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Comments
Today, the temps were well into the 90's near the Nation's Capital (heat index was 105 degrees F!)..
I figured this was as good a time as any to really put my A/C to the test. The car had been parked under a tree but was still very hot before I started it. In fact, it was so hot that I could barely put my hands on the steering wheel.
I started the car and lowered all four windows halfway. I switched the A/C to "recirculate" (per the owners manual), had the air set to "3", all the way cold and started to drive. After about 2 minutes I raised the windows and left it on recirculate and level 3 for about 3 more minutes. After five minutes I was able to set the fan level to "2" and changed from "recirculate" to "outside air" and was quite comfortable. The air does not get as cold as my Honda Odyssey, but my 06 3i Touring (manual air) is plenty comfortable in the hottest temperatures.
I have read about the 3's weak A/C issues on other boards and do not believe it is fabricated. It just seems to affect random people. Some folks have issues and some folks don't. I really hope Mazda finds a solution for the folks who are having problems.
I plan on tinting my windows very soon and will post about it. It should help my dark interior stay a little cooler when the car is sitting in direct sunlight.
Take care!
On a hot day, the system will constantly recirculate. Sounds like a kludgy way to compensate for a weak A/C system.
I think we could compromise here...would it make sense to advise people to use recirc to cool the car down quickly and then say occasionally switch to outside air setting for a few minutes to refresh the air in the cabin?
Look, people can run their A/C in recir all day long if they wish, it should not hurt their vehicle. Nifty is right in the fact that the Mazda manual suggests using recirc to cool the car down as quick as possible. But they also state on page 8-2 of the manual to use outside air for normal driving conditions. If you ask me, the Mazda manual is a little lacking in detail, so I reference the Honda manual because, well, it is a little better written
For folks that live in a hot climate (especially if they have a dark interior like mine) here is a climate control tip posted on the Honda Owners website. I have found this to work well for my Mazda3 and am passing this information along to anyone who might find it useful:
(Q) How can I cool my vehicle down quickly after it's been sitting in the sun?
(A) Start the engine and push the A/C Button to turn on the A/C. Make sure the temperature control lever is all the way to the left. Set the fan to maximum speed. Open the windows partially and select Recirculation Mode. Once the cool air has replaced the warm air, close the windows, switch to Fresh Air Mode and turn the fan to the desired setting.
** Note "Fresh Air Mode" is "Outside Air" in the 3..
Enjoy..
Some say their's is on for 15 seconds and off for 30+ Contributing factors could be overfill/underfill of refrig. or just a computer issue. Mine is on for 15 seconds and off for 5 or less and it works great.
Normal fresh air vent temp is 8-12 degrees higher than outside temp.
Insulation problem, perhaps? Hot/Cold air door not tracking correctly? Maybe stays open a bit and allows hot air to mix with cold air? Maybe the door is not well insulated or not insulated at all? Perhaps the black dash absorbs so much heat under direct sunlight that the entire dash area from door to door, from floor to windshield, and from fire wall to steering wheel retains and radiates the heat no matter how long the a/c air is on for or how cold the a/c unit emits? And what about the air ducts, are they well insulated or insulated at all from the rest of the dash? BTW - I don't have my window's tinted, but I do have and use the Mazda 3 sunshield for the front - makes a hell of a difference.
If you use the recirc to try and cool the car all you are doing is circulating the hot air in the car which will really mean you are taking a longer time to cool the interior. Of course with the windows down the air coming through the windows circulating in the interior will help cool the interior. So my theory to cool the car quicker use outside are mode first than switch to recirc.
Hope this helps...
You are the first I have heard that has the compressor cycle 15secs. on and off 5 sec. and back on again.
As for a sunshield, ya they work great when parked but is no use when it sits in your trunk or back seat and driving into the sun with the hot rays bouncing off the dash and hitting ones face and body.
But a good observation on why most might have issues. If the dash plays a part in the poor A/C Mazda should have known this and built a kick a** A/C to compensate
tweaking a few things could improve things. sure a larger capacity a/c could improve things, but do u really want a radiating dash while sitting in commutter traffic under direct sunlight and 90+ temp and humidity? my previous vehicle had a silver tone dash; lighter color dashes to pose more relection in the windshield, but not enought to be nuisance when looking out. btw - coldest temp out from those middle vents was 31 degrees.
home a/c duct runs through many attics, but they are/should be well insulated so that once the a/c air is able to reach it's coldest, the duck itself is cold and stays cold thanks to the insulation. If the ducts carrying the air are exposed (not insulated at all) to direct heat from a deeply radiating dash, what a waste of energy.
I'll qualify this by saying that I live in South Carolina where we've routinely had mid-90's and high humidity this summer. I commute about 10 minutes to and from work and it always cools off pretty quickly in the afternoon going home.
I do keep a Mazda sun-shade the dealership gave me in the front window to keep the dash and steering wheel from getting too hot. The car typically bakes in the sun all day and is usually quite hot. I vent the heat by opening the window and sunroof for about a minute.
The auto-climate control will run full blast on recirculate for probably 4 minutes and by the time I'm home it's running on Level 2-3 and the car is comfortable. I'd say within 4-5 minutes the car is comfortable.
Then I jump in the Mazda3 and its like - why doesn't this thing cool better?
I added a little R-134a to my old truck - it only took part of a can of refrigerant - so I though what the heck - lets hook up to the Mazda3 and see what we can see.
I drove the Mazda3 around the block a few times to get the AC working -per the gauge the refrigerant level was good - low side right at 45 PSI - my vent temp was running between 55 and 59 degrees - recirc on - fan speed 4. So I add a little R-134a - vent temp drops to 52-56 - I wait a few minutes - vent temp still 52-56 - so I add a little more - vent temp drops again to 50-53 - add more 48-52 - add more still 48-52 add a little more 50-54. So I bled a little gas out of the low side - as I did the vent temp started dropping - after a few tries I got the vent temp down to 48-52 again - so I figured I must be at the exact sweet spot.
Just a few of the fine points & things that seem strange.
The reading on my gauge started at 45 PSI and even though I added R-134a several times - and then took gas out several times - the reading stayed right at 45 PSI. Its not a very fancy gauge - but when I added refrigerant to my truck the PSI went from under 40 up to about 50 PSI. So I think the gauge does work. I have no explaination why the PSI reading on the Mazda3 did not change.
Its hard to quantify how much R-134a I added (or took out) each time I adjusted. I started with a new 12 ounce can (on my truck) I guess it was a little over 1/2 gone when I hooked up to the Mazda3. Think I added less than 1/2 of an ounce each time - just a few seconds with the valve open. In total I added 2 ounces - then took out maybe 1/2 an ounce. So the net amount I added was very small. Could be why the PSI reading did not change!
It is strange that such a small adjustment can make this much difference.
Although 48 - 52 is not great - (my 7 year old truck was kicking out mass quantities of 42 degree air) - the few degrees improvement from the 55-59 starting point is very significant.
I am not recommending making these or any adjustments to your AC system - its dangerous - it could damage your car & even kill you - it could possible void the warranty on your AC system - which IMO means little or nothing since Mazda has not exactly honored it so far anyway.
I tried a Camry 2007 V6 and the A/C was not very good, at idle with the car sun soaked it never really got cold..I thought I am still in my Mazda, waited and waited to see how long it would take to cool, gave up, after some average speed the A/C started to cool down the car, not impressed. noisey fan also. Also tried the Hyundai Sonata, V6 same day, car was sun soak, moonroof open, the A/C was cold right from the start up. No waiting, no need to lower the windows and open the door etc, start and go..After a few minutes turned the fan to almost 1. Fan was very quiet even at max.speed. outside temp 30C+
We did test the Camry - something I said I would never buy - but the 2007 SE looks good - the AC in the Camry was not great - it took a while to cool off - but eventually did - if we had not just experienced the AC system from hell (thanks Mazda) maybe we would have not been so sensitive.
My new ride is a '06 Civic LX and the a/c works just great. I think that some people are having a/c issues, but the majority of folks probaly aren't. We're happy with ours & having the dealer recheck the system made us feel better about it. But I do think that all the bickering is tedious already. If anyone has had a successful fix for their "problem", that should be shared by all. But when it starts to get personal & a bit nasty, that person looses all credibility in my eyes. We're all adults here & are looking for the greater good with the a/c issues. We should try to remember this and act accordingly.
As Pat Benetar said..."take your best shot"...let's just keep things simple & agree to disagree!!!!
The Sandman
I think this explains alot. In my 06 3i (I think the build date is May/06) the car is cold if the temps are in the mid to high 80's and the setting is on 1.
I also park my car in a parking garage at work during the day, and on the days where it has been in the direct sun for prolonged periods of time it can take awhile to cool down (sometimes as much as 10 minutes). My 3i is Titanium Grey with black interior. Once it is cooled down it is fine (if it is between 92-100 degrees I have to leave the A/C blower on at least 2).
I have noticed that having tinted windows has helped as well with keeping the car cooler.
I hope that they are able to fix the A/C that many others are experiencing. It has been friggin hot here lately...
BTW, I went to lunch with a co-worker who just bought an 06 Civic LX sedan. It took just as long for his car to cool down and I did not think his Civic A/C worked any better than my 3.
I think it may go down in car history that the A/C is poor in the 2004 and 2005 Mazda3's without climate control. I have a feeling that this TSB was Mazda's last attempt to address this A/C issue.
I am at a loss to explain why the AC cools so much better - all I did was add a very small amount of refrigerant -
Since I have a written a few posts (OK maybe even more than 10!) about how bad the AC is - it feels strange saying something good about it - but good is how it has been working.
The Sandman
Also, my friend now has an 06 Mazda3. Today, the temps (amb) was 84 and Level 1 was just fine. No way on this earth is Level 1 fine in mine....me really thinking about trading in my 05 for an 06 or 07.
I always ran the AC on fan speed 3 - it seemed to work best on this speed - the air would be colder than level 4. Less colder air seemed better than more barely cool air.
A few times last week the car actually got cold running on fan speed 3 (recirc always on) so I would kick it down to level 2 for a 4-5 minutes - the car would start to warm up a little - so I would turn it back up to 3.
The strange thing is it was 90 degrees outside and the sun was bright - the inside of the car actually got cold - this is a first - By cold I mean too cold - like its too cold in here!
Even though the AC is still not as good as any of my other vehicles it does seem to cool the car off now after driving 10 or so minutes. Last summer I could drive for an hour down the freeway with the AC on max and the car would never really cool off - sure cool air was coming out of the vents - but the inside of the car never got cold - the back seat would stay hot. But per Mazda this was within spec.
In reality (for most people) the difference between being hot and cold is only a few degrees.
Like in my house - if I have the thermostat set at 78 it feels a little warm, 75-76-77 is about right, but at 74 it starts to feel too cold.
I guess you have to ask yourself, if you have been this unhappy with the Mazda3 and Mazda customer support/service, would you really want to buy another Mazda3? Obviously that is a personal choice, but I had horrible experiences with VW and Saturn and have stayed away.. As much as I like the Saturn Sky roadster, I would not consider buying another Saturn...
On one dealer visit - they actually took all the R134-a out - and then filled it back up - this seemed strange to me - freon does not wear out or need to be changed - so I ask them WHY? The answer was - they wanted to be sure they had the correct amount of freon in the system. I took this statement as just another example of a dealership making stuff up / telling a customer something that they know is not right - just to get rid of them. Now I am not so sure.
Since I added / then took out some freon - and the PSI on my gauge did not change - I am thinking maybe the dealership was being straight with me. The small amount of freon I added has made a big difference.
You should head on over to the 2006 Civic AC forum before you make any assumptions on the Civic AC
No matter how well the cars handle how can they sell them with AC that bad? I know some cars have better A/C then others but I have never seen a car w/ A/C as bad as these Mazda3s.
Keep in mind this is coming from a 275-pound guy who's always hot!
Meade
Some have OK AC
Some have weak AC
Some have HORRIBLE AC
Its the luck of the draw which one you will get - the real problem is if you get a car with a weak or even a HORRIBLE AC system Mazda will not fix it. They will just claim its operating as designed.
Actually now is the best time to buy a Mazda3 - the heat wave across most of the country gives you a chance to test the AC system. Only a fool would buy a Mazda3 on a cool / cold day.
I have had so many problems with my Mazda3 (2004 S sedan) that if I list them all my post will get deleted. The host considers it brand bashing!
Mazda really does make some fun cars - they just do not stand behind the cars they sell.
Are your windows tinted? The cars I tested did not have tinted windows.
When I was shopping for a car in June, I drove the 3 and 06 Civic EX (sedan) back to back (it was about 93 degrees) and I thought the A/C performance was very close..
That said, you should definitely not buy a 3 if you have any reservations...
Also tested the Hyundai Sonata and the A/C was GREAT. Cold right from the start up, no need to roll windows down etc.
Both tested with outside temp 30C and both cars sun soaked. The hyundia also had a moon roof that had the shade open but the window closed. Come on Mazda find out what Hyundia is doing right.
I tested the Civic w/ temps in the '80s. Incidentally, a co-worker has an '03 Mazda MPV and his A/C sucks too.
Bought a 2006 3i, Titanium Gray with black interior, a month ago. A/c in 80 degree weather works fine. I live in DC, so I just experienced the 100 degree hell. The air coming out of the vents was cold, but the dashboard was really hot, preventing the interior from getting cold, but it was still bearable. When the sun was out, took about 10 min for car to cool to a comfortable level. To keep it cool, I had to have it on recirc and on speed 3. Once a few clouds covered up the sun, it got really cold in my car, even with the thermometer showing 103degrees outside. On nights during that hot week, when the car's thermometer showed it was still 96degrees outside, the car got really cold.
So from my experience, it seems that the black interior soaks up a lot of sun and heat, and the a/c struggles. But once that beating sun is gone, a/c works fine.
We had 100+ temps in NJ last week. I took that as the opportunity to do some digital vent temp testing. Here are some discoveries.
First test: early morning (7:00am). Car has been sitting about 12 hours outside. Still in the shade as the sun has not made it over the trees. The rear of the vehicle is facing the sun. Turn on aux power and fan speed to 2. The car’s engine is off at this point. 20 minutes later, the middle vent temp is equal to outside ambient temp. Vent temp = 79.4
Second test: still early morning (7:20am) Car has been sitting about 12 hours outside. Still in the shade as the sun has not made it over the trees. The rear of the vehicle is facing the sun. Turn the vehicle engine on and fans speed remains at 2 with ac off. Twenty minutes later the middle vent temp is reading between 1 and 2 degrees higher than the outside ambient temp (which is up a degree). Vent temp = 82.3
Third test: the drive to work. Consists of a 4 mile highway stint eastbound. Sun is directly in front of me; no shade. Takes about 6 minutes cause of volume. Average speed 35 mph. The fans speed remains at 2 with the ac off. Before exiting towards another highway due north, the middle vent temp is read 11 degrees warmer than the outside ambient temp (up another degree). Vent temp = 92.7
Fourth test: A 25 mile highway haul northbound. Sun is now to my right for the most part, at times directly in front of me and, at one point, to the left of me. There is partial shade from trees to the right of me. So it’s a good mix. The fans speed remains at 2 with the ac off. Cruising speed of 70+mph is reached quickly. In the first mile or two, the middle vent temp drops almost 4 degrees while the outside ambient temp is up 2 degrees to 83. Time: approx. 8:30a.
During this part of the ride, the middle vent temp held anywhere from 6 to 8 degrees higher than the ambient outside temp. Both temps creped up equally. At the end of the whole ride (only a couple of misc miles remained), the middle vent temp was reading 92.2 while the ambient outside temp recorded 84.
With the car off, the difference was 0 degrees. With the motor running idle, the difference was a couple. But once the sun started baking the dash, that difference jumped. No doubt a colder ac would help, but like tinting windows, the difference would be marginal. Its like having the hot oven door and a cold refrigerator door open at the same time.
One more thing I’d like to point out. I tested the ac on those hot days, as well as on the not so hot days (about 90). Car baked in the sun for about 8 hours with a windshield sun screen installed and the moon roof open to vent. Again, I tested the middle vent with fan speed on 3 and recirc all the time. These are the results while driving on the highway at 70+ mph. On the very hot days (99 and 100), the vent temp range was 43 to 51. The lowest temp of 43 was reached towards the end of my 30 mile drive home. On the not so hot days, the middle vent temp range was 39 to 49, again with the lowest temp reached towards the end of my 30 mile drive home. Closer to home, in stop and go conditions, the middle vent temp range would be higher by 6 to 8 degrees, regardless of how hot the ambient temp. Mind you, this was after the ac had been on for the better part of 40 minutes and had a chance to cool things down a bit.
Even though the ac temp coming out of the middle vents was higher by 2 or 3 degrees on the hotter days vs. the not so hot days, it just felt colder the hotter the day. Go figure. Funny as this may sound, I had to turn the far left vent away from the steering wheel because it felt as if I was getting frost bite on my knuckles. And I know for a fact the temp coming out of the vent isn’t that cold.