and let the incoming air force the hot air out, my AC works pretty efficiently.

gkbs

Max's suggestion about using Fresh Air first is contrary to the manual on pg. 108: "For quick cooling, turn the temperature selector **** fully towards cold and change the air intake selector mode RECIRCULATE" But right above that it says "For best results, set controls to:....Air Intake - FRESH..." It seems strange that letting in warm fresh air is recommended over cooled recirculated air, but what do I know?

xAwahl

mine is pretty weak...im taking it to the dealer when i get my 23k mile oil change

senta

It was HOT and humid in SC today and I forgot to put up my sunshield and I don't have my windows tinted yet so it was HOT inside my car when I got it. I paid attention and I would say it took about 1 minute for the air coming out to start to feel at all cold, then it got feeling pretty cold fairly quickly.

After that, it was at least 5 minutes before I thought the car got to a decent temp inside. And I tend to be one who is always cold in air conditioned buildings. After that, it was pretty good and I actually turned it down a bit I think, but again, I'm always cold. It does seem a tad weak to me and I think I'll have the dealership look at it when they look at my illumination light that doesn't work.

FrostedTheFlake

There are TSBs for the AC. One changes the air flow mix (apparently, they're set to let in a lot of warm air) and the other actually replaces the compressor and condenser. I've had the first TSB done on my car, and that made a significant difference.

I had tint done on my car recently, too. During our recent heat wave here in So Cal, I've managed to stay fair cool. Usually, our other car, a Ford Focus, will freeze us but even that struggles in these 100+ temps. I do notice that my AC works much better at freeway speeds than city driving (and, of course, most of my driving is city driving).

You should do a search for the TSBs on here and haul your car into the dealer to get it fixed under warranty.