The VW aircon wouldnt work below 5c. No idea about the lancer. Dont know what the temperature is anyway as it doesent have a sensor or readout for outside temp.
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Basic physics - below 4oC air temperature the moisture in the air passing through the car's evaporator will freeze and cause all sorts of problems, hence the aircon clicks off when the ambient temperature drops below that level.
When the aircon is working (on a warm day) all is it doing is cooling the incoming air towards 4oC anyway. Air coming in below 4oc = nothing left for the aircon to do.
I sometimes think that car aircon is seen by many as some unfathomable dark art - it's not, it's a fridge which provides a matrix with fluid at 4oC, in the same way as the heater matrix has fluid in it at 90oC. The air flows through the cold one before the hot one, and you select which combination (none, one or both) you want to use. Simples.
Edited by Dave_TD {P} on 01/12/2009 at 18:51
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Seems like I'm probably worrying about nothing then? The temperature in Sheffield has been between 3-4 C the past few days. On my dash there isn't any snowflake symbol - no mention of this in the manual either.
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On my dash there isn't any snowflake symbol - no mention of this in the manual either.
Its an icy road warning, I don't know if it is connected to the aircon but it must be connected to an ambient temperature sensor, as is the aircon, maybe the same one.
Edited by Old Navy on 01/12/2009 at 19:12
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My VW Bora's A/C cuts out if you turn the air flow direction knob to demist the windscreen if the Recirculation button is set to On, as the lack of incoming fresh air can lead to the windows misting up. This basic premise appears to relate to all cars with A/C.
It is made clear in the manual that the A/C system only works when the engine is running, the ambient temperature is above about +5 degrees C and the blower speed is from 1 to 4.
Edited by Stuartli on 01/12/2009 at 21:53
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While I was de-icing wifey's new Honda Jazz this morning I had the front demist button pressed. This (as on many cars) directs air to the screen and turns on the a/c.
Considering it was -2c I was surprised that I could hear the a/c compressor clutch cutting in and out, although there was no effect of a/c (the interior misted a little as it warmed up).
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Avensis has climate control but seems to still work at -3 (a warm day for us Scots!). CRV (manual aircon) seems to be OK once the engine is running - but it heats up very quickly.
We never switch our air-con off - the damp scottish air means it's a necessity after the March - October monsoons and during the winter barbeque season.
Edited by grumpyscot on 02/12/2009 at 08:57
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>>We never switch our air-con off..>>
IIRC that is the advice given by HJ in his article on looking after a car's A/C in FAQs.
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We had -2C at 6am yesterday morning whilst I de-iced the car. The climate worked fine on my Mazda, even at this temperature. I have mine on constantly.
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We had -2C at 6am yesterday morning whilst I de-iced the car. The climate worked fine on my Mazda even at this temperature. I have mine on constantly.
However, unless the second law of thermodynamics is being violated your aircon will not have been doing very much....
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Skodas A/C cuts out below 2°C according to the manual. Maybe explains why I've had sudden misting up after a few yards driving in near freezing conditions.
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Skodas A/C cuts out below 2°C according to the manual. Maybe explains why I've had sudden misting up after a few yards driving in near freezing conditions.
It does, which is why I switch 'out' the A/C when we have periods of freezing or near freezing weather because fluctuating above and below the cut-out point can cause repeated episodes of misting up, and associated unpleasant smells too.
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Cars do vary in their performance at temperatures around freezing. My 1993 Mondeo was quite bad, and the air con seemed to stop working at about 5-6 degrees, at which point the windscreen would mist over in a flash. That was my first car with air con. The next car, a Vectra, was a little better, though my W Reg V70 was excellent. The air con in that car was not very powerful in that it took ages to make the car cool on a hot day (my boss's Mazda on contrast blew out loads of freezing cold air and got the tem down miles earlier than the Volvo). But it didn't have these misting up problems whatever the temp. I reckon the air con was still doing something, taking the mosture out of the air, even when it was pretty chilly outside.
Since then I've had 3 series. Now say what you like about 3 Series, but they do have excellent air con. It cools the car quickly in summer and keeps the screen demisted well in winter. I leave it on all the time, something you could not do in the winter in the old Mondy (or the vectra) without getting the sudden misting over problem.
Perhaps air con has got better in more recent cars, or maybe some manufacturers have better systems.
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