Mazda5 Climate Control

zoom500

I just got the car last week and with this heat wave the a/c has been a real disapointment. My question is, has someone that had no tint on the windows, installed it and was there a big improvement. (A lot of the comments I have read say that tint should help...has it?)
zoom 500 :confuse:

nifty56

Just want to ask all you M5 owners if you think your car has a weak A/C. I know it is not summer yet for us who live in the north part of the country to test it but what about you southern owners. It appears the Mazda3 have the weak A/C issues so wondering if the M5 cars have the same problem.
The noisey suspension and dash buzzing noise all have appeared as problem with the M3. Same car, same problems different body, maybe?

wuster

Too early to tell yet.

It hasn't gotten hot enough here in DC to test out the A/C. But I didn't have any problems with the A/C on my 3.

As for the noisy suspension and dash buzzying on the 3 and the 5. I have owned both the 3 and the 5 and I haven't had any of those issues.

nifty56

"I have owned both the 3 and the 5" So you are telling us you do not own either model anymore. Why not?? Just curious.

platsilvmazda5

I was concerned about this issue as well when buying my car in the winter months based on some of the comments in the forum. However, after several days of 95-100 degree weather this spring as well as many days in the 80s/low 90s, I can say the Mazda5 A/C is not weak at all. I tinted the windows on my 5 from driver door back on day 1. This probably helps, but I would recommend tinting in general as it also improves privacy and in my opinion also significantly improves the looks of this vehicle.

wuster

See what happens when English is someone's second language.

I currently have the 5. I traded in my 2004 3 for the 5 last November. I drove it for almost 2 years and 28K miles and didn't have any problems with it.

We traded the 3 in for the 5, because we were expecting baby#2 and the 3 was too small for two kids.

7red7

I just got the windows tinted two days ago and it helps a lot, but even before we had it done, our 5 never had a weak A/C...In fact, we usually run our A/C on the lowest fan setting on recirc with the temp set at 60 degrees... I usually end up turning up the temp to 65-70 because it starts to get too cold...

jaxs1

This is April.
I certainly hope the A/C is adequate now.
Try it again in July and August.

nifty56

American is my second language.

wuster

mine too. You would think after 20+ years I would have mastered it by now.

What was your first language?

flyonthewall

I drive in Salt Lake City, Utah. I got my 5 Labor Day (September)2005, when temps were in the low 90s. The AC worked just fine. My windows are now tinted and I can't imagine 100+ temps will be a problem. But come July and August I'll see.

slcmazda5

We test drove and bought ours in Salt Lake in July, on a day when the temperature was just over 100. Car had been on the lot in the sun, and while the front cooled off quickly it was hard to get the kids cool in the back. We decided those were the worst possible conditions (and if the kids weren't whining about that, they'd be whining about something else) and bought anyway.

Never had a problem through the rest of the summer.

shasta5

Did you open up the vents under the drivers and passengers seats for the rear? Ours were closed when we bought it, just found the vents today.

kanata

The under-seat vents in my M5 are not closable - how were your closed?

pinwilly

Hello i feel water droplets come out of my a/c vents on my 5 when it is raining is this common or is it a problem

nifty56

Never happened to me on any car I have owned with A/C
Maybe your A/C is blowing too cold? A Mazda lol

smaria

On my trip from Ohio to NJ this week, the AC gave out a loud "squeal" every time it turned on...almost sounded like squealing tires, but not quite. The sound would repeat every minute or so if the AC was left on. It was raining during the drive, so the humidity was very high. Despite the noise, the AC seemed to be working ok.

Anyone know what this noise is? Has it happened to anyone else during high humidity? I'm planning on asking the service guys about it during my next oil change, but with my luck they won't be able to replicate it.

truckasaurus

It sounds like you have a loose drive belt. The squealing is the belt slipping in the pullies. It happens every minute when the AC cuts in and the compressor load is applied to the belt. Its a simple adjustment and the service guys will know what it is when you tell them the symptoms.

nissmazlover

Hi,

Just have a question for you all: How accurate do you think your Ambient Temperature Gauge is on your Mazda 5? Do you think it accruately tells you what the temperature is outside?

I ask this because when I first got the car, I noticed that the gauge was ALWAYS spot on! (I would see the temp displayed and then I would hear the weather on the radio and it was always the same figure or very close to it) Nowadays, though, I noticed that it displays a higher temperature than what it actually feels like outside and higher than what is said by the radio weather forecasts. I chalk it up to it being summer and very hot and the varying degrees of temperature throughout the NYC area, but I still wonder if the gauge has lost its accuracy. Please advise. Thanks!

menmy5

>>>
I chalk it up to it being summer and very hot and the varying degrees of temperature throughout the NYC area, but I still wonder if the gauge has lost its accuracy. Please advise. Thanks!
>>>

It's all that concrete and asphalt -- move to the country where the temperature is always just right.

whobodym

It's probably OK to relax on this one. You're probably just letting the laws of physics bug you too much. The standard means of reporting the temperature in weather reports is air temperature measured in the shade. When skies are clear, metal objects and the earth itself absorb more radiation from the sun than the air does, thus they reach higher temperatures than the air. The more still the air, the more so. This is why parked-car interiors reach such high temperatures in the summer. At night, the reverse happens, metal and earth radiate more to the night skies, and reach lower temperatures than the air. Thus, dew or frost. Both these mechanisms are inhibited by clouds. Bottom line, it would be very difficult to get an automobile-mounted ambient temperature sensor to read the same temperature as the Weather Service reports, when the car has been parked, especially in sunny summer weather. Remember, Mazda also had to consider how to avoid sensing the high temps of the engine compartment, and the hot asphalt. I'm pretty impressed with the ambient readings I get in our 5. Just wait a while after you start driving, then see what it says.

wxcrawler

The tint makes a HUGE difference. I large windshield sunscreen helps, too. I got my sunscreen from Mazda. It was $40 (ouch), but it's the only one I could find that fit. We've been over 100 degrees on many days this summer in Tulsa, and the tint and sunscreen have been an invaluable investment.

menmy5

We got ours tinted immediately so I have no comparison, but I can say that we have no problems with the AC in the current 90+ degree weather.

dconvertible

I had the same problem on trip in Maine. It was raining heavily, driving on highway and every time the a/c compressor went on, there was an awful squeal that persisted as long as teh compressor was on. I had to turn it off, and of course the defroster did not work then (it works by a/c) so had to open the windows!
Took it to the dealer today and they could find nothing wrong.

jaxs1

How hot was it outside and how long was it parked in the sun?
Did you open all the windows and exhaust all the pre-existing superhot air out before you tried to cool the vehicle with the A/C?
Did you have the A/C on maximum cooling and maximum fan speed and did you have it set in the recirculation mode? All car A/Cs cool the cabins much faster if you use the recirc setting (usually done for you when you choose a "Max AC" setting.
How long did you run the A/C? If you did short trips, you may not have had enough time to cool down the interior before parking again.

wa98strat

We've just been through a week ling heat wave in Toront, with temps (humidex) upto 117F It's never taken my 5 more than a few minutes to cool the car down to acceptable levels. I was worried about the AC issue to. No longer. THe AC on the 5 is better than mty Dodge stratus. The AC on that car was never able to cool the interior . I don't get any squeal when the AC kicks in, just the click of the compressor clutch engaging

That said I have Tinted windows, more of an asthetic thing. I think most cars look better once you tint them. I do keep the moonroof cover drawn in this heat.

wuster

A couple of things that you can do to help the a/c performance of your 5.

If you park outside all the time, use a sun shade on the front windshield (I got one at Costco that fits fine) when parked. Your ac system is blowing cold air, but if the dash duct works/vents it's traveling through to get to the cabin is hot, then air is going to warm up before it gets to you. It's one of those laws of thermodynamics...

You can also close the two side vents so you'll get more air out the two center vents. And angle those two center vents slightly up. Hot air rises, so if the vent is angled up, it'll cool the hot air in the car faster.

But I agree with everyone else, you're better off tinting the windows.

zoom500

Thanks for the quick response on the A/C. Here in Connecticut the weather has broken and cooler days are ahead. We are in the process of getting pricing for tinting the windows. Does anyone have pricing for this process and can anyone in Ct recommend a place? Also I read on this post some one got 20% tinting, is that enough or too much?
Thanks again all!! First tank was 25.3 mpg much better than the 16 I was getting in the ford I was driving before, more zoom too...

smaria

I had the same experience: took it to the dealer but they found nothing wrong. I guess that either the A/C squeal will repeat and get worse, and the dealer will eventually find something wrong with it, or it won't happen again. So far, it hasn't happened again...

zzoomguy

I have a Touring Model with the climate control. It seems like the heater is always on: even if I turn the temperature all the way down, if I don't have the AC on, the air coming out the vents is almost 20 degrees F warmer than the ambient air.

Has anyone else experienced this?

So far no luck with the dealership on this problem, by the way.

bobw3

Is this true even in the winter?

zzoomguy

I haven't actually done any measurements in the winter, I must admit.
The measurements I've done are when it is in the 70's out. It is most noticeable then, as AC really shouldn't be necessary, and all you want is some fresh air.

kivo

How does the car run when the AC is on? Does it still run smoothly? Any change at all in power? I drive a 6 cyl. now so I just want to make sure the car runs well when the AC is on. Thanks.

coolmazda5

I have driven 4,6 and 8 Cyl. A/C load is felt in 6 and 4 so yes, there is a minor change in load but so far power remains OK. before my Mazda5s (I have one with the "regular" A/C knobs and one with the Auto A/C one) I had a Honda Civic and, compared to the Mazda5, it felt really "loaded" with A/C

kivo

Went out today in close to 100 degree heat and I felt the A/C was not as cold as my last car. I have a 2008 Touring and although it wasn't hot in the car, I think it should have been cooler. I know there were complaints about the A/C, but I thought they would have fixed it by now. Anyone else who owns a 2008 have this problem?

athenasius

not sure if you have auto a/c option. if you do and it is really hot i turn the temp all the way down so that the a/c is as max cold. if you put it at the temp you like the air is not as cold and as the inside walls of the car are putting off heat and the sensor is near the center of the car to the right of the stereo it does not cool well. alfter the car has cooled of you can then let the auto part do it;s thing and control the temp and fan speed.

coolmazda5

I turn off the auto setting, set the knob to the highest fan speed and turn on the rear a/c, then no probs...

maltb

Was the A/C set to recirculate or fresh?

kivo

It was set to recirculate and the temp was set at 63.

jonat1x

As the owner of a three-month-old 5. my observation is that the A/C performs well on the highway but at low speeds and in traffic it is largely ineffectual.

speddy

I have a 08 mz 5 gt that I just got. The sticker says it has heated outside mirrors. The thing is I can't figure out how to turn on that feature. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks for your help.

vg33e power

The ones on my Ford Escape (Mazda Tribute) go on when I hit the rear defroster switch on. They may work the same...try it and see, unless someone knows for sure.

riproy

You turn the heated mirrors on by turning the rear window defrost on. It's in the manual.

petesmazda5

Yes it will help. I had mine done on my 2008 (not through the dealer) and paid extra for the SUN-GARD tint at an excellent installer. I think my gas mileage may have improved too since the A/C runs less LOL. Sure wish the rear-side small windows opened like most vans then I would need the A/C even less on the highway.

nissmazlover

Yes, I have tinted windows on my 08 Grand Touring and it does help with the performance of the A/C being that it protects the interior somewhat from the heat.

Many here have complained about the A/C's performance, but I've never really had a problem with it. I remember in my 06, we used to have to turn it down a lot of times since it just got too cold. I agree that in the middle of summer and when it's really hot the A/C is not the strongest of cars I've experienced, and it could be cooler, but it isn't BAD. I do believed the rear vents on the 08's also helped out. But, I definitely recommend getting tints. Not only do they help, but they make the 5 look even better!

larry8061

A/c worked fine in the morning. By afternoon with temps of 90+, A/C would not cool. System is charged but compressor is not kicking in. Any ideas?

wwest

That's because your heater IS always on. With no way to block teh flow of engine coolant through the heater core even if the reheat/remix blend door is fully closed to the reheat side some heating of the system airflow will still result.

Go to Home Depot and buy/install a manual water flow shut-off valve and use the valve to block water flow throughout the cooling season. My system also has an electrical switch to disable the A/C compressor throughout the winter months.

Not using the A/C to cool the water jacket nor for ONLY dehumidifcation in the wintertime results in a FE gain that is not insignificant.

wwest

Engine water jacket is on the verge of overheating or the system is overcharged. Engine ECU will disable the A/C compressor clutch signal to prevent actual overheating. As temperature climbs during the day if the system is overcharged the high pressure side sensor switch will disable the A/C compressor.

larry8061

The dealership said it was the compressor. It's in - it works, we are cold, and the extended warranty covered it.......

Larry

lifeinmarin

I got 2012 Mazda5 sports AT two weeks ago. I love the car so far. However, the lowest set temp is 60F and if the set temp is higher than ambient temp, warm air always comes out from the vent. It means whenever the ambient temp is lower than 60F, the heater would always turn on. Not sure if this is the way it works or there is some problem with my car.