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Hatchbacks Mazda3 Mazda3 Climate Control Questions
155 messages, Last post on Sep 24, 2009 at 7:30 AM
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Happy 4th! Today, the temps were well into the 90's near the Nation's Capital (heat index was 105 degrees F!).. I figured this was as good a time as any to really put my A/C to the test. The car had been parked under a tree but was still very hot before I started it. In fact, it was so hot that I could barely put my hands on the steering wheel. I started the car and lowered all four windows halfway. I switched the A/C to "recirculate" (per the owners manual), had the air set to "3", all the way cold and started to drive. After about 2 minutes I raised the windows and left it on recirculate and level 3 for about 3 more minutes. After five minutes I was able to set the fan level to "2" and changed from "recirculate" to "outside air" and was quite comfortable. The air does not get as cold as my Honda Odyssey, but my 06 3i Touring (manual air) is plenty comfortable in the hottest temperatures. I have read about the 3's weak A/C issues on other boards and do not believe it is fabricated. It just seems to affect random people. Some folks have issues and some folks don't. I really hope Mazda finds a solution for the folks who are having problems. I plan on tinting my windows very soon and will post about it. It should help my dark interior stay a little cooler when the car is sitting in direct sunlight. Take care! |
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Replying to: ex_tdier (Jun 24, 2006 11:45 am) On a hot day, the system will constantly recirculate. Sounds like a kludgy way to compensate for a weak A/C system.
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Replying to: fugufish (Jul 11, 2006 4:11 am)
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jul 11, 2006 8:30 am) |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jul 11, 2006 8:30 am)
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Replying to: nifty56 (Jul 11, 2006 11:02 am) I think we could compromise here...would it make sense to advise people to use recirc to cool the car down quickly and then say occasionally switch to outside air setting for a few minutes to refresh the air in the cabin?
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jul 11, 2006 11:27 am) Look, people can run their A/C in recir all day long if they wish, it should not hurt their vehicle. Nifty is right in the fact that the Mazda manual suggests using recirc to cool the car down as quick as possible. But they also state on page 8-2 of the manual to use outside air for normal driving conditions. If you ask me, the Mazda manual is a little lacking in detail, so I reference the Honda manual because, well, it is a little better written  For folks that live in a hot climate (especially if they have a dark interior like mine) here is a climate control tip posted on the Honda Owners website. I have found this to work well for my Mazda3 and am passing this information along to anyone who might find it useful: (Q) How can I cool my vehicle down quickly after it's been sitting in the sun? (A) Start the engine and push the A/C Button to turn on the A/C. Make sure the temperature control lever is all the way to the left. Set the fan to maximum speed. Open the windows partially and select Recirculation Mode. Once the cool air has replaced the warm air, close the windows, switch to Fresh Air Mode and turn the fan to the desired setting. ** Note "Fresh Air Mode" is "Outside Air" in the 3.. Enjoy.. |
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Replying to: dc_driver (Jul 11, 2006 12:32 pm) Some say their's is on for 15 seconds and off for 30+ Contributing factors could be overfill/underfill of refrig. or just a computer issue. Mine is on for 15 seconds and off for 5 or less and it works great. Normal fresh air vent temp is 8-12 degrees higher than outside temp. Insulation problem, perhaps? Hot/Cold air door not tracking correctly? Maybe stays open a bit and allows hot air to mix with cold air? Maybe the door is not well insulated or not insulated at all? Perhaps the black dash absorbs so much heat under direct sunlight that the entire dash area from door to door, from floor to windshield, and from fire wall to steering wheel retains and radiates the heat no matter how long the a/c air is on for or how cold the a/c unit emits? And what about the air ducts, are they well insulated or insulated at all from the rest of the dash? BTW - I don't have my window's tinted, but I do have and use the Mazda 3 sunshield for the front - makes a hell of a difference.
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Replying to: dc_driver (Jul 11, 2006 12:32 pm) If you use the recirc to try and cool the car all you are doing is circulating the hot air in the car which will really mean you are taking a longer time to cool the interior. Of course with the windows down the air coming through the windows circulating in the interior will help cool the interior. So my theory to cool the car quicker use outside are mode first than switch to recirc. Hope this helps... |
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