# A/C is not as cold as other cars?



## coinneach (Apr 10, 2012)

Check the AC pressure level. Mine chills down just fine even when it's 100F and been parked in the sun.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

I don't know what the spec. is for the Cruze, but my '97 Civic puts out 21 degrees F on full fan and recirculate mode. My '03 Protege5 is supposed to put out 36 degrees F on the same settings. The Civic has been charged once in its lifetime and the Protege is still on its factory charge. The check sequence for the Mazda is to run the AC on recirculate with high fan and all windows closed for 15 minutes, or until the compressor starts kicking in and out. Then measure the temperature coming out of the vents. At 50 degrees F and higher ambient temperature, you should get 36 degrees F. Both of my cars use R-134a refrigerant.


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

Mine seems to be as powerful as other cars but the actual temperature regulation is peculiar. If I park with a hot motor the HVAC will blow warm air for several minutes even when the temp dial is turned down all the way but the A/C is powerful enough to overcome the latent warmth if I hit the snowflake button.

There is a TSB for poor HVAC operation and it involves a reprogramming of the HVAC module. Another symptom that can happen is a clicking sound from the dash area after you turn off the car and the TSB is supposed to fix that too. You can probably find a thread with the TSB number with some searching.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Dieselard said:


> I have a 2012 Chevy Cruze 1LT RS with the 1.4l T
> 
> It has approx 5,000 miles on the car, and has been into the dealer for rear brakes needing to be adjusted (e-brake would not hold the car), RF door panel rattling of every little bump and a "power steering failure" light on the dash. Warmer weather has come for a couple days and i used the AC, it is initially warm, then gets cooler. I was assuming the temp would drop more after a few minutes..I was driving an hour on the highway at full blast and it does not seem cold at all. My last several vehicles, friends 12 year old Pontiac, blows colder air (you HAVE to turn it down)
> 
> ...




Dieselard,
I would suggest that you have your dealer look into this for you. If you would like me to contact your dealer and set up an appointment for you, please send me a PM with your name, phone number, VIN and the name of your dealer. I would be happy to contact them for you. Either way, please keep me posted on this issue. If you have any other questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## Dieselard (Jan 2, 2012)

I brought my cruze into service today, and dropped it off. They called me back and said they could find nothing wrong with it, and said the "newer" cars do not get as cold as the older ones. I brought my temperature gun with me, and drove a 1994 mustang V6 (with AC) and after 5 minutes it went to a chilling 31 degrees, I got in my car and it barely hit 48 degrees after running awhile. The tech says this is normal, but this is the ONLY car that wouldnt go colder then 48....

The tech also made a comment on how that was "gm specs" and the ford has different specs
I guess If you want AC and want to be treated fairly you have to buy a FORD

If I knew this, other issues with the car I had I would of never bought it...I was also in a 2012 ford fusion, it got VERY COLD


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## silverram323 (Mar 16, 2012)

My wife was just commenting on this subject yesterday, she misses her ice cold AC chrysler sebring.

Sent from my DROID X2


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

I thought the same thing about the ac in this car, then I played a bit more with the controls. The AC seems coldest on recirculate BUT you also have to turn the controls to the vents only. If you have it set to feet & vents you only get half the air making it seem to be not as cold.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

I forgot to mention something most of you already probably noticed, the AC in these cars has a lower power setting while idling when when you have the fan speed turned all the way up. 

You will notice this when you take off at a stoplight, the air starts really pumping out once your moving. 

Using a temp gun or comparing to other cars(other than a different cruze) doesn't accomplish anything, play with the settings like I mentioned above & you will see the AC gets nice & cold.


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

I believe the compressor usage is stopped or reduced at idle to save gas. I use the recirculate setting, so when that happens the difference is not felt so much. So far I have happy with it.


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## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

Mine comes out freezing cold. When it's not summer of course. Understandable when my temperature shows 115% at lunch time.


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## steadylaughing (Apr 30, 2011)

I have the same problem as the original poster. It was not hot at all here today (low 70s) and I had my AC on full blast and it didn't seem very cold to me. Recirculate also didn't make a difference. I plan on calling my dealer to have them take a look.


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## TheRupp (May 8, 2012)

I think this has been well-covered, but my A/C leaves no room for anything to be desired here in Phoenix.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Up here in NY, my A/C leaves a bit to be desired. It's going to the dealer soon.


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## weightdn (Oct 24, 2011)

Does anyone know the actual spec for the vent temperature on the Cruze (Eco is there is a difference)? I notice the air conditioning to be barely adequate. Not sure that would still be the case with 4 in the car on a hot and humid Ohio August day though!

Mike


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## cecaa850 (Apr 9, 2012)

Ask the dealer to drive another vehicle and see if it performs like yours. I live in S.E. TX where we have extremely high humidity and already this year, temps 90+. I can't run my ac on max, recirc. for long without getting cold.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

steadylaughing said:


> I have the same problem as the original poster. It was not hot at all here today (low 70s) and I had my AC on full blast and it didn't seem very cold to me. Recirculate also didn't make a difference. I plan on calling my dealer to have them take a look.




steadylaughing,
I would like you to keep me posted on this concern. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

weightdn said:


> Does anyone know the actual spec for the vent temperature on the Cruze (Eco is there is a difference)? I notice the air conditioning to be barely adequate. Not sure that would still be the case with 4 in the car on a hot and humid Ohio August day though!
> 
> Mike



Mike,
I am going to use my internal resources to look into your question. As soon as I get further information I will update you. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## ErikBEggs (Aug 20, 2011)

spacedout said:


> I forgot to mention something most of you already probably noticed, the AC in these cars has a lower power setting while idling when when you have the fan speed turned all the way up.
> 
> You will notice this when you take off at a stoplight, the air starts really pumping out once your moving.
> 
> Using a temp gun or comparing to other cars(other than a different cruze) doesn't accomplish anything, play with the settings like I mentioned above & you will see the AC gets nice & cold.


I noticed this too. My parents were begging me to turn the A/C up higher when we were driving around town and complained it wasn't getting any cooler. I told em the windows should just be down until the highway -_-


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

ErikBEggs said:


> I noticed this too. My parents were begging me to turn the A/C up higher when we were driving around town and complained it wasn't getting any cooler. I told em the windows should just be down until the highway -_-




ErikBEggs,
If you feel that there is an issue with your A/C I would recommend that you have your dealer look into this for you. Please keep me posted on this. If you have any other questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

weightdn said:


> Does anyone know the actual spec for the vent temperature on the Cruze (Eco is there is a difference)? I notice the air conditioning to be barely adequate. Not sure that would still be the case with 4 in the car on a hot and humid Ohio August day though!
> 
> Mike




Mike,
There is no published specification for the vent air temperature. The temperature will vary depending conditions such as ambient air temperature and humidity. If you feel there is a concern with the vent air temperature I recommend that you demonstrate the concern to your local dealer. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

A typical differential for air conditioning between inside and outside temperatures is about 45F. And with recirculate, the inside temp should continue to drop. Remember that refrigeration systems remove heat, they don't make cold.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

OK, so if there is no published specification on what the AC should be putting out on a Cruze, how does a service tech. determine if the system is functioning properly? Do they go solely on what the high and low pressures should be on the system, or do they flip a coin? If so what are those pressures? The shop manual for my Mazda has a very nice graph using output temperature and ambient air temperature to show what the system should be doing.


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## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

^ This. Usually I've found a variable pressure tolerance when a temperature chart is not provided.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

I just saw a commercial for a bottle of A/C Pro and was wondering if this stuff actually works and could possibly be a true long term solution for the A/C not being cold enough in the Cruze? Or is this stuff a scam and only a short term solution at best? Anybody try this A/C Pro stuff yet or have any experience with it? 

How to Recharge Your AC with AC Pro - YouTube


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## coinneach (Apr 10, 2012)

I'm wondering the same about something called "Arctic Blast" that I saw a brochure for at the dealer. "ONLY your dealer can install this! Guaranteed 5° temperature drop at the vent!" Seems to me like just another way to scam people into paying more for something that they should already have.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

coinneach said:


> I'm wondering the same about something called "Arctic Blast" that I saw a brochure for at the dealer. "ONLY your dealer can install this! Guaranteed 5° temperature drop at the vent!" Seems to me like just another way to scam people into paying more for something that they should already have.


Yeah, i also went on youtube and watched the video for "Arctic Blast" too but I don't think your dealer is the only one that can install it. I think all these products are do-it-yourself things. The videos walk you through it so you can do it right at home.


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## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

1) It's a scam. Unless its 99% pure R-144A then it will void the warranty on your HVAC system. You're dealer will be able to tell if you dump anything but the required coolant in. It "works" by raising the pressure in the system. However to high of a pressure could cause warmer air to come out. There's a window of peak HIGH and LOW side pressure that your A/C system is designed to operate in. It also contains a sealer that causes more problems in the long run. They generally gum up your compressor.

2) The reason they say dealer only is because of EPA regulations. Venting of R-144A is illegal on a federal level so they want no responsibility in an owner accidentally releasing some in the atmosphere. (Nothing is conclusive that R-144A has a negative impact however)


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

My cars use r-134a. When did r-144a become the standard?


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## Jewel Red 5 (Feb 5, 2011)

Take it to a different Dealer on a hot day and let them drive it with you and the tech in it. Also ask him if he likes his dinner warm or hot get the point.



Dieselard said:


> I brought my cruze into service today, and dropped it off. They called me back and said they could find nothing wrong with it, and said the "newer" cars do not get as cold as the older ones. I brought my temperature gun with me, and drove a 1994 mustang V6 (with AC) and after 5 minutes it went to a chilling 31 degrees, I got in my car and it barely hit 48 degrees after running awhile. The tech says this is normal, but this is the ONLY car that wouldnt go colder then 48....
> 
> The tech also made a comment on how that was "gm specs" and the ford has different specs
> I guess If you want AC and want to be treated fairly you have to buy a FORD
> ...


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## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

Jim Frye said:


> My cars use r-134a. When did r-144a become the standard?


It didn't! iPhone failure forgive me lol


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## moregrip (May 16, 2012)

my girlfriend came home the other day saying the same thing. 90+ degrees out and she couldn't get cool. For those that went to the dealer for repair, what did they do? Thanks!


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## sedanman (Dec 10, 2010)

Wanna trade? My AC is TOO COLD! I keep hitting the little snowflake button to turn it off because it's too cold, then I have to turn it back on when it's too hot again. Is it too difficult to put a thermostat in a car as standard equipment?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

sedanman said:


> Wanna trade? My AC is TOO COLD! I keep hitting the little snowflake button to turn it off because it's too cold, then I have to turn it back on when it's too hot again. Is it too difficult to put a thermostat in a car as standard equipment?


:question:
It...has...a thermostat. Turn the heat dial up a few notches.


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## PinkPantiesonMe (Jun 5, 2012)

I had the issue and unfortunately I still do. Initially when I bought the car it was really cold and yes you had t turn the blower @ least down or freeze. Initial service found two separate leaks which were supposedly fixed? It seems to a lot better on the highway @ +3500 rpm but once your dawdling in the city forget it. It won't cool the car interior down at all.


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## Dieselard (Jan 2, 2012)

I fixed this issue myself as I am A/C "certified"

The car takes 1.38lbs of R134A refrigerant, .9 lbs of refrigerant was in the car. I evacuated/recovered the whole system, put it on a vacuum (to get all the remaining refrigerant out and filled it to 1.38lbs. A/C is ICE cold, cannot keep it on for more then a couple minutes at highways speeds. Before this it hit roughly 45-50 degrees at the vent, AFTER the PROPER amount put in, it gets to about 35 degrees from the vent idling(same as all my other cars)

Maybe chevy is cutting back on how much refrigerant they put in? Or they just have a horrible quality control (That I have noticed a lot on this car, and many other new ones that other manufacturers don't have)


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## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

Sounds like there was either a leak or a QC problem as you suggested which is what I'm thinking. Besides you would have found a leak when you vacuumed and recovered. Did you have any purity issues?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Dieselard said:


> I fixed this issue myself as I am A/C "certified"
> 
> The car takes 1.38lbs of R134A refrigerant, .9 lbs of refrigerant was in the car. I evacuated/recovered the whole system, put it on a vacuum (to get all the remaining refrigerant out and filled it to 1.38lbs. A/C is ICE cold, cannot keep it on for more then a couple minutes at highways speeds. Before this it hit roughly 45-50 degrees at the vent, AFTER the PROPER amount put in, it gets to about 35 degrees from the vent idling(same as all my other cars)
> 
> Maybe chevy is cutting back on how much refrigerant they put in? Or they just have a horrible quality control (That I have noticed a lot on this car, and many other new ones that other manufacturers don't have)


That would explain a lot. Even on 2 or 3, I just don't feel like mine is that cold. 


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app


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## XtremeAaron (Jan 22, 2012)

Hmm can you go into any details that I can have the dealer look into this for me? 

I'd like to know if I have the correct amount of refrigerant, and check for any possible leaks. 

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

Dieselard said:


> I fixed this issue myself as I am A/C "certified"
> 
> The car takes 1.38lbs of R134A refrigerant, .9 lbs of refrigerant was in the car. I evacuated/recovered the whole system, put it on a vacuum (to get all the remaining refrigerant out and filled it to 1.38lbs. A/C is ICE cold, cannot keep it on for more then a couple minutes at highways speeds. Before this it hit roughly 45-50 degrees at the vent, AFTER the PROPER amount put in, it gets to about 35 degrees from the vent idling(same as all my other cars)
> 
> Maybe chevy is cutting back on how much refrigerant they put in? Or they just have a horrible quality control (That I have noticed a lot on this car, and many other new ones that other manufacturers don't have)


Dieselard, you might have discovered and be onto something big just like the Cruze's spark plugs being undergapped! Hopefully, this whole A/C not being cold enough thing can be as simple as not having the amount of refrigerant the car calls for.


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## Dieselard (Jan 2, 2012)

I never found any leaks AT THIS TIME, (electronic leak tester) and the vehicle always had a "weak" AC, since I drove it off the lot. I did add dye into the system as well so if a leak is present, I will know.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Dieselard said:


> I fixed this issue myself as I am A/C "certified"
> 
> Or they just have a horrible quality control (That I have noticed a lot on this car, and many other new ones that other manufacturers don't have)


Holy Crap on a Cracker!!!! The fix is that simple and yet, service departments are blowing customer complaints off with "that's the way it's supposed to be"? It's hard to believe that so many have been sold and there are so few people complaining about all the things that are not right. Looks like we are seeing many examples of poor quality control out of Lordstown.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Our Honda Fit had the same issue of not enough refrigerant. A weak A/C is a common complaint on the Fit boards also. A few ounces of r134a had the A/C icy. It worked well enough that on a 100*F degree day in Ohio last summer getting out of the comfortably air-conditioned car to run into a store felt like hitting a wall of heat.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

How hard and expensive is adding refrigerant?


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## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

Jim Frye said:


> Holy Crap on a Cracker!!!! The fix is that simple and yet, service departments are blowing customer complaints off with "that's the way it's supposed to be"? It's hard to believe that so many have been sold and there are so few people complaining about all the things that are not right. Looks like we are seeing many examples of poor quality control out of Lordstown.


You gotta remember that 85% of people that buy a cruze don't care to go on forums and 14% probably don't use computers. 

I'd like to know if the price to have this done, cause i'm sure dealer won't find a problem.


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## Dieselard (Jan 2, 2012)

Starks8 said:


> How hard and expensive is adding refrigerant?


For me it wasn't too expensive, I do not suggest buying the cans with the "do it yourself" kits with the sealer though, will do more harm then good. 
Best way to do it is to evacuate/ vacuum then recharge with the correct amount
Different shops charge different rates, I did not use any "special" refrigerant, its all marketing.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

Dieselard said:


> For me it wasn't too expensive, I do not suggest buying the cans with the "do it yourself" kits with the sealer though, will do more harm then good.
> Best way to do it is to evacuate/ vacuum then recharge with the correct amount
> Different shops charge different rates, I did not use any "special" refrigerant, its all marketing.


Oh okay. So is there a way to tell that this specific process is exactly what is needed (when the A/C isnt as cold as it should be) before doing the whole process and finding out that its something else, like a cracked A/C compressor? Any idea how much a dealership would charge to do this? If they even can?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

If your car is still under warranty, I would imagine they should check the AC for you. 

A basic way to check is that the low-side AC pressure should be roughly a few PSI more the outside temperature with the car off. 

If you're in northern VA, Jim McKay Chevy in Fairfax has been great about working with me both times I have taken my car to them. 

I don't have time to take mine back out there during the work week, but I bought a can of straight R-134a (no leak sealer, no "special formula" crap) for $6 at Autozone. The easy way to fill the system to the proper level is to pop a gauge on top of that, find the low-side pressure port, and fill to the recommended pressures (based on ambient temperature) on the chart on the back of the can with the car running and idle held at around 1500 RPM.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

jblackburn said:


> If your car is still under warranty, I would imagine they should check the AC for you.
> 
> A basic way to check is that the low-side AC pressure should be roughly a few PSI more the outside temperature with the car off.
> 
> ...


oh ok cool. So is what you got different from the a/c pro kind of stuff they sell?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Like this. Just stay away from the synthetic r134 blends or stuff with leak sealers in it. 

I have a gauge that attaches to the top of those cans. Don't know how much they run separately. 


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

There is definitely something to this.

I added just a little bit of R-134a to my Cruze on the weekend - maybe 1/4-1/3 of the can pictured above, and the AC felt like it was coming out of the vents VERY cold over the hot weekend in the 90's. We had the car out on the highway, so I'm not sure how much better it is around town.

Not quite as powerful as my old Volvo's AC was that would really freeze you out of the car, but it is definitely colder than it was before out on the highway. I kept it on fan speed 1-2 for most of the trip instead of 3 or 4 it needed to stay on before to cool the car down.


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## danimal (Oct 4, 2011)

It's been in the upper 90's here and I have to keep the Fan on 3 or 4 to keep the inside cool. Got in my wife's trailblazer this afternoon and it was icy in no time. I'm thinking I could be a little low...


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

jblackburn said:


> There is definitely something to this.
> 
> I added just a little bit of R-134a to my Cruze on the weekend - maybe 1/4-1/3 of the can pictured above, and the AC felt like it was coming out of the vents VERY cold over the hot weekend in the 90's. We had the car out on the highway, so I'm not sure how much better it is around town.
> 
> Not quite as powerful as my old Volvo's AC was that would really freeze you out of the car, but there's definitely colder than it was before out on the highway. I kept it on fan speed 1-2 for most of the trip instead of 3 or 4 for the beginning of the trip in hot weather from last time.


I'm really starting to wonder if this problem is just as big as the spark plugs being undergapped, if in fact the cars aren't arriving with enough refrigerant in them. If these cars aren't getting the right amount of refrigerant this is a big deal and needs to be known by both Chevy and the customer ASAP!!


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## Chevyderek72 (May 16, 2011)

Hmm, definitely need to take a look into this. Makes a lot of sense.

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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Guys, apparently the vent temperature is supposed to be 63*F at 90*F with high relative humidity. I had my car to the dealer, and they said that the 50*F I've had spitting out of the vents was much better than specification. 

Scans of the table they gave me. GM dealer folks, can you verify this? It's document number 2560492.


















It's still cooler to roll down the windows if it's hot out. The A/C just can't keep up! 

BTW, our Fit's A/C had no issue freezing me in the same weather. And those cars are known for having a weak A/C system.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

I'm guessing that the dealer didn't check to see how much refrigerant was in your system and they just showed you the chart and sent you on your way. What temperature do you get when the system is on recirculate? 

If SciPhi's chart is official Chevy documentation, then it looks like you have to use recirculate to get decent cold air on hot days. At least we now have High/Low side pressures to reference. I'm still questioning this based on what a previous poster stated after loading up the correct amount of r-134a into his Cruze and on what other cars I've owned have done.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

63? That seems absolutely pathetic to me. I've seen better air conditioners than that in Honda Civics...and Hondas are known across the lineup for weak air conditioners. 

I think their chart should be referenced for the correct pressure values, but that vent temp crap disregarded. I know my AC gets colder than 50ish degrees if it's 65 outside, and that was even before I charged it. 

That's a wide range for the low side pressures. Ideally, yeah, it should settle down to around 33 PSI when the air in the car is very cool and on recirculate - that means the evaporator temperature is around 32 degrees. 40-45 seems about right at 90 degrees with a hot car and AC on full blast. That's what I was seeing when charging it Friday when it was 92 outside. 

It seems like they have no pre-set conditions to obtain their spec temps. Usually there's something, as a poster said above with his Mazda, to check after the AC has been running between 5-15 minutes on setting high or one below high on the recirculate setting. 

Ideally, the correct way to charge a system is to have readings on both high and low sides. But most of the refill kits only use the low-pressure side. If the can of refrigerant is the same temperature as outdoors (let it sit in the shade for 20 min outdoors to warm up - DO NOT leave it in the sun as the refrigerant will boil inside the can and go in too fast in a liquid state), you cannot really overcharge the system. It will take it in until the pressure matches the outdoor temperature, and that will mean your system is full. The gauge is there to double check. 


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## coinneach (Apr 10, 2012)

Jim Frye said:


> If SciPhi's chart is official Chevy documentation, then it looks like you have to use recirculate to get decent cold air on hot days. At least we now have High/Low side pressures to reference. I'm still questioning this based on what a previous poster stated after loading up the correct amount of r-134a into his Cruze and on what other cars I've owned have done.


What's funny about that is that when I had my AC looked at for mildew smell, I was admonished to NOT use recirc.


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## zr1000a1 (Jan 25, 2012)

coinneach said:


> What's funny about that is that when I had my AC looked at for mildew smell, I was admonished to NOT use recirc.


Wow, that is amazing that a service tech would be that clueless, especially when living in such a hot, dry climate as yours. According to him, Chevy should save money and not even put a recirculate on the car. 

Of course, Coinneach, it should be cool enough for you without recirculate as long as you're wearing your kilt! That service tech is a real Haggis!


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## coinneach (Apr 10, 2012)

zr1000a1 said:


> Wow, that is amazing that a service tech would be that clueless, especially when living in such a hot, dry climate as yours. According to him, Chevy should save money and not even put a recirculate on the car.


Exactly what I told him. "Right, sucking all the humidity out of the air caused a mildew eruption. In our climate, where 10% is uncomfortably damp. RIGHT." *doomy glare of doom*



> Of course, Coinneach, it should be cool enough for you without recirculate as long as you're wearing your kilt! That service tech is a real Haggis!


Hey now, don't be insulting perfectly good haggis like that.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

sciphi said:


> Guys, apparently the vent temperature is supposed to be 63*F at 90*F with high relative humidity. I had my car to the dealer, and they said that the 50*F I've had spitting out of the vents was much better than specification.
> 
> Scans of the table they gave me. GM dealer folks, can you verify this? It's document number 2560492.
> 
> ...


I wonder if having the small engine makes this situation worse?


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

No, it doesn't. I've had cars with smaller engines before such as a 2.0 liter Hyundai, my folks' 2.2 liter Subaru, and our 1.5 liter Honda. All of those cars had cold A/C. Much colder than my Cruze's A/C.


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

This weekend's trip to the Blues Festival in Chicago proved that the air conditioner in my Cruze is adequate. I used recirculate, kept the fan speed at 2 and the temperature control a couple notches above full cold. Temperatures in Chicago hit the low 90's during the trip.


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## Macman (May 4, 2011)

I live in Texas, it's been hot lately and I have a feeling the coldest air ever out of this thing is like 55 degrees, maybe 60. I'm also with the guy that said he'd never have bought the car if there were so many problems.


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## Dieselard (Jan 2, 2012)

For the MACS certification manual, The vent air on low, engine RPM at 1500 and on max AC (re circulation) should be anywhere from 35-45 degrees...
63 degrees is absolutely pathetic
For a test, you can do yourself that might work for some people, under the hood in the middle of the firewall is a line for the AC system, that line should be a little frosty, and if you touch it it should give you sort of a cold "bite"

Before I charged mine, that line was barely cold..after the charge it was a 32 degrees F

The dealer is giving you the "comfortable" temperature range that the INTERIOR of the car should be, NOT at the vent!

It seems like its a common practice for GM dealers to pull the wool over our eyes, say nothing is wrong but do not even check the car out
A simple hook up of the gauges would show the system is low...even 50PSI on the high side is enough to allow the compressor to kick on in some cars, if they pull the "If the system is low, the compressor wouldn't kick on"card


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

I'll have to nicely ask my neighbor to borrow his cousin's (professional mechanic with a very busy shop) A/C machine this weekend, and see how much refrigerant is vacuumed out.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

sciphi said:


> I'll have to nicely ask my neighbor to borrow his cousin's (professional mechanic with a very busy shop) A/C machine this weekend, and see how much refrigerant is vacuumed out.


Let us know how it goes and what you find out!


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## JoeyBones (Oct 22, 2011)

Add me to the list of those who have recently discovered how severely lacking the AC is on this car... I cannot imagine it possibly keeping up with 95 degree PA summer weather. It can't keep up with 80 degree weather so far...

I am due for inspection at month's end, so I'll have the dealership "take a look" at it while it's in there... Sigh.

Regards,

Bones


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## nobog (Oct 25, 2011)

Calibrated thermometer. 92 deg outside. 45 deg at the middle vents. Fan on #3. Recirculate. 2012 LT1. Bottom line: works but could be colder.

JK


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

I'm having no problem with 90F+ temperatures. Perhaps my secret is that I'm running it set to fan speed 2 or 3.


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## rbtec (Feb 3, 2012)

GoldenCruze said:


> I'm having no problem with 90F+ temperatures. Perhaps my secret is that I'm running it set to fan speed 2 or 3.


Same here. I ran it today at speed 3 and then turned it down to 2.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

2-3 are pathetic unless you're on the highway. Not sure who came up with the fan speeds in this car...but they are all over the map. 


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app


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## CruzeEcoBlueTopaz (Jan 5, 2012)

Just got my 2012 cruze eco back from the dealership today after having the ac compressor replaced. I have 30k miles on my cruze and about 3 weeks ago I tried using the a/c for the first time and it just wasnt cold at all in fact it was the same temp as just the regular air coming from the vents. Thankfully it was under warranty so the 3 hour repair was free. I would reccomend to anyone take your car in to the dealership if you feel your a/c temperature is not as cold as it should be.


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## Vector-SS (Jun 20, 2012)

It's been a few days I've taken delivery of my Cruze, and the only thing that is extremely disappointing is the A/C. Today, we had temperatures around 120F. Initially, I thought the A/C was adequate, however once I'm stopped on a stop light, it's almost non existent. Back on the highway, and it's blasting quite cold air, though I have it set on the MAX temp and 4 fans.

Does the A/C really use "low power" settings while idle to preserve gas? Gasoline is cheaper than water here, it's one of the hottest places on earth, yet it's possibly programmed the same way as the rest of the world?


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

> 2-3 are pathetic unless you're on the highway.


 Why? Noise? If it is noise, then I can hardly hear it at speed 2. Turn on the tunes and hardly hear it at speed 3. It has been my experience with many vehicles that when the heat is on outside, the fan speed for the AC needs to go up. Gotta move air to cool it.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

GoldenCruze said:


> Why? Noise? If it is noise, then I can hardly hear it at speed 2. Turn on the tunes and hardly hear it at speed 3. It has been my experience with many vehicles that when the heat is on outside, the fan speed for the AC needs to go up. Gotta move air to cool it.


Airflow. It just ain't cool enough with how little air it puts out on lower speeds. 3 should be 2. 2 should be 1. 3 should be somewhere between where it currently is and TORNADO mode on 4.

Charging to the proper pressure got me cooler air, but the volume just isn't enough for my liking - and everyone that rides in the car says the same.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

jblackburn said:


> Airflow. It just ain't cool enough with how little air it puts out on lower speeds. 3 should be 2. 2 should be 1. 3 should be somewhere between where it currently is and TORNADO mode on 4.
> 
> Charging to the proper pressure got me cooler air, but the volume just isn't enough for my liking - and everyone that rides in the car says the same.


All I can do is SMH (Shake my head) @ Chevy! How do you just celebrate your 100yr anniversary as a auto company and still don't know how to deliver and design a good A/C in your cars?! This A/C problem really worries me because as you can already see from the last couple days, this summer's heat ain't gonna be no joke and I don't see next summer being any less hot. Myself living in the humid Virginia summer weather, having a weak A/C is bad news to my ears! I really hope they have figured this out for the 2013 Cruzes! Wishful thinking, most likely, haha!


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## nickys68chevy (Jun 2, 2011)

on my car (11-LS) i covered the ac return line from the AC radiator with a Cool Tec jacket. i live in clearwtaer florida so my average daily temps are in the high 80's with 70-80% humidity, it only takes about 4-5 minutes to cool down at 5pm. 
the return line i'm speaking of is hightlighted in red


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## Macman (May 4, 2011)

I have you all beat, I'm in texas. 100 degrees daily, 90% humidity. I'm seriously considering trading up in 2013.


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## Bohdan (Apr 28, 2012)

All is well with my Air. 98 degrees here today I have the Air set at 75 temp and the fan speed at 5 . Were all Curze cars set up with a 4 speed fan. Mine runs great at 4 speed with no tornado feel and it works great at 5 but once at fan speed 6 look out the tornado effect is on.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

You have 6 different fan speeds?!! This is the first time I'm hearing that a US Cruze has anything more than 4 fan speed presets. Maybe it's different in the LTZ's that have the auto climate control? Can we get a picture?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Do you have a 2LT or LTZ? 6 speeds sounds fantastic, but I didn't even look at higher trim levels. 

All lower trims from what you have without the auto climate control have a 4 speed fan knob and a manual temp adjustment. 


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app


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## Bohdan (Apr 28, 2012)

The LTZ/RS is 3 weeks old today. Perhaps they started to use 2013 parts towards the end of the 2012 run. Even when looking under the hood the bottom of the floor panel is silver lined very cool looking.








I have the option to use Auto climate control or manual control which is great.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

Bohdan said:


> The LTZ/RS is 3 weeks old today. Perhaps they started to use 2013 parts towards the end of the 2012 run. Even when looking under the hood the bottom of the floor panel is silver lined very cool looking.
> View attachment 6208
> 
> 
> I have the option to use Auto climate control or manual control which is great.


Man that's awesome! Maybe it's a 2012 LTZ thing? Any other 2012 LTZ owners care to chime in to confirm or not? Can you get a clear pic of the floor panel? It doesn't seem the 2012 non LTZ owners were/are this lucky?


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## Bohdan (Apr 28, 2012)

This is what the bottom of the engine floor panel looks like with its Honey comb looked in silver reflective. I took a look at the whole under area of the Car and it is covered with this silver looking heat deflectors first car I have owned as such .


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

That "floor panel" is actually a splash shield to prevent the engine getting drowned going through puddles on rainy days. All Cruzes have it.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

I'm going to try putting some pipe wrap around the low side lines. That "should" help out some.


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## XtremeAaron (Jan 22, 2012)

sciphi said:


> I'm going to try putting some pipe wrap around the low side lines. That "should" help out some.


Keep me posted on that.


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

I thought my A/C was getting weak. I was driving home from the dealer after getting a rattle fixed (unrelated issue) and the A/C was terrible. Turned out the temp knob was bumped off of it's maximum cold setting. It blew cubes once I turned it down all the way. I doubt the A/C is designed to be weak. If yours isn't cold enough somethings wrong. I've had good luck with other cars by taking it to a place that services car A/C and getting them to totally evacuate the system and put in a fresh measured charge of gas (by weight). That cost about $100 and I could see how you'd be pissed at your dealer for not doing it under warranty but I bet it would be successful.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

Dale_K said:


> I thought my A/C was getting weak. I was driving home from the dealer after getting a rattle fixed (unrelated issue) and the A/C was terrible. Turned out the temp knob was bumped off of it's maximum cold setting. It blew cubes once I turned it down all the way. I doubt the A/C is designed to be weak. If yours isn't cold enough somethings wrong. I've had good luck with other cars by taking it to a place that services car A/C and getting them to totally evacuate the system and put in a fresh measured charge of gas (by weight). That cost about $100 and I could see how you'd be pissed at your dealer for not doing it under warranty but I bet it would be successful.


So was it the Chevy dealership that fixed your Cruze's A/C or did you take it to the A/C service place?


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

Sorry I wasn't clear. My Cruze A/C is fine, no repairs needed. The fix involving a total refrigerent evacuation and then a fresh measured charge was on a different car.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

Dale_K said:


> Sorry I wasn't clear. My Cruze A/C is fine, no repairs needed. The fix involving a total refrigerent evacuation and then a fresh measured charge was on a different car.


oh okay.


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## leeclark (Mar 25, 2012)

I'm gonna have my dealership check mine out when i take mine in for the recall. Mine isn't all that cold either. The other day it was almost 100F here, the A/C wasn't cutting it.


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## TwelveCruze (Nov 24, 2011)

I have been checking mine out since first reading this thread because I have had a time when I felt mine wasn't working like it should. What I discovered is that there must be some kind of order that you need to crank up the A/C. I pressed in the A/C button then started with the other buttons (air flow direction and recirc) only to find that for some reason my A/C button was no longer lit. I can see how you hit it once and don't look at it again, but for some reason I had to hit it a second time. Once all of it was set properly, the A/C works great.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

leeclark said:


> I'm gonna have my dealership check mine out when i take mine in for the recall. Mine isn't all that cold either. The other day it was almost 100F here, the A/C wasn't cutting it.


leeclark,
I would like you to keep me posted on the outcome of your visit to the dealer. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## ARsummit (Sep 6, 2011)

my ac was not cutting it either. it would blow cool air when i was driving >45mph but as soon as i would stop at a light or such then it would go back to blowing 80+ degrees. took it in for the recalls and also had them check the ac. i was told that the compressor has a leak and they are ordering me a new one.


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## silverram323 (Mar 16, 2012)

I bought a ac kit at walmart for $26, checked temp (vent) before and was blowing 45 degree air. I followed the instructions and now it's blowing 24 degrees, it's 94 degrees now and its a huge difference

Sent from my DROID X2 using AutoGuide.Com Free App


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

silverram323 said:


> I bought a ac kit at walmart for $26, checked temp (vent) before and was blowing 45 degree air. I followed the instructions and now it's blowing 24 degrees, it's 94 degrees now and its a huge difference
> 
> Sent from my DROID X2 using AutoGuide.Com Free App


If it's the A/C pro kit or something similar, I actually heard those aren't good for your car and can cause more issues later down the road.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

TwelveCruze said:


> I have been checking mine out since first reading this thread because I have had a time when I felt mine wasn't working like it should. What I discovered is that there must be some kind of order that you need to crank up the A/C. I pressed in the A/C button then started with the other buttons (air flow direction and recirc) only to find that for some reason my A/C button was no longer lit. I can see how you hit it once and don't look at it again, but for some reason I had to hit it a second time. Once all of it was set properly, the A/C works great.


I discovered you can turn off the A/C when the fan is off, but you have to turn the fan on before you can turn on the A/C.


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## Macman (May 4, 2011)

silverram323 said:


> I bought a ac kit at walmart for $26, checked temp (vent) before and was blowing 45 degree air. I followed the instructions and now it's blowing 24 degrees, it's 94 degrees now and its a huge difference
> 
> Sent from my DROID X2 using AutoGuide.Com Free App


'd be interested in finding out which kit you bought.


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## Joe (Jun 28, 2012)

Vector-SS said:


> It's been a few days I've taken delivery of my Cruze, and the only thing that is extremely disappointing is the A/C. Today, we had temperatures around 120F. Initially, I thought the A/C was adequate, however once I'm stopped on a stop light, it's almost non existent. Back on the highway, and it's blasting quite cold air, though I have it set on the MAX temp and 4 fans.
> 
> Does the A/C really use "low power" settings while idle to preserve gas? Gasoline is cheaper than water here, it's one of the hottest places on earth, yet it's possibly programmed the same way as the rest of the world?


I have the exact same problem. At low speed or when stopped, the A/C shuts off. I've had it to the dealer 3 times now. Reprogramed the servos, evacuated, checked for leaks and recharged the system. Still the same. Going back a 4th time next week.


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## silverram323 (Mar 16, 2012)

I shouldn't have called it a kit really, You buy the hose and a can of 134A. Here is what i bought.
It was 94 Degrees today in Minneapolis and i had to turn it to the 3rd setting as i got cold. It really works good now. It only took 1/4 to 1/3 of the can.

These are pictures from a google search to show you guys.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

Oh okay yeah, another guy on here used and did the exact same thing. I think he noted he is unfortunately having problems again though with the A/C not staying cold. Don't quote me on that, I could be mistaking. Let us know how it goes!


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

ARsummit said:


> my ac was not cutting it either. it would blow cool air when i was driving >45mph but as soon as i would stop at a light or such then it would go back to blowing 80+ degrees. took it in for the recalls and also had them check the ac. i was told that the compressor has a leak and they are ordering me a new one.




ARsummit,
I would like you to keep me posted on the progress with this issue. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

I don't think 24 degree air is a good thing. If the coil is really that cold it's going to build up frost and kill the airflow. I've heard of other cars where the owners reported "smoke" from the dash that wasn't really smoke but condensation and fog because the A/C coil had iced up.


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## Macman (May 4, 2011)

Stacy, I think my cruze has a faulty compressor, there's been talk of a certain vibration and I've got it bad, the dealership of course says that it's normal. I don't want to buy a new car, but it's getting to the point that I may have to. My first and last chevy, so much for my dream camaro, unless it's a 69.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Joe said:


> I have the exact same problem. At low speed or when stopped, the A/C shuts off. I've had it to the dealer 3 times now. Reprogramed the servos, evacuated, checked for leaks and recharged the system. Still the same. Going back a 4th time next week.




Joe,
I understand your concern with this issue. I would like you to keep me posted on the progress with your dealer. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

We hit 100 here in Ohio today, and my AC worked fine by me.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

My air was cold but with 4 adults in the car did not seem to keep things cold. I took it to a friends shop today & had him check out the air, he found no leaks but the system was not full. Night & day difference in how cold this thing is now. Even with the record heat today I could not leave AC on fan 3 without getting cold on a 20minute highway drive. 

One has to wonder how much money a car manufacture could save if they did not fill every cars AC system to spec. I can't imagine there could be much employee error involved in filling the system with R-134. Seems this would all be measured & a job completed by a trained employee.


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## Skraeling (May 30, 2012)

Starks8 said:


> I wonder if having the small engine makes this situation worse?


nope my wrx will freeze your ass off, sitting at a stop light in 105 degree weather.


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## ARsummit (Sep 6, 2011)

dealership refilled my ac with more freon and said they didnt know when the new compressor would be in b/c they were having trouble finding one. service manager told me that when it did come in though that they would put me in a rental while the service took place. so far the leak has been slow enough that i have enough freon left to keep the car cool in our record heat here. it was 107 actual temp yesterday. 10pm it was still 95.


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

Freon is no longer used in new cars. It's R134 refrigerant. Judging from the replies here, it is beginning to look like there is a combination of bad compressors and bad factory fills.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

> Freon is no longer used in new cars. It's R134 refrigerant.


Yeah, but people know R-12 by that name. Old habits don't die.

It was 95 yesterday at 5 PM; supposed to be 104 today. Since adding some refrigerant to mine, it was VERY cold yesterday on both fan settings 3 and 4. Better than my house AC. It's cold at idle, and gets even colder once you start moving at 40-50 mph.

Got a 5-hour trip in that kinda weather today; I'll see how it does out on the highway.

I'm convinced this is one of those issues that was overlooked in the factory, as were the spark plugs and struts. I wonder if it's only ones built after or before a certain date or something.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Macman said:


> Stacy, I think my cruze has a faulty compressor, there's been talk of a certain vibration and I've got it bad, the dealership of course says that it's normal. I don't want to buy a new car, but it's getting to the point that I may have to. My first and last chevy, so much for my dream camaro, unless it's a 69.



Macman,
I understand your concern with this issue. I would like to look into this for you. Can you please send me a PM with your name, address, phone number, VIN, current mileage and the name of your dealer? I look forward to hearing back from you.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

We hit 105 Friday on my trip out of DC. I sat in traffic for like 2.5 hours barely moving. After 10 minutes, the Cruze's AC got cold and it stayed VERY cold during the whole drive on setting 3. Quite happy it's now working as I believe it should 

With the airbox intake resonator removed, it doesn't feel like it bogs down as much from a stop either - it's actually driveable with the AC blasting!

Now, if this stupid heat would just go away...


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

jblackburn said:


> After 10 minutes, the Cruze's AC got cold and it stayed VERY cold during the whole drive on setting 3.


I'm not sure I understand. Did it take ten minutes for the system to start blowing cold air, or did it take ten minutes for the car to cool down? Both of my old cars start blowing cold air within 30 seconds after the A/C is turned on.


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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

Mid 90s here this weekend. A/C worked fine. Once the cabin cooled ran it on 1 or 2 fanspeed with recirculation. Engine performed well too on highway and in stop and go traffic with AC going.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Jim Frye said:


> I'm not sure I understand. Did it take ten minutes for the system to start blowing cold air, or did it take ten minutes for the car to cool down? Both of my old cars start blowing cold air within 30 seconds after the A/C is turned on.


Cooled almost instantly. Car cooled down in 10 min. 


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app


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## XtremeAaron (Jan 22, 2012)

Think its worth a shot to have the dealer check if i have the correct amount of refrigerant/check for any leaks? Mine has to be on at least setting 3 and kept there to feel comfortable.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Definitely. If it doesn't feel cold enough to you, chances are it's probably not charged correctly.

I like my AC REALLY cold, and it made me quite happy in 100+ degree temps once the inside of the car cooled down on setting 2 or 3.


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## XtremeAaron (Jan 22, 2012)

What about doing it at home? Was it fool proof, having only done it in my old beat up Isuzu I'd like to do it right without any issues or anything. Dealer is booked and I'd like to do it before road trip on Wednesday.


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## Joe (Jun 28, 2012)

Joe said:


> I have the exact same problem. At low speed or when stopped, the A/C shuts off. I've had it to the dealer 3 times now. Reprogramed the servos, evacuated, checked for leaks and recharged the system. Still the same. Going back a 4th time next week.


I had the Cruze to the dealer today for the 4th time because of the A/C getting warm at low speed or when stopped. They didn't do anything except check the freon level and said everything was fine with it. I asked the Service Department manager to go for a ride so he could see what my problem is. While driving at around 35 mph it worked fine. He had a digital thermometer and it was blowing at 40F. Came to a stop and the temperature went up to 62F. The manager says this is normal. Really, a 20 degree difference in the temprature every time I stop and go. I am done with this place. I am trying to figure out what to do with this car now. I might try another dealership. I am going to be moving from Ohio to Florida and this will not cut it. Unfortunately, I am stuck in a lease on this car for another 33 months. I wish I never traded my 2005 Cavalier with 77k miles for this thing. It ran great, got better gas mileage and the A/C actually worked. The Cruze is 6 months old with 4900 miles on it.:angry:
:angry:


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## rbtec (Feb 3, 2012)

Joe said:


> I had the Cruze to the dealer today for the 4th time because of the A/C getting warm at low speed or when stopped. They didn't do anything except check the freon level and said everything was fine with it. I asked the Service Department manager to go for a ride so he could see what my problem is. While driving at around 35 mph it worked fine. He had a digital thermometer and it was blowing at 40F. Came to a stop and the temperature went up to 62F. The manager says this is normal. Really, a 20 degree difference in the temprature every time I stop and go. I am done with this place. I am trying to figure out what to do with this car now. I might try another dealership. I am going to be moving from Ohio to Florida and this will not cut it. Unfortunately, I am stuck in a lease on this car for another 33 months. I wish I never traded my 2005 Cavalier with 77k miles for this thing. It ran great, got better gas mileage and the A/C actually worked. The Cruze is 6 months old with 4900 miles on it.:angry:
> :angry:


It is possible it does this for gas mileage.


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## Joe (Jun 28, 2012)

rbtec said:


> It is possible it does this for gas mileage.


I would rather take the hit on gas milage to have the A/C work correctly.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Joe said:


> I wish I never traded my 2005 Cavalier with 77k miles for this thing. It ran great, got better gas mileage and the A/C actually worked.
> :angry:


Sorry to be the one to tell you, but the cavalier AC did the same thing(by design) at idle/stoplights(I owned a 2004 cavalier). pretty simple to overcome this, set fan to highest setting, recirculate on, & vent only. you will still get cold air just slightly less fan speed this way until you get moving.

I also don't like this & would like to just have a higher idle with the AC on & burn a bit more fuel.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

rbtec said:


> It is possible it does this for gas mileage.


If so, you'd think it would be mentioned in the Owner's Manual, which it isn't. It would seem from reading things that the system was designed to work best around recirculation mode. I'm guessing that was done to mimimize the A/C system capacity and assist with mileage. Someone please prove me wrong!


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## rustinn (Jun 7, 2012)

In the 100+ degree weather in Houston lately, I've also experienced somewhat mediocre cabin cooling performance. It seems like the AC only cools anything within a ft of the vents. Maybe I'm asking for too much? It's a shame considering our 2007 Tahoe's AC needs to tamed before it makes a fridge out of the interior.


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## XtremeAaron (Jan 22, 2012)

rustinn said:


> In the 100+ degree weather in Houston lately, I've also experienced somewhat mediocre cabin cooling performance. It seems like the AC only cools anything within a ft of the vents. Maybe I'm asking for too much? It's a shame considering our 2007 Tahoe's AC needs to tamed before it makes a fridge out of the interior.


I feel the same way. My hands get cold on the wheel but not much else. Seems to work good with outside temp around 70 though. Haha. Useless.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

XtremeAaron said:


> What about doing it at home? Was it fool proof, having only done it in my old beat up Isuzu I'd like to do it right without any issues or anything. Dealer is booked and I'd like to do it before road trip on Wednesday.


It's easy. Leave the can outside in the shade for 10-20 minutes before trying to load up the system. The low-side port is at the back of the engine compartment on the passenger side of the car. You can't really "over-charge" it unless the can is too hot, but it's good to have a pressure gauge and chart anyway.



> +1 on the "_*frigid fingers*_" for the _driver_, but "*well-done*" rear seat _passengers_.


Putting it on vent/floor helps somewhat with that, but our Camry starts to cool off the entire car on fan setting 2 or 3 within a minute of running. One of the best air conditioners I've ever seen, and even working as I believe it should, the Cruze's AC just feels pathetic in comparison.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Joe,

I'm very sorry to hear about your frustration with your A/C. If you would like, I can look up a Chevrolet dealership in Florida for you so that this problem may be resolved for you. Feel free to contact me with your information including your name, number, and VIN. 
Thanks!
Ashley (assisting Stacy) Chevy Customer Service


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## Atomic (Nov 5, 2011)

The AC in my Cruze is definitely the weakest of any car I can remember having driven for a period of time. The AC in my 15 year old Camaro blows ice cubes, so much that even the lowest setting is too cold after a while.


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## weimerrj (Dec 4, 2011)

Definitely the Cruze struggles under the 95+ F temperatures and high humidity we get in the mid-Atlantic in summer. It's quite the change from GM cars of the past - which could make ice, I swear. It's a set of compromises, as any vehicle is. Fuel economy was a goal and AC eats gas. 

It gets way down on power in the heat, too. Another compromise - the intercooler is behind the AC condenser so it gets hot air it otherwise wouldn't; GM prioritized comfort (and not-so-coincidentally the physical integrity of the intake tract - any rocks will break the AC before the intercooler). Compromises. 

Hey, this is my 100th post. Now I'm a 'Senior Member'. Yay me!


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

Dieselard said:


> I have a 2012 Chevy Cruze 1LT RS with the 1.4l T
> 
> It has approx 5,000 miles on the car, and has been into the dealer for rear brakes needing to be adjusted (e-brake would not hold the car), RF door panel rattling of every little bump and a "power steering failure" light on the dash. Warmer weather has come for a couple days and i used the AC, it is initially warm, then gets cooler. I was assuming the temp would drop more after a few minutes..I was driving an hour on the highway at full blast and it does not seem cold at all. My last several vehicles, friends 12 year old Pontiac, blows colder air (you HAVE to turn it down)
> 
> ...


Hate to say I never really noticed until you posted I seem to be a temperature chameleon and the littlest nuances don't really strike me as being a problem but my 2011 is the same way. Don't remember if it has always been that way. Did you take the car back to dealer and what was the result? Now I have 22000 mi on my car and my "avoid the issue" dealer would tell me I need to have my AC recharged at my expense. Ergo the reason I avoid them.


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## rustinn (Jun 7, 2012)

Previous GM vehicles really do blow ice. There's like 6 notches of fan speed on our Tahoe, and even the first notch is too much to handle at times.


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## bubby2411 (Sep 3, 2011)

For some reason mine is not blowing as cold as it used to I might give it a charge and see what it does. Also the lack of power when the ac is on is crazy!! Its a completely different engine with the ac on


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## bubby2411 (Sep 3, 2011)

started it up this morning drove and when the engine got warm for some reason it blew hot air for about a couple seconds turned it off then blew cold again? ill see if it does it again on the way home from work today. Also I have not even looked to see where to charge the ac, can anybody point me in the right direction as of where to charge it.


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## mr_raider (Aug 13, 2011)

On the up side, the heated seats are searing hot and the blower bakes in winter


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

On Friday when my dealer had my car for issues with my blower motor, I mentioned the AC and they found no problem. It was as cold as it should be !?!?!? On the shuttle ride to work the guy from the dealer told me the AC should be able to "freeze you out or at least be as cold as the car were were in". We were driving a Chevy Lumina or Impala./ I guess temp is a speculative thing.


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## bubby2411 (Sep 3, 2011)

Patman said:


> On Friday when my dealer had my car for issues with my blower motor, I mentioned the AC and they found no problem. It was as cold as it should be !?!?!? On the shuttle ride to work the guy from the dealer told me the AC should be able to "freeze you out or at least be as cold as the car were were in". We were driving a Chevy Lumina or Impala./ I guess temp is a speculative thing.


That is how I feel it should be much much colder than it is now. My s10 i used to have would blow ice cubes compared to this car


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## Beaker (Mar 21, 2012)

I do agree that the AC seems a bit underpowered on hot days. Not to the point that I'm uncomfortable. But just not as cool as I'd like. My 6 year old GTO which had never had the AC charged blew so cold at times I'd have to turn the temp setting to a tick or two above the coldest setting.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Finally got my car into the dealer today. They said that it has a faulty thermal expansion valve in the AC system and they need to order the part. I'm leaving the country for the next 4 days, so I will pick the car up Monday and see how the A/C does.


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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

Today it was in the high 80s/low 90s and I noticed that A/C was not blowing cold when the car was under heavy load climbing long hills. Once I let up A/C blew super cold. Must be the compressor is switching off to give more power to engine.


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## mike1coolguy88 (Apr 7, 2012)

i seen a chart yesterday from gm spec out the center dash vent at 110 degrees is 78* out the vent there is not much cooling capacity to these cars, i my self have replaced many condensor with rock chips look in the lower grill at the condensor a leak should look like a greasey spot or be green from the dye, the compressor noise that i have found on defective units is a whiring type noise almost sound like a front load washer washing clothes, and in addition to this 

you guys are saying adding more freon to the system is producing cooler temps i would like to kno how much you guys are adding and i will test this at work with an a/c machine monitor tempaTURES AND PRESURES


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

Freon is no longer used in new refrigeration units. It is R134a now.


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## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

Getting a reading of duct temps with the engine at idle on a hot day is not the proper way of measuring duct temps. You'll need a large fan to blow air on the condenser. It's a heat exchanger designed to reach optimal duct temps at speed.


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## mike1coolguy88 (Apr 7, 2012)

r 134 is a type or freon just as r22 and r12 they are all freons


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

jblackburn said:


> Finally got my car into the dealer today. They said that it has a faulty thermal expansion valve in the AC system and they need to order the part. I'm leaving the country for the next 4 days, so I will pick the car up Monday and see how the A/C does.



jblackburn,
I am happy to hear your dealer was able to diagnose this issue for you. I would like you to keep me posted on the outcome of this fix. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

I've also heard they are trying to switch to completely CO2?


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Aeroscout977 said:


> Getting a reading of duct temps with the engine at idle on a hot day is not the proper way of measuring duct temps. You'll need a large fan to blow air on the condenser. It's a heat exchanger designed to reach optimal duct temps at speed.


Doesn't the Cruze have electric fans to pull air through the condenser/radiator pack for cooling when the car is not moving? My Mazda does and the service manual procedure for checking the A/C is to have the car idling for 15 minutes with the A/C on recirculate with the fan on high and then check the temperature at the center dash outlets. The temp. should be 35 degrees F with the ambient temperature at 60 degrees F or higher. Of course that's for a ten year old Japanese car with R134a fluid.

07/13/12 update: I just had the '03 P5 out in the drive to spray Lysol into the cabin intake as the A/C was beginning to smell funky. While I was at it, I turned the A/C to recirculate and the fan up to high. I had the engine idling and it is 85 degrees F in the sun outside. After spraying the intake and letting things run for 10 minutes, I used my IR thermometer to sample the air coming out of the center vents. 38 degrees and dropping. The black leather seats were 136 degrees and the leather steering wheel was 119 degrees. The A/C has never been serviced on this car.


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## mrbean8686 (Jun 23, 2012)

My cruze has one radiator fan, on my other car it had two. I'm used to seen two on mostly other car, this is the first time I see only one fan

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## silverls (Nov 12, 2011)

mrbean8686 said:


> My cruze has one radiator fan, on my other car it had two. I'm used to seen two on mostly other car, this is the first time I see only one fan
> 
> Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using AutoGuide.Com Free App


Most small 4cylinder cars only have 1 fan. The 1.4, 1.6s, 1.8s i have even seen single fa. Setups on some 2 liters

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## Cruze572 (Dec 20, 2011)

As others have stated mine seems to be pretty weak, especially when compared to the wifes 02 saturn with 164K. Even on speed one hers is colder than mine on speed three and we usually cant keep hers on the coldest setting because we are freezing. It irritates me enough that i just roll the windows down. Glad i bought a new car so i could have cold ac.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

I can also admit that I've driven other cars with stronger A/C. My wife's 2000 Regal GSE is one example. However, being able to top 40mpg average with 100% A/C use as I've done on a few occasions with my Eco makes up for it. The A/C in the Cruze is, in my opinion, perfectly adequate for keeping me comfortable. with the 105+ degree temperatures we had around here in the last few weeks.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Cruze572 said:


> As others have stated mine seems to be pretty weak, especially when compared to the wifes 02 saturn with 164K. Even on speed one hers is colder than mine on speed three and we usually cant keep hers on the coldest setting because we are freezing. It irritates me enough that i just roll the windows down. Glad i bought a new car so i could have cold ac.


Cruze572,
Have you had your dealer look into this for you? I would suggest that you do just to make sure everything is functioning properly. Please keep me posted. If you have any further questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me anytime. 
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## Cruze572 (Dec 20, 2011)

Chevy Customer Service said:


> Cruze572,
> Have you had your dealer look into this for you? I would suggest that you do just to make sure everything is functioning properly. Please keep me posted. If you have any further questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me anytime.
> Thank you,
> Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


I have not at this time, have been kinda stretched for time. However I do plan on making an appointment and I will keep you updated, thanks!


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## rbtec (Feb 3, 2012)

Checked my temp coming out of the center vent yesterday with outside air being 95 degrees. I had recirculate mode on, the fan speed set to 2 and after about 10 minutes the air coming out of the vent was 42 degrees.


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## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

Are you checking the temp with something design for checking car AC temp? I'd like to check mine.

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## rbtec (Feb 3, 2012)

Mick said:


> Are you checking the temp with something design for checking car AC temp? I'd like to check mine.
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T989 using AutoGuide.Com Free App


Not specifically for checking AC temp. Just a battery powered thermometer with a probe attached to a long wire. Put the probe into the vent.


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## iluvvmyL4 (Jul 19, 2012)

yo i think youre onto something, i test drove differnent trim levels of the cruze and some felt cooler than others. same pwertrain but somehow the ac just worked differently. must be a chevy thang, my s-10 was the same way


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## ekborden (Jul 24, 2012)

Dieselard said:


> I brought my cruze into service today, and dropped it off. They called me back and said they could find nothing wrong with it, and said the "newer" cars do not get as cold as the older ones. I brought my temperature gun with me, and drove a 1994 mustang V6 (with AC) and after 5 minutes it went to a chilling 31 degrees, I got in my car and it barely hit 48 degrees after running awhile. The tech says this is normal, but this is the ONLY car that wouldnt go colder then 48....
> 
> The tech also made a comment on how that was "gm specs" and the ford has different specs
> I guess If you want AC and want to be treated fairly you have to buy a FORD
> ...



I had the same thing told to me that the AC doesn't put out as cold of air as older cars. On hot days I feel like mine Cruze (1.8L) fluxes, it gets cold but then it warms up and a few minutes later it gets cooler, but it isn't as cold as my cobalt was.


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## Kinmartin0789 (Feb 18, 2011)

Apparently some were not filled fully from the factory, many people have just gone and bought the coolant recharge kit. maybe contact stacy on here and she can help you. if she can im not sure i would go back to that dealer. i have two go to dealers here in Saint Louis and none of them have ever told me anything as dumb as what you said they told you!


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

Be careful with adding refrigerant to the AC. Overfilling it can cause a loss of efficiency as well, and possibly lead to damage.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

ekborden said:


> I had the same thing told to me that the AC doesn't put out as cold of air as older cars. On hot days I feel like mine Cruze (1.8L) fluxes, it gets cold but then it warms up and a few minutes later it gets cooler, but it isn't as cold as my cobalt was.




ekborden,
I understand your concern with this issue. Have you had your dealer look into this for you? If you have not, I would suggest that you have them look into this for you. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me at any time. Also, I would like to welcome you to the forum! This is a great place to get very useful information from a great group of people. 
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## Vertigo (Jul 28, 2012)

Hi all.

I have a 2012 1LT RS and my air doesnt seem to be as cold as it should.

I also have have a really bad vibration with the air on and stopped. When I'm moving its smooth and no vibrration.

Is anyone else having this problem? The vibration drives me crazy as its a 23k car and should be pretty close to perfect.

Very frustrated.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Adjust your spark plug gaps and it should help with the vibration. 


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

And don't forget to disconnect the battery to reset the computer!

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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> And don't forget to disconnect the battery to reset the computer!
> 
> Sent from my Bulletproof_Doubleshot using AutoGuide.Com Free App


So its necessary to disconnect the negative end of the battery when changing the spark plug gaps? Do you disconnect it before or after you re-gap the spark plugs?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

I didn't, but it makes sense. The car re learns CORRECT fuel trims at certain RPMs this way sooner than working on its own as if you hadn't disconnected it.

Before or after you finish regapping doesn't matter. Just leave it unconnected while you're doing it I guess. 


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## JeffBazell (Jan 24, 2012)

Mine is also not as cold. I think we'll all have to live with this. Most likely, for economical (fuel consumption) reasons, the compressor must be small on purpose. Although, I have to say it's pretty much the same on my 2006 Town Car. Ever since freon was outlawed we have to adjust to the R-134.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

JeffBazell said:


> Mine is also not as cold. I think we'll all have to live with this. Most likely, for economical (fuel consumption) reasons, the compressor must be small on purpose. Although, I have to say it's pretty much the same on my 2006 Town Car. Ever since freon was outlawed we have to adjust to the R-134.


Nah. R134 sucks, but it can be cold if the system is sized properly. My Volvo, our Camry, and my dads Liberty all have kickass AC systems. Most small 4 cylinder cars don't, though - Hondas usually have "just adequate" AC. 

I know my recirculate has never worked straight from the factory. I've taken it back once to have it fixed (and it isn't), but it still struggles when it's 95 outside like today and needs to be on 4. I wonder how many other people's cars this affects


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## bartonmd (Jun 30, 2011)

I dono... Mine has always been ice cold. I was down south, traveling, this last week, and saw 107F on the highway. I still had the temp dial about 3/4 of the way cold (halfway between all the way cold and the center of the dial: 10:30 on a clock face), and was fine. Temps around here have been over 100 quite a bit, and it always does fine.

Mike


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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

Mine seems to work fine. However, the A/C systems seems to adapt to engine load. When the 1.4 is pushed hard, I noticed the A/C stops blowing cold, like going up long steep hills. Let up on the engine load, the A/C gets real cold fast. Being on the east coast we have lots of hilly terrain.


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## coinneach (Apr 10, 2012)

I wouldn't call mine icy by any means, but it's adequate. I usually run it at fan 3 with the temp set 1 notch back from full cold. The reason it takes so long to start blowing cold is simple: all the air in the ducts is hot when the system starts, so it has to push that hot air out. And we know how wacky our fan settings are (0%-10%-20%-30%-LOOK OUT BOYS IT'S A NOR'EASTER!). This is inherent to all AC, not just the Cruze.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Vertigo said:


> Hi all.
> 
> I have a 2012 1LT RS and my air doesnt seem to be as cold as it should.
> 
> ...


Vertigo,
I would like to welcome you to the forum! As you will see this is a great place to get a lot of useful information from a great community of people. In regards to the concerns that you are currently having I would suggest that you have your dealer look into this for you. Please keep me posted on the progress with your dealer. If you have any other questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me at anytime; I am always happy to help!
Thank you,
~Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## PinkPantiesonMe (Jun 5, 2012)

Just got back from dealership here in Tulsa with AC complaints. I sat in the shade for 10 minutes with AC on full fan full cold and with recirculate on. Coldest it would blow is 54ish @ the vent with shade but it just isn't cold enough. Last service fittings had to be tightened because of freon leaks, evac and recharged with the same complaint that it wasn't blowing cold enough. Today 45 min drive @ 100 degrees. I had sweat rolling off of me. Today 114 deg is going to be the high with 23% humidity. My wife's Equinox ,2012 LT2, AC freezes you out of the car within 10 min. Other Cruze @ the dealer AC was blowing 56 degrees.


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## MonkeyRench (Feb 10, 2012)

My A/C sucks in my cruze. Just got back from the dealer today and they replaced the compressor because it failed. It started to just blow hot air. I thought awesome, it should really work good now. WRONG..It's still not that cold. Although it is working now, it's just terrible. Plus my wife is pregnant and complaining about it being to warm. The compressor does turn off when you floor it, it's supposed to help the power for merging and things, but it is terrible when just driving.


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## bartonmd (Jun 30, 2011)

MonkeyRench said:


> My A/C sucks in my cruze. Just got back from the dealer today and they replaced the compressor because it failed. It started to just blow hot air. I thought awesome, it should really work good now. WRONG..It's still not that cold. Although it is working now, it's just terrible. Plus my wife is pregnant and complaining about it being to warm. The compressor does turn off when you floor it, it's supposed to help the power for merging and things, but it is terrible when just driving.


I assume you have it on recirculate, right?

Mike


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## MonkeyRench (Feb 10, 2012)

I've tried it both ways.. No difference that I can tell


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

The coldest notch on the dial is automatic recirculate. 


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

Chevy should put that little factoid in the car's manual.


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## steadylaughing (Apr 30, 2011)

I had my Cruze at the dealer for the engine shield recall and while it was there, I had them check the AC. I was told that the system was overcharged to 2.1 lbs. They inspected the system, evacuated and recharged to the correct amount of 1.38 lbs. I was told that when the system is overcharged, it basically acts the same as if it were low. It seems to be better than it was... still not the greatest though.

Now I'm wondering if I have a problem with the recirculation. I drove by a farm today and could smell the "farm smell" in my car when I had it on recirc. I also don't notice the fan blowing any harder when recirc is turned on. I see there is another thread for this but it seems that there are conflicting answers about this.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

See the end of my thread called "recirculate mode" in the service issues system. 

But yeah, even working properly (at last!) it does leave a bit to be desired. 


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

steadylaughing said:


> I had my Cruze at the dealer for the engine shield recall and while it was there, I had them check the AC. I was told that the system was overcharged to 2.1 lbs. They inspected the system, evacuated and recharged to the correct amount of 1.38 lbs. I was told that when the system is overcharged, it basically acts the same as if it were low. It seems to be better than it was... still not the greatest though.
> 
> Now I'm wondering if I have a problem with the recirculation. I drove by a farm today and could smell the "farm smell" in my car when I had it on recirc. I also don't notice the fan blowing any harder when recirc is turned on. I see there is another thread for this but it seems that there are conflicting answers about this.


So 1.38 lbs is what the Cruze's AC should be charged at/to? Is 1.38 GM's official spec for the A/C?


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

I have the shop manuals for the 2011 Cruze and it does mention that turning the temp all the way low turns on the recirc mode but that applies to the models with automatic temp controls. No mention of that same thing in the part of the manual that covers the manual temp control cars. I have an LS and I'm pretty sure the recirc mode works off the switch only.

I've been driving my 2010 base model GMC pickup lately. The folks that designed the A/C for the truck ought to get the Nobel prize - it works magnificantly. Blows super cold, has about 7 fan speeds. Definitley far better than the A/C in the Cruze. Vehicles designed in America have always had better A/C than ones designed in Europe. I read somewhere that people in Saudi Arabia love American cars because the A/C works so excellently.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

I wonder if it was changed between the model years. I have a 2012 1LT. I can say that it definitely does work on the lowest setting like that - I wasn't hearing the change in airflow or the recirc motor run until I tried the next click up. There, I can pick fresh air or recirculate myself. 

I noticed even the base Equinox I had as a loaner had like 6 fan speeds too. And both it and the Malibu had great AC. 


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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

Like MonkeyRench noticed - the air stops blowing cold when you floor the car. Been in the mid 90s here with real high humidity - feels like 100s. My ECO has done well - no compliants. Always use recirculate and upper and lower vents. I would guess that extra tint would help too. My wife's new 2012 Honda CR-V LX AWD actually seems to have a better AC system. It has 6 or 7 speeds and besides recirc, it has a max setting. Cools alot more interior down pretty quickly.


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## steadylaughing (Apr 30, 2011)

Starks8 said:


> So 1.38 lbs is what the Cruze's AC should be charged at/to? Is 1.38 GM's official spec for the A/C?


That I'm not sure of. It's just what is wrote on my service paperwork.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Starks8 said:


> So 1.38 lbs is what the Cruze's AC should be charged at/to? Is 1.38 GM's official spec for the A/C?


I've seen that figure posted elsewhere. If the cars are coming off the assembly line with the incorrect amount of r-134a in them, that's a Lordstown issue. Someone is either screwing up on the line, or the charging equipment is out of calibration. Based on Lordstown's past history, I'm betting the former.


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## Scarecrow26 (May 27, 2012)

I have a 2012 LTZ 1.4T and I live where temperatures reach 106 to 115 degrees all day everyday and twice on sundays and with my car baking under the arizona sun my A/C works perfectly fine within 1 minute of turning on my car, it cools down really fast.


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## steadylaughing (Apr 30, 2011)

^^ You're very lucky!


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## flyingvee (Jul 11, 2011)

Just a heads up on using Artic-Freeze and the A/C Pro to boost the PSI of the R-134. I used the A/C Pro because the gauge was more accurate and reliable and because I noticed there was a drop in my cooling. Gauge read just on the border of being low. Starting injecting the contents as instructed, the gauge came up a bit not not much. Suddenly I noticed the fan speed up. And the gauge jumped up to the red alert zone. The clutch fan would stop. Then on it's own the gauge would drop back down to a good level. Weird. Shut the A/C and engine down and restarted and was fine. The next day while on the freeway I noticed it stopped blowing cold air. Just room temperature air. Turned it on and off and no change. At times I could feel the cold air kick in but then go off. Checked the pressure at home and it was fine. I took it to the dealer and initially they could not find an issue. But then it finally did it. So they said it was the failure of the high pressure switch. Mine is a 2011 Eco, bought it new 14 months ago but I already had 39,000 on it, a lot of roadtrips. Wanted to charge over $500 to repair it. Of course I went ballistic. Lets face it, a car barely over a year old, and 39,000 is not a lot for a failure of this kind. I can't imagine the A/C Pro can gauge was messed up that bad. For now the air is running while I take this up higher up in the Chevy regional office. And of course they would not release my car without paying a minimum of $180 for an hour of labor. For the record, I may not be a certified mechanic, but I have been around cars all my life, so this is not a case of being a uninformed idiot. Even if the A/C Pro gauge was bad and it over-pressurized, I recall most cars having a safety blow-out valve for that. Not that it would make the high pressure switch fail. So if it was the A/C Pro gauge and R-134, I probably can't hold them accountable either. New cars just suck so much.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

flyingvee said:


> Just a heads up on using Artic-Freeze and the A/C Pro to boost the PSI of the R-134. I used the A/C Pro because the gauge was more accurate and reliable and because I noticed there was a drop in my cooling. Gauge read just on the border of being low. Starting injecting the contents as instructed, the gauge came up a bit not not much. Suddenly I noticed the fan speed up. And the gauge jumped up to the red alert zone. The clutch fan would stop. Then on it's own the gauge would drop back down to a good level. Weird. Shut the A/C and engine down and restarted and was fine. The next day while on the freeway I noticed it stopped blowing cold air. Just room temperature air. Turned it on and off and no change. At times I could feel the cold air kick in but then go off. Checked the pressure at home and it was fine. I took it to the dealer and initially they could not find an issue. But then it finally did it. So they said it was the failure of the high pressure switch. Mine is a 2011 Eco, bought it new 14 months ago but I already had 39,000 on it, a lot of roadtrips. Wanted to charge over $500 to repair it. Of course I went ballistic. Lets face it, a car barely over a year old, and 39,000 is not a lot for a failure of this kind. I can't imagine the A/C Pro can gauge was messed up that bad. For now the air is running while I take this up higher up in the Chevy regional office. And of course they would not release my car without paying a minimum of $180 for an hour of labor. For the record, I may not be a certified mechanic, but I have been around cars all my life, so this is not a case of being a uninformed idiot. Even if the A/C Pro gauge was bad and it over-pressurized, I recall most cars having a safety blow-out valve for that. Not that it would make the high pressure switch fail. So if it was the A/C Pro gauge and R-134, I probably can't hold them accountable either. New cars just suck so much.


The Cruze uses a variable displacement compressor; it is difficult to charge these cars from the low side only. About 2-4 oz of refrigerant did the trick for me.

I later found out that my car came from the factory with a faulty expansion valve.


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## v8318cid (Oct 3, 2012)

My '12 ECO has had a thermometer in the inboard vent closest to the steering wheel since I bought it. It has consistently achieved 38F-40F with the fan on 3 or less with recirculate enabled. The caveat to this is that it can take anywhere between 5 minutes to 15 minutes to achieve this depending on the outside temperature. On days where it is above 90F, that temperature is almost unatainable in city driving due to less airflow across the condenser. R134a isn't as efficent as R12 was in cars made before 1994 and is much more prone to degraded performance at lower speeds. That being said, however, there is no reason the system shouldn't be able to reach a consistent temperature around 40F unless the system is operating outside of normal specifications. And, for the record, if your A/C puts out 21F at the vent, don't be surprised if your evaporator freezes up and ruptures after continued use. This is not normal behavior. Does it feel great? Sure. Does it freeze you out? Definitely! But is it good for the system? No. To put out that level of temperature, that would suggest that the gas temperature would be less than 15F and would have an operating pressure of 12 PSI or lower. This has the potential to create a vacuum inside the system which will draw oil out of the compressor which will result in a grenaded compressor eventually. Not a good thing.


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## v8318cid (Oct 3, 2012)

Blow off valves were supposed to be removed after R134a was introduced. This was done because at its introduction, the R134a systems had higher operating pressures and the valves were venting the gas under normal operating conditions. Also, retrofit guidelines called for replacing the blow off valves with high pressure switches to prevent this from happening. Venting of refrigerants was deemed illegal by the EPA so even non-interactive methods such as the blow off valves were frowned upon. Hence another reason why they were removed. I cannot say that they do not exist, but I doubt you will find one on any domestic vehicles produced within the last few years. Sad part is that the current systems are much more efficient than those produced in the early 90's, and of course they are moving away from R134a now (or will be within the next few years).


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## Red Dragon (Feb 16, 2012)

mike1coolguy88 said:


> r 134 is a type or freon just as r22 and r12 they are all freons


Freon is actually DuPont's name for R-22. They also call R-134a Puron. They are all refrigerants, not Freon.


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## asciullo (Jun 24, 2013)

Dieselard,

Have you by chance been having any issues with the fan speeds? Seems when I have the fan on 3 and 4 I start to get cold air but sometimes it only blows cold on 4. I am calling the dealer tomorrow to make an appointment. I have a 2012 Cruze LT 1.4L 4 Cyl Engine.

Also my parents bought a 2012 Cruze LS 1.8L 4 Cyl just found out the car was used on Saturday evening and the ac is not blowing any cold air what so ever. Car is not even a year old and the ac is not working right. 

Can you provide my any insight as to what to do to have each car repaired?

Thanks,
Anthony


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Red Dragon said:


> Freon is actually DuPont's name for R-22. They also call R-134a Puron. They are all refrigerants, not Freon.


R-410a is Puron.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Hey Anthony,

We definitely understand how important it is to have the a/c working now that summertime is here. Please keep us updated once you have visited the dealership. If there is any assistance we can provide to you for this matter please let us know.

Amber N.
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## Red Dragon (Feb 16, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> R-410a is Puron.


****! You're right. Guess I was typing too quickly.


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

I did a little A/C testing today because I thought my newish RAM pickup had an A/C problem. I cross checked it against my Cruze and my Miata and all three did about the same. At 90 outside air and in the fresh air position with the windows rolled down all three vehicles would put out about 65 degree air. That was measured with a temp probe connected to my multimeter. Temps would go down a little if I revved the motor.

The point is my Cruze A/C seems about the same as everything else I own and they're all new vehicles. In actual use they seem OK but not great. They seem perfect if the car has been in the shade but it takes a long time to pull down the temps if you've been in a sunny parking lot on a hot day.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Dale_K said:


> I did a little A/C testing today because I thought my newish RAM pickup had an A/C problem. I cross checked it against my Cruze and my Miata and all three did about the same. At 90 outside air and in the fresh air position with the windows rolled down all three vehicles would put out about 65 degree air. That was measured with a temp probe connected to my multimeter. Temps would go down a little if I revved the motor.
> 
> The point is my Cruze A/C seems about the same as everything else I own and they're all new vehicles. In actual use they seem OK but not great. They seem perfect if the car has been in the shade but it takes a long time to pull down the temps if you've been in a sunny parking lot on a hot day.


Yeah, our 2012 Camry is really about the same in terms of the temp out of the vents (but the blower motor puts out a lot more volume, so it cools down the car quicker). The Camry starts blowing cool air from the vents about 30 seconds sooner, but it's not a big deal. It's also kinda wimpy in terms of how cool the air gets around town; you really have to be on the highway or moving at 35-45 MPH to get it cool.

Car ACs used to be a lot cooler - especially the old R12 systems from the 80's. I feel like the standards for cooling were raised to meet some CAFE regulations or something, and they cheaped out. Our 2002 Camry and 1998 Volvo worked MUCH better and got much cooler than these cars do.


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## newsguy99 (May 24, 2013)

jblackburn said:


> 2-3 are pathetic unless you're on the highway. Not sure who came up with the fan speeds in this car...but they are all over the map.
> 
> 
> Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app


I'll agree with this.. speed 1, is like, you're blowing on a pinwheel making it spin.. 2, just a bit faster, 3 is about right, and 4 is out outlandish.. Speed 1,2 and 3 up a little, and turn 4 down some, and all would be fine.


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## newsguy99 (May 24, 2013)

I think my A/C is about right on my '12 Eco.. The only thing I don't like, is where the vents are, and how much (or should I say little) you can turn/position them.
I've yet to find a spot, to where I can get air to my face.. Sides, arms, hands.. No issues at all.. Face, head area... Uh, I'll have to drive leaning to the side if I want that to happen...
GM really should of put people in the cars and drove them around before getting them out on the market. Test cars.. yea... Build 100, and have 400 drive them. Each giving details to everything they could
think of.

My first thing would of been... Invent different vents, and control switches.. Ones that are not as easy to nudge with your leg/knee. (as seems to happen quite often with my right leg/knee against the cold/heat selector)


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## Dieselard (Jan 2, 2012)

Just an update, the cruze AC (after being recharged last year) is still cold even in this 90 degree heat.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

newsguy99 said:


> GM really should of put people in the cars and drove them around before getting them out on the market. Test cars.. yea... Build 100, and have 400 drive them. Each giving details to everything they could
> think of.



I have been thinking to myself for the longest time that Chevy/GM needs to do this for the 2015 Cruze. 

I really think it would be cool if CT members got to have some say so in the overall design and features that we would like to see in the next gen Cruze. It has been on the backs of CT members that Chevy/GM has even learned of the good, bad, and ugly of these cars and what steps were/are necessary to fix things. Without this forum in addition to it's dedicated and informative members, there is no way most problems that have plagued the Cruze would have seen the light of day or had solutions discovered and applied. Just my opinion though.


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## CruzeN'Idaho (May 31, 2013)

This may have already been mentioned in this thread - but I'm not going to read 20 pages about A/C. 

I think that the A/C system (cooling) works fine in my Cruz - but the fan or blower has to be the wimpiest one on any car I have ever owned. Turn the AC on and set the fan to 4 and my gorgeous flowing hair should be blowing backwards like in a movie! Seems to me like I need a setting 5 and 6 on the fan selector dial.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

13 cruze has 6 speed settings but at times a/c refuses to work. @ 2800 miles and some days it never comes on even when parked in the shade. 


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Merc6 said:


> 13 cruze has 6 speed settings but at times a/c refuses to work. @ 2800 miles and some days it never comes on even when parked in the shade.
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


Is the fan (engine fan) SCREAMING like an airplane when this happens, or just...nada, nothing?


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

jblackburn said:


> Is the fan (engine fan) SCREAMING like an airplane when this happens, or just...nada, nothing?


Nope like normal. 


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

Merc6 said:


> 13 cruze has 6 speed settings but at times a/c refuses to work. @ 2800 miles and some days it never comes on even when parked in the shade.
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


Sorry for digging a thread up, my car was low on refer. They pulled a vac and charged by weight. Problem was solved. 


Sent from my iFail 5s


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## SusieQ (Feb 5, 2014)

I would have to agree my A/C isn't that cold or powerful either. For a new car I would expect better. I wonder if it's because it has a 1.4Lt engine ??


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

SusieQ said:


> I would have to agree my A/C isn't that cold or powerful either. For a new car I would expect better. I wonder if it's because it has a 1.4Lt engine ??


My car came from the plant low on refer(refrigerant) and needed more to function right. After that it was fine, I bumped the post because I realized I never updated the situation when I was searching my old posts for something else.


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## badbry67 (Jun 3, 2014)

I have the same problem with mine. I had it to two different dealers, they both say they can't find anything wrong, I bet they don't drive Cruzes. I live in Phoenix, so the weather usually tops 110, you sweat in this car. They temp at the vents is about 52 degrees, no way will that cool the car in this temp. I just bought a Nissan Altima, it comes out around 35 degrees out of the vents, it's awesome. The Cruze is a 2012 and the Altima is a 2013, so the dealer is full of it when they say the new cars just don't get as cold. I am through with Chevy, I didn't like the way they treated my problems with the car. A new car should not have so many problems to begin with. I always bought American before, but if they can't compete, why should I waste my money. I bought the Altima for almost the same price, it averages 8 miles to the gallon better, and has 50 more horsepower with a bigger engine, how is that possible? My daghter now sweats in the Cruze. I know, I'm a bad parent, but she got the car for free, beggers can't be choosers.


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

Merc6 said:


> Sorry for digging a thread up, my car was low on refer.
> 
> Sent from my iFail 5s


I just got some from our store here in town. Hash Plant & Blueberry Cheesecake! I find the A/C in the CRUZE to be decent and it was 114 degrees, 104 now. I was worried when I read a post from my 2nd favorite mod who said if you only run the blower motor at position 4 you get colder air, that's when my heart sank. What the heck would the blower motor have to do with the output aside from air volume/speed? Over all though the CRUZE A/C is not super strong and the power plant itself is somewhat weak for a modern 1.4 turbo.

In any case the CRUZE is throwing out very Cold air which does cut out at full throttle as expected.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

The compressor can vary it's usage to how cold you want it to be.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Merc6 said:


> The compressor can vary it's usage to how cold you want it to be.


More specifically it will vary the displacement. The air coming out of the vents will be around the same temperature at any fan speed (although I find it less cool on full blast than it is one fan speed down - just like most other cars). What this means is that at lower fan speeds, less load is placed on the engine from the compressor, leading to better fuel mileage and less power robbed from the engine. Older cars often used a clutch-style compressor that would run full-out, get the evaporator core down to temp, then cut out for a few seconds, and repeat. 

One of my biggest gripes about the AC (besides a manual transmission Cruze being a royal pain to drive without bogging down/stalling in city traffic on fan speed 4 from the factory) is the absolutely useless fan speeds on 2011/2012 models. You've got nothing on fan speed 1, a faint breeze, slightly harder breeze, and VORTEX MODE. The 2013/14 climate control much improved fan speed control.

It does take a while to cool down the car unless you hit the highway, but once it does finally cool down, it works pretty good. Nowhere near as good as other cars I've had though.


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

I do want to learn from you specifically and Chevy as well. Are you saying by changing the speed knob on your blower you are somehow sending a signal to the Compressor?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Eddy Cruze said:


> I do want to learn from you specifically and Chevy as well. Are you saying by changing the speed knob on your blower you are somehow sending a signal to the Compressor?


Yeah. 

http://rhinoguerrero.hubpages.com/hub/Variable-Displacement-Compressors


Sent from Bill the WonderPhone


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## Zach.K (Apr 17, 2014)

1500 miles on my 14. Dealer evacd and recharged stating it was under charged and well below spec.

Delivered from my pigeon


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

jblackburn said:


> Yeah.
> 
> Variable Displacement Compressor - How it Works
> 
> ...


I know about variable A/C compressors but a blower motor is a fan. I scanned through your link and did not see where the fan set higher adjusts the compressor if needed to blow in extreme hot weather?


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Eddy Cruze said:


> I know about variable A/C compressors but a blower motor is a fan. I scanned through your link and did not see where the fan set higher adjusts the compressor if needed to blow in extreme hot weather?


The higher fan speeds will suck more warm/hot air into the A/C and the system will attempt to chill it. Since it has less time to do so the compressor will work harder to do this.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Eddy Cruze said:


> I know about variable A/C compressors but a blower motor is a fan. I scanned through your link and did not see where the fan set higher adjusts the compressor if needed to blow in extreme hot weather?




OB let me handle this 1 !

Sup EDDY !​ Move to the effin coast Dawg it's cooler there !


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Eddy Cruze said:


> I know about variable A/C compressors but a blower motor is a fan. I scanned through your link and did not see where the fan set higher adjusts the compressor if needed to blow in extreme hot weather?


It doesn't care about the temperature. 

Modern home AC systems have a high and low speed compressor and fan. If the need for increased cooling comes up, the system kicks on the high speed fan setting and matches the compressor load to the increased airflow over the evaporator core.

Same concept - only you are in control of the fan speed instead of the wall thermostat.

Older car AC systems would click the AC compressor on and off at lower fan speeds, as the system was sized to cool the car down quickly at high fan speeds and the compressor could not change its output.



> Zach.K said:
> 
> 
> > 1500 miles on my 14. Dealer evacd and recharged stating it was under charged and well below spec.
> ...


Haha...I had my expansion valve (high side pressure was through the roof), compressor (probably destroyed by expansion valve), and recirculate duct arm thingy replaced before the AC in my car finally freaking worked right. Very annoying, but after being recharged twice, it's spot-on within specs now (first thing they checked when the door wasn't closing).

I've heard they were doing that on earlier models, and wish they had gotten it consistently right at the factory by now. Notice a big difference in yours now?


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## Zach.K (Apr 17, 2014)

jblackburn said:


> I've heard they were doing that on earlier models, and wish they had gotten it consistently right at the factory by now. Notice a big difference in yours now?


I go to pick it up this morning, they have had it a week so I will report back hopefully a noticeable difference.

EDIT: Just got it back, drove only back to work. About 80° outside, and it blew ICE COLD in 3 minutes of driving. Wonderful.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

Zach.K said:


> I go to pick it up this morning, they have had it a week so I will report back hopefully a noticeable difference.
> 
> EDIT: Just got it back, drove only back to work. About 80° outside, and it blew ICE COLD in 3 minutes of driving. Wonderful.


Yeah it was night and day for me as well. It was 109* when I found out it didn't work vs being barely in the 60's when I test drove it.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Hey Zach.K,

I'm pleased to hear that you have reunited with your vehicle and that you are satisfied with the service provided! We are here if you ever have any questions or concerns regarding your vehicle. Please feel free to contact us via private message if any extra help is needed!

Kristen A.
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

I think I may have them look at mine for this issue. My AC only works well when its 70 or below, and the car hasn't been in the sun. Even then I have it on recirculated air, max cool, and 3 or 4 out of the 6 speeds. We had a 95 degree day with 95 percent humidity and it just felt like nothing. Took probably 10 minutes until the car was at a temp that wasn't awful. Every other newer GM car I drove during the day at work had no problems being ice cold under the same conditions.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

jmlo96 said:


> I think I may have them look at mine for this issue. My AC only works well when its 70 or below, and the car hasn't been in the sun. Even then I have it on recirculated air, max cool, and 3 or 4 out of the 6 speeds. We had a 95 degree day with 95 percent humidity and it just felt like nothing. Took probably 10 minutes until the car was at a temp that wasn't awful. Every other newer GM car I drove during the day at work had no problems being ice cold under the same conditions.


Mine was undercharged from the factory, have it checked for pressure. 2014 cruze should have the #95927464 lower condenser shield installed so that "shouldn't" be the issue of rock strikes as the earlier models suffered from.


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

Merc6 said:


> Mine was undercharged from the factory, have it checked for pressure. 2014 cruze should have the #95927464 lower condenser shield installed so that "shouldn't" be the issue of rock strikes as the earlier models suffered from.


Hopefully mine is the same way. My buddy has a Cruze the same year as mine and lives in Florida, and he says his AC is great even when its 90 out.


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

While I was at work today I had one of the techs check out my AC. He said nothing was leaking and the R134 level was about where it should be. He still evacuated the system and recharged it for me anyway though. The AC seems to be a little bit better, but it's still not as good as some cars. To help with some of my problem,I ordered some Weathertech vent shades so I can leave the windows cracked to prevent the car from getting so hot.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

jmlo96 said:


> While I was at work today I had one of the techs check out my AC. He said nothing was leaking and the R134 level was about where it should be. He still evacuated the system and recharged it for me anyway though. The AC seems to be a little bit better, but it's still not as good as some cars. To help with some of my problem,I ordered some Weathertech vent shades so I can leave the windows cracked to prevent the car from getting so hot.



Wat fan speeds are you on, using recirc, and are you on the blue dot?


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

Merc6 said:


> Wat fan speeds are you on, using recirc, and are you on the blue dot?


I usually keep in on the blue dot. Fan speeds when its hot (like 80 or higher) I usually keep on 5 or 6. I usually turn on recirc after the hot air works its way out.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

jmlo96 said:


> I usually keep in on the blue dot. Fan speeds when its hot (like 80 or higher) I usually keep on 5 or 6. I usually turn on recirc after the hot air works its way out.


Blue dot is recirculate automatically.


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

jblackburn said:


> Blue dot is recirculate automatically.


I'm just curious, when trying to cool the car down is that good or bad? From a scientific standpoint it seems dumb that it does that because even if its 100 outside, that air is probably still cooler than inside the car. You'd think GM would have it illuminate the recirculate button so people would know.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

jmlo96 said:


> I'm just curious, when trying to cool the car down is that good or bad? From a scientific standpoint it seems dumb that it does that because even if its 100 outside, that air is probably still cooler than inside the car. You'd think GM would have it illuminate the recirculate button so people would know.


Yeah, that would be nice - I've seen other cars that DO turn on the recirc light in "max AC mode".

I'd guess it might make a difference for the first couple minutes; after that, you've pulled some of the humidity out of the air in the car and it is easier to cool.

While my car blows cool air, it has a heck of a time overcoming the heat soak from the black interior and black paint.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

Yeah A/C light when defrost is on is also not done anymore. Our old Toyota work vehicle lights up A/C if you got windshield only. 


Sent from my iPhail using Tapatalk App


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## anthonysmith93 (Jul 15, 2015)

jblackburn said:


> Yeah, that would be nice - I've seen other cars that DO turn on the recirc light in "max AC mode".
> 
> I'd guess it might make a difference for the first couple minutes; after that, you've pulled some of the humidity out of the air in the car and it is easier to cool.
> 
> While my car blows cool air, it has a heck of a time overcoming the heat soak from the black interior and black paint.


I've found that windshield sun shades help a ton with getting my AC to be cool faster because the dashboard isn't baked in sunlight, they don't really keep the car interior MUCH cooler though, but the quicker cold AC is nice.


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## txcruze26 (Jul 7, 2015)

my mom owns a 2011 Cruze and when she got into my girlfriend's 2014 Cruze, The 1st thing she noticed is that the newer cruze's have more fan speed settings (hers has 4 knotches compared to 6 on the 2014) she said she felt the difference in that the 2014 felt alot cooler faster


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

anthonysmith93 said:


> I've found that windshield sun shades help a ton with getting my AC to be cool faster because the dashboard isn't baked in sunlight, they don't really keep the car interior MUCH cooler though, but the quicker cold AC is nice.


An essential piece of equipment with a black car!


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

txcruze26 said:


> my mom owns a 2011 Cruze and when she got into my girlfriend's 2014 Cruze, The 1st thing she noticed is that the newer cruze's have more fan speed settings (hers has 4 knotches compared to 6 on the 2014) she said she felt the difference in that the 2014 felt alot cooler faster


I can't stand the way my car drives at full fan speed, so I very rarely use it. 

Feels like the AC robs it of all 20 HP it makes below 2000 RPM.


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

jblackburn said:


> I can't stand the way my car drives at full fan speed, so I very rarely use it.
> 
> Feels like the AC robs it of all 20 HP it makes below 2000 RPM.


My first car was a Daewoo, and the AC really took ALL the power. You'd have to floor it everywhere with the air on lol. And then you had to turn it off going up hills according to the owners manual to prevent overheating. At least it was white so it didn't get as hot.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

jmlo96 said:


> My first car was a Daewoo, and the AC really took ALL the power. You'd have to floor it everywhere with the air on lol. And then you had to turn it off going up hills according to the owners manual to prevent overheating. At least it was white so it didn't get as hot.


Sounds like my Saab 900, lmao.

I still turn mine off in the Cruze to merge. When I do leave it on, I often find myself flooring it so that it cuts off automatically, but it's a slowpoke up until I do so.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

When I had 14 eco manual, I seemed to get almost rear ended because I guess I didn't drive fast enough quick enough for some people in my community. I hated that, it happened way to frequently for my taste. With the CTD and automatic that has not occurred one time. CTD has much more power than my eco had.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

IndyDiesel said:


> When I had 14 eco manual, I seemed to get almost rear ended because I guess I didn't drive fast enough quick enough for some people in my community. I hated that, it happened way to frequently for my taste. With the CTD and automatic that has not occurred one time. CTD has much more power than my eco had.


The hesitation from a dead stop in hot temperatures on the stock spark plugs sure doesn't help either.


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## txcruze26 (Jul 7, 2015)

jblackburn said:


> I can't stand the way my car drives at full fan speed, so I very rarely use it.
> 
> Feels like the AC robs it of all 20 HP it makes below 2000 RPM.


let me ask you something, I know this is a little off topic but since we are talking about hesitation with the A/C on, would the trifecta tune help with this at all?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

txcruze26 said:


> let me ask you something, I know this is a little off topic but since we are talking about hesitation with the A/C on, would the trifecta tune help with this at all?


Not a lick.


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## anthonysmith93 (Jul 15, 2015)

jblackburn said:


> I can't stand the way my car drives at full fan speed, so I very rarely use it.
> 
> Feels like the AC robs it of all 20 HP it makes below 2000 RPM.


Truth! But using my AC at all takes away the power...doesn't matter what fan speed I have it on


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

anthonysmith93 said:


> Truth! But using my AC at all takes away the power...doesn't matter what fan speed I have it on


It uses a variable displacement compressor - the higher fan speeds definitely work it harder and take away more power on my car. 

If you've been sitting at a stoplight for a long while, they'll also heat soak the intake piping and intercooler like crazy, which makes for massive knock retard on takeoff.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

txcruze26 said:


> let me ask you something, I know this is a little off topic but since we are talking about hesitation with the A/C on, would the trifecta tune help with this at all?





jblackburn said:


> Not a lick.


I'm with this guy. When the tune is on the rpms bump up a hair but not enough to negate that heatsoak from sitting behind the condenser and eco shutters when the car feels like they don't need to be open.



jblackburn said:


> It uses a variable displacement compressor - the higher fan speeds definitely work it harder and take away more power on my car.
> 
> If you've been sitting at a stoplight for a long while, they'll also heat soak the intake piping and intercooler like crazy, which makes for massive knock retard on takeoff.


Yeah the eco shutters suck at that point since mine stay closed until it's 50 or 60 out. If humidity is high but not raining, that heat soak is still there with defrost on to keep my windows clear.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

jblackburn said:


> While my car blows cool air, it has a heck of a time overcoming the heat soak from the black interior and black paint.


I find it can struggle with the heat soak of the dashboard.


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