Air Conditioning Question

[Doubull]

How cold is your air conditioning in your Vibe? Mine does not seem very cold at all. I was told by one person that the Vibe has the "new" kind of air conditioning which is better for the environment, but does not get as cold as the older units. Can anyone give me some feedback on what they think about their air conditioning?Shaner

[NSimkins]

The Vibe I test drove seemed to have good cold air conditioning. My 01 Cavalier uses the new EPA-friendly air conditioning and it seemed comparable to that.You have to remember that with the larger cabin size of the Vibe, it will take a little longer to cool that space compared to a smaller vehicle, although I am sure it should be sufficient.

[Turkster]

Mine seems to be a lot colder after the 1st 1000k. At 1st it seemed kinda warm but after 1 week it is very cold.

[d_m_kolb]

It's very likely even on a new car that you might need to have the AC charged. Take it back to the dealership and ask them to check it. This is covered under the warrenty.This actully happened to me and found out it was just low from the factory. Made a big difference once they got the right amount in it. They also told me that having to much refrigerate will do the same thing as being low on it.

[dlmetzger]

I have heard complaints on this before. Mine too isn't very cold. I think it is just something you have to live with. I did report it to NUMMI on the phone survey I had last week.

[d_m_kolb]

Do not just live with it. It's a bran new car and should have no problems at all. Take the vehicle back to the dealer to be serviced. That's what the warrenty is for so by all means use it.

[Greg100575]

im good someone posted this thread, i too have been thinking the air is not as cold as it should be. here is mississippi its been around 95F everyday, and my black vibe gt air conditioner dont cool near the way my 97 extended cab S-10 did. true, vibe has more room to have to cool, but the air temp dont seem as cold coming out the the ventsill have to get that checked on nowthanks guysGreg

[Turkster]

I just deep tinted my windows to-day plus temps got up to about 85F. Works way better even on my black vibe.

[Doubull]

How much did it cost to get your windows tinted? How dark did you go?Shaner

[Greg100575]

my tint was about $130usd and i got 5%you can see a pic of my car in the registry or in the post "neptune or aybss"Greg

[wrench79]

It was about 90 today and my a/c worked damn good. It works better if you use the recurculation(the button under the a/c button).

[Doubull]

I just got back from the dealer. I had the air conditioning charged (was at 52 degrees, now is at 42 degrees) and it works much better. I also had to have the console compartment replaced because it would not open. I had them install the cargo cover in the trunk and I had them take care of the recall for the rear axle. All and all, a good day for the Vibe.

[ShaneV]

For some reason it automatically turns off the recurculation for you occasionally. (book said something about helping to prevent condensation). Seems strange to me.

[d_m_kolb]

Ok here is some tips to get the most out of your AC.Let's say that your car has been sitting in the supermarket parking lot, in full sunshine for a couple of hours and is too hot to touch. A reasonable result can be achieved by following this.Open all the doors whilst you load up the carOnce in the car, start the engine, run the windows down, set the blowers to maximum, AC on (ensure the Econ button is OFF), any temperature controls to the lowest temperature setting, fresh air (not recirc) and air directed through the Face Level Vents.Once you have blasted the hot air out of the car and filled the car with colder air, shut the windows and turn the Recirculation control ON (simply marked as Max on some models).Keep the settings this way until the fabric of the inside of the car has cooled down and then either reduce the blower speed or turn the Recirc control to Fresh Air whichever you choose to do, or perhaps both.Once the inside of the car is really cool, turn the blowers down a little further to suit your comfort and perhaps turn the Face Level Vents upwards to direct the cool air over your head and come down in the rear of the car.If the car still never cools the way it should, it is actually pretty common to have a car come from the factory with either not enough refrigerate or to much. In either case the AC will never cool properly and needs to be taken back to the dealer to get the problem fixed. It will be under warrenty so it wont cost you anything.If your going to use yout defrost.1. If the car is already misted up then simply turn on the AC, defrost, blowers to highest speed, fresh air selected and the heat turned to maximum. Many cars simply have a defrost setting that does all this for you.2. If the weather is warm but the car has misted up, use full heat on the window together with the AC until it is safe to back the heater off and reduce the blower speed. Continue to use the AC in Fresh Air mode (Recirc OFF) for best defrosting.

[shadowGT]

Here is the real info on why your a/c might not be cold enough.I work for the company that designed and builds it. I spent 2 years working on the design aspect of it myself. When My vibe came in the A/C wasn't very cold either. I spoke to the engineer about it and he said that is a common problem they are having with manufacturing. The temp cams are not being installed proberly or they aren't charging the system to the proper level. My problem was the temp cam lever. It was a 2 second fix that he did in the parking lot at work. They have since installed a feature to prevent that from happening. If you are experiencing this type of problem, definitely see your dealer. Tell them what I have told you, they should know about the issue.

[Lori19]

I am very glad you posted. I will take a copy of your post with me when I take my Vibe in for the a/c. Took a 30 mile ride today in 94 degree heat and the car never cooled off. Cool air was comming from the vents, but move a half inch away from the blower and it was hot!

[Doubull]

What was the fix? Is it something that you can tell us so that we can do it ourselves?

[shadowGT]

I'm not sure that it is something you can do yourselves...I'm in the process of getting the exact steps from the engineer. Perhaps that way you can do it....

[malonem1968]

I had my car into the dealer yesterday for the AC problem. When it is cool outside the air is blowing at 45 degrees like it is supposed to. But once it warms up a bit (85-90 degrees) I can't get it to blow under 60 degrees. Of course the day they were checking it out it was only 78-80 outside and they couldn't find anything wrong with the air.What really irritates me is they are telling me that when it is hot outside the air doesn't work as well and so on. I have been driving for 18 years now and I think I know what the air should feel like!!I am planning on waiting for a hot day and taking it back over to the dealer. At this point, the AC sticks so badly I don't even want the car. It is only 7 day's old and I don't want it! How sad is that?Anyone have any suggestions as to what I might do to convince them there is a problem besides taking it over there on a hot day so they can feel what I am talking about? Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

[MA-VIBE-FAN]

I can't get search to work, so here is info that has been posted previously in another question.A/C system check: A/C on, vent position, coldest temp, recirculation, blower high, windows open, 1500 rpm, a/c on for 5 minutes, check temp in left center vent.Relative Humidity 40%: Air Temp/Output Temp: 80/50, 90/57, 100/64Relative Humidity 80%: Air Temp/Output Temp: 80/57, 90/64, 100/75The post before this describes a mechanical problem that keeps the car from getting to its coldest. An owner says come off coldest and it gets hot quick. That could be checked. But as long as the temps above are acheived the dealer will have no problem with it.

[HenryTS]

quote:Here is the real info on why your a/c might not be cold enough.I work for the company that designed and builds it. I spent 2 years working on the design aspect of it myself. When My vibe came in the A/C wasn't very cold either. I spoke to the engineer about it and he said that is a common problem they are having with manufacturing. The temp cams are not being installed proberly or they aren't charging the system to the proper level. My problem was the temp cam lever. It was a 2 second fix that he did in the parking lot at work. They have since installed a feature to prevent that from happening. If you are experiencing this type of problem, definitely see your dealer. Tell them what I have told you, they should know about the issue. Could you possibly post the detail of this '2 second fix"??? I took my Vibe to the dealer today and was told there was no problem--it's just the way air conditioning works--it's not as good on hot days and yours is fine. I have been driving for 24 years and this a/c if it is normal SUCKS (and yes I have had a few cars with the new 134a freon and they were COLD including a Lumina Mini-Van with a big cabin)
[Modified by HenryTS, 12:55 AM 7/26/2002]

[shadowGT]

The a/c system doesn't suck, jsut the way it was assembled sucks. I'm sorry that you are having a problem with it. I haven't been able to get the details from the engineer on exactly how to fix it. What I can do is get the # of the engineer at work. Send me an email (it is listed on my profile) and I will send you my work number and then I can get you his Or you can send me the name and number and He can contact them for you.

[viberations]

tracey thanks alot for the help, this cured all my problem's, i owe you one. now i get a head ache when driving after about 20min but its better than sweating my (removed) off! again thanks for the help, brrrrrrrrrrrpatrick[Modified by viberations, 3:37 AM 7/31/2002]
[Modified by viberations, 3:38 AM 7/31/2002]

[shadowGT]

Hey Patrick,You are welcome, I'm glad I could help.You could always turn the temperature up!

[pellmellus]

I called my dealer yesterday about an unrelated topic and I mentioned the air conditioner not being as cold as it should be. He told me that GM just recently issued a Vibe service notice to the dealerships that if this problem occurs, to check the damper settings in the ducts. Apparently it is a known problem that dampers inside the ducts are not closing properly and are letting warm air mix with the cold. If you are having a problem (like me) I suggest you bring the car in for inspection.

[SCTM]

Don't know if there`s a solution coming up for Vibe's owner but my friend`s car (corolla 2003) got a recall... for air conditionning trouble, known now by Toyota. Since we have the same engine, don't know yet what is this for, but you could check with local Toyota dealer and ask about that... may be Vibe recall will come soon afterward...

[SCTM]

...Also check this "http://www.alldata.com/TSB/48/034832J7.html"(not related to a/c but interresting info on this site).

[Frosty]

World of Wheels wrapped up their long term test of a Base auto Vibe in the issue I received last night. Their only real complaint was the air conditioner which was fixed by the dealer. They said it was a seal trouble. Has anyone heard of this before? The new article isn't posted yet but the original one is here http://www.autonet.ca/wow/Stories.cfm?storyID=6120