LV XR5 Air Conditioning - Weak?

Skid Marx · 13-01-2011, 01:27 AM

2010 LV Focus XR5 about 6800Ks. Love the performance and driving experience but a few things bug me like it's weak air conditioning.

I'm in Perth and it's been stinkin' hot for the past week. My XR5's air con is barely able to make any difference with everything up full and on recirculate until about 20 minutes. The air coming out of the vents feels cool but nothing like I used to get from cheaper model Hondas and Subarus.

Is this just how it is with the XR5? Did they put a really naff unit in to save space/weight/power loss? Or should I be getting better cooling output from such a new unit?

Also, with all the noise it makes I feel I should be snap frozen within a few seconds!

In Focus · 13-01-2011, 01:49 AM

Good question. I've had the unit up to only 2 on the a/c lately, and haven't felt the need to go higher. That's on a CL, which shouldn't have a better unit than the XR5. Should be worse, if anything.

entheos · 13-01-2011, 09:55 AM

The Euro Fords are known to have pretty weak air con for Aussie summers. Remember these cars are designed for european summers...and winters....so you'll be sweating in about 15 seconds of putting the heater on, but the air con leaves a lot to be desired. I had more success on the 'fresh' air getting a little cooler. But it was also very dependant on the load on the engine...I used to notice that as I took off from stopped the air would be less cool for about 5-10 seconds...I don't know if anyone is able to change this by going to an air con specialist, and it's certainly not as good as anything that comes out of a korean or chinese production line...my mum's corolla is frozen in about 1 minute of turning on the air con to the point that even on a 40 degree day i have to turn the aircon down a little...

WILDB · 13-01-2011, 12:25 PM

They do have pretty poor air conditioning, but fantastic heaters...

I used to crack the windows down in my old LV rather than using the aircon because it was so ordinary.

The reason lies in the size of the evaporator and condensors - they simply aren't big enough for our climate. They were designed with the European market in mind.

Skid Marx · 14-01-2011, 12:06 AM

I spoke to the Ford service guy today and he said they use a thermometer to check the temperature coming out of the vents and it should be about 5 degrees after it's had a chance to stabilize.

I have access to plenty of accurate thermometers so I'll do this check myself. I guess getting the air temp down to 5 is one thing, but if the flow volume is piddly, then it's still pretty hopeless at doing the job.

jimmyxr6t04 · 14-01-2011, 04:43 AM

I too find the air con on our LV XR5 to be weak in comparison to our turbo territory. The territory will usually get too cold, and i'll have to adjust it accordingly, but i rarely find myself having to adjust the XR5.

In saying that, it's been sufficient and i don't have an issue, it's just not as cold as my previous fords (BAs, BF and turbo terry) have been.

XR5-Boy · 14-01-2011, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Marx

I spoke to the Ford service guy today and he said they use a thermometer to check the temperature coming out of the vents and it should be about 5 degrees after it's had a chance to stabilize.

I have access to plenty of accurate thermometers so I'll do this check myself. I guess getting the air temp down to 5 is one thing, but if the flow volume is piddly, then it's still pretty hopeless at doing the job.

Yep, the flow is worse than an asthmatic coughing! However, mine has been REALLY cold since it came back from it's 15,000km service. Possible re-gas and adjustment?

WILDB · 14-01-2011, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Marx

I spoke to the Ford service guy today and he said they use a thermometer to check the temperature coming out of the vents and it should be about 5 degrees after it's had a chance to stabilize.

I have access to plenty of accurate thermometers so I'll do this check myself. I guess getting the air temp down to 5 is one thing, but if the flow volume is piddly, then it's still pretty hopeless at doing the job.

I doubt the 5 would get the aircon that low to be honest. 5 degrees and lower is Territory and Falcon territory (pardon the pun)

I drive XR5s all the time at work, not to mention having owned one for 18 months. Unfortunately the aircon is crap

One of the minor things that tarnishes an otherwise brilliant car.

XR5 Mondeos have fantastic aircon, but they also use a totally different system to the Focus.

Skid Marx · 15-01-2011, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WILDB

I drive XR5s all the time at work, not to mention having owned one for 18 months. Unfortunately the aircon is crap

One of the minor things that tarnishes an otherwise brilliant car.

Well, they DID say it's a HOT HATCH!

frozen xr5 · 17-01-2011, 03:08 PM

my lv air con is fine usually left on 2

Skid Marx · 19-01-2011, 12:43 AM

Well, here's what happened next -

I drove it around for about 25 minutes with the air on full blast and recirculate to get things as cool as possible. I stopped, and with the engine running and lowered the fan setting to 1 to give it the best chance of cooling the (already cooled) internal air down the most at the vent. My quite accurate thermometer gave 15.5 degrees C at the air outlet.

This seemed pretty crap, so I took it into the Ford dealer today and left it there all day as you must. They rang me to say they got it down to 6.8, but of course they were driving around in it. It occurred to me that my test might have been faulty as once you stop the car moving there isn't much air flowing over the condenser and so it can't cool sufficiently.

However, I was in a Honda Civic base model the other day with an external temperature of 34 degrees. Without moving anywhere, my fingers were nearly snap frozen within a minute! As a few have pointed out already, the XR5 is a German sourced car and they don't what a hot summer is.

Also, my local Ford dealer must have given the thing a bit of a thrashing because my average fuel consumption had gone up by a few tenths of a litre when I got it back!!!

frozen xr5 · 19-01-2011, 10:32 AM

fan speed 1 is to low in 34 deg heat

GoesLikeAZetec · 21-01-2011, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Marx

2010 LV Focus XR5 about 6800Ks. Love the performance and driving experience but a few things bug me like it's weak air conditioning.

I'm in Perth and it's been stinkin' hot for the past week. My XR5's air con is barely able to make any difference with everything up full and on recirculate until about 20 minutes. The air coming out of the vents feels cool but nothing like I used to get from cheaper model Hondas and Subarus.

Is this just how it is with the XR5? Did they put a really naff unit in to save space/weight/power loss? Or should I be getting better cooling output from such a new unit?

Also, with all the noise it makes I feel I should be snap frozen within a few seconds!

Nearly everyone with new Fiesta's are the same. My wife's new Fiesta has been crap since day one, with the same excuses from the dealer as everyone here mentioned. Maybe they should just rip the falcon ones off and put them on the focus and fiestas!

XR5T_Brissy · 25-01-2011, 07:53 PM

Guys, a dash mat (as much as I hate them) makes a huge difference to cabin temp and air con efficiency in the xr5. I put one on mine a few months ago after noticing how weak the air con was, and wow, what a difference. The fact that the big black "shelf" above the dash and glove box never gets a chance to heat up to huge temps makes a big big difference. I recommend it not as a cure, but a small enhancement to help the air con work better

Skid Marx · 26-01-2011, 01:16 AM

Thanks XR5T Brissy - That's an idea.

I use one of those reflective windscreen shades when parked to keep that area coolish, but of course that gets tucked away once I'm driving and those 6 acres of matt black plastic must generate a lot of heat. These sloping windscreens are supposed to reduce wind drag, but I wonder how much energy is wasted through the extra air con use they create in climates like ours?

mondo_broady · 26-01-2011, 07:04 AM

i also heard of people having their units re-gassed and that making a huge difference. not sure if it was on the XR5 forums or not??

mrbaxr6t · 28-01-2011, 05:33 PM

my pc's casefan is more efficient - anybody tried these gadgets

http://www.amazon.com/Trillium-World...sim_dbs_auto_1

also my BA falcon is a fridge compared to the focus even if the interior is hotter than hell it smashes out air at ridiculously low temps - the vents spew condensation when the cold air hits the warm inside, can we fit a BA aircon to a focus perhaps

Skid Marx · 29-01-2011, 04:03 PM

Thanks mrbaxr6t, - that Trillium looks like a good idea, but I'm guessing the tiny amount of power generated by a few square inches of solar panel wouldn't drive a fan motor very fast.

mondo broady mentioned that some people have found a regas can work. I might have a talk to an independent auto air guy to see what they think. I know one who seems pretty up front.

I'm starting to think Ford service wont do anything until they're forced to. They've already told me it's fine and that no one ever complains about Focus air! I'd be happy to pay for a regas (it's 38 and pukingly humid in Perth today) if it made a real difference and leave Ford service out of it. If I do, I'll keep you all posted.

Simon_Koala · 30-01-2011, 11:42 AM

Please do keep us informed of the outcome .......

jb2020 · 02-02-2011, 02:04 PM

I have a 2010 LV zetec and noticed the air con was **** as well. we have some older focus work cars (maybe 3-4 yrs old) and air con is noticeably colder.
I will take it up with ford service when the 1 yr service comes up but I'm sure I'll get the usual run around and avoidance!

Riksta · 03-02-2011, 12:14 AM

I always thought the aircon in my Zetec wasn't as good as it used to be, however I have come to the following conclusions:

- For quick trips here and there where the inside of the car is hot, you won't get it cooled down in a hurry. The best bet is to do what you can to make it less hot than when you got in it with windows and air con blasting.

- For a long trip (an hour or so) it is pretty unbearable for the first 10 minutes. Then for the next five its slightly uncomfortable, after that it actually gets pretty decent and comfortable. I drove from my house to Victor Harbour (about an hour each way) and in all honesty it didn't take too long to cool down to a bearable temperature. This was with the temperature gauge stating 42 degrees outside.

My tips, although I don't know how effective they are but they seem to work:
- When getting in the boiling car, put aircon on full blast, fresh air, with the rear windows down. The pressure of new air into the car from outside, being cooler than the air inside the hot car, pushes the hot air out.
- When it has cooled down a little, to the same temperature as outside the car, put the back windows up and switch the air to recirc.

The other day before I set off, I put ALL my windows down a couple of inches each, put the aircon on full, but fresh, and came back inside the cool house for five minutes. I then went back out, flicked to recirc, and put the windows up. Came inside, grabbed my stuff, and went on my way. Getting in the car it was a couple of degrees cooler than outside, and ready to get cooler.

My tips are purely what I do and I find them to work, the best I can so far in the Focus, so maybe they'll help someone else. Going from an AU to a Focus, the aircon is probably what I miss the most!

burnz · 03-02-2011, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WILDB

I doubt the 5 would get the aircon that low to be honest. 5 degrees and lower is Territory and Falcon territory (pardon the pun)

I drive XR5s all the time at work, not to mention having owned one for 18 months. Unfortunately the aircon is crap

One of the minor things that tarnishes an otherwise brilliant car.

XR5 Mondeos have fantastic aircon, but they also use a totally different system to the Focus.

your kidding right?? you are..
minus 14* at the vent is the norm in holden/toyo/mitsu...so on

Skid Marx · 06-02-2011, 11:29 PM

Riksta - thanks for those tips. I'll try experimenting with the recirculate verses fresh air. You'd think recirculate would give the quickest cooling but I think the humidity stays higher on recirculate for some odd reason. There may be other voodoo magic effects taking place around the 5 mighty pistons of Duratec Distance Destroying fury.

Riksta · 07-02-2011, 07:55 AM

Well my way of thinking is that the cooler the air going into the aircon, the cooler the air will be coming out. I've heard that leaving the car in the sun can mean the temperature inside the car can be a few degrees hotter, so I figure that by using it to cool the outside air and bringing that inside the car for a while, as soon as the cabin temp has dropped below outside temp THEN flick it to recycled.

In the AU, the recirc air pickup was in the passenger footwell. I used to start the car and blast outside air onto the foot zone, go away and have a smoke in the shade, then come back and flick it to recycled, have another smoke and come back to a car that was a little cooler inside.

You just got to play around, and see what ends up working best.