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Hatchbacks Mazda3 Mazda3 Climate Control Questions
155 messages, Last post on Sep 24, 2009 at 7:30 AM
You are in the Mazda3 Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
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And the past few days have been triple-digits with dewpoints in the 70s! Funny thing is, it seems to be getting colder as the car ages. I actually have to back the fan speed off to 2 now, and on all but the hottest days I have to turn the thermostat up to 9 or 10 o'clock to keep from freezing. Keep in mind this is coming from a 275-pound guy who's always hot! Meade
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Some Mazda3's have good AC Some have OK AC Some have weak AC Some have HORRIBLE AC Its the luck of the draw which one you will get - the real problem is if you get a car with a weak or even a HORRIBLE AC system Mazda will not fix it. They will just claim its operating as designed. Actually now is the best time to buy a Mazda3 - the heat wave across most of the country gives you a chance to test the AC system. Only a fool would buy a Mazda3 on a cool / cold day. I have had so many problems with my Mazda3 (2004 S sedan) that if I list them all my post will get deleted. The host considers it brand bashing! Mazda really does make some fun cars - they just do not stand behind the cars they sell.
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Replying to: mdaffron (Aug 03, 2006 4:16 am) Are your windows tinted? The cars I tested did not have tinted windows. |
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Replying to: z71bill (Aug 03, 2006 6:35 am)
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Replying to: smallcar1 (Aug 02, 2006 6:14 pm)
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Replying to: smallcar1 (Aug 03, 2006 8:05 am) When I was shopping for a car in June, I drove the 3 and 06 Civic EX (sedan) back to back (it was about 93 degrees) and I thought the A/C performance was very close.. That said, you should definitely not buy a 3 if you have any reservations...
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Replying to: dc_driver (Aug 04, 2006 8:48 am) Also tested the Hyundai Sonata and the A/C was GREAT. Cold right from the start up, no need to roll windows down etc. Both tested with outside temp 30C and both cars sun soaked. The hyundia also had a moon roof that had the shade open but the window closed. Come on Mazda find out what Hyundia is doing right. |
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Replying to: chacobleu (Aug 04, 2006 8:34 am) I tested the Civic w/ temps in the '80s. Incidentally, a co-worker has an '03 Mazda MPV and his A/C sucks too. |
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Hello all, Bought a 2006 3i, Titanium Gray with black interior, a month ago. A/c in 80 degree weather works fine. I live in DC, so I just experienced the 100 degree hell. The air coming out of the vents was cold, but the dashboard was really hot, preventing the interior from getting cold, but it was still bearable. When the sun was out, took about 10 min for car to cool to a comfortable level. To keep it cool, I had to have it on recirc and on speed 3. Once a few clouds covered up the sun, it got really cold in my car, even with the thermometer showing 103degrees outside. On nights during that hot week, when the car's thermometer showed it was still 96degrees outside, the car got really cold. So from my experience, it seems that the black interior soaks up a lot of sun and heat, and the a/c struggles. But once that beating sun is gone, a/c works fine.
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Replying to: tomkozski (Aug 06, 2006 9:08 pm) We had 100+ temps in NJ last week. I took that as the opportunity to do some digital vent temp testing. Here are some discoveries. First test: early morning (7:00am). Car has been sitting about 12 hours outside. Still in the shade as the sun has not made it over the trees. The rear of the vehicle is facing the sun. Turn on aux power and fan speed to 2. The car’s engine is off at this point. 20 minutes later, the middle vent temp is equal to outside ambient temp. Vent temp = 79.4 Second test: still early morning (7:20am) Car has been sitting about 12 hours outside. Still in the shade as the sun has not made it over the trees. The rear of the vehicle is facing the sun. Turn the vehicle engine on and fans speed remains at 2 with ac off. Twenty minutes later the middle vent temp is reading between 1 and 2 degrees higher than the outside ambient temp (which is up a degree). Vent temp = 82.3 Third test: the drive to work. Consists of a 4 mile highway stint eastbound. Sun is directly in front of me; no shade. Takes about 6 minutes cause of volume. Average speed 35 mph. The fans speed remains at 2 with the ac off. Before exiting towards another highway due north, the middle vent temp is read 11 degrees warmer than the outside ambient temp (up another degree). Vent temp = 92.7 Fourth test: A 25 mile highway haul northbound. Sun is now to my right for the most part, at times directly in front of me and, at one point, to the left of me. There is partial shade from trees to the right of me. So it’s a good mix. The fans speed remains at 2 with the ac off. Cruising speed of 70+mph is reached quickly. In the first mile or two, the middle vent temp drops almost 4 degrees while the outside ambient temp is up 2 degrees to 83. Time: approx. 8:30a. During this part of the ride, the middle vent temp held anywhere from 6 to 8 degrees higher than the ambient outside temp. Both temps creped up equally. At the end of the whole ride (only a couple of misc miles remained), the middle vent temp was reading 92.2 while the ambient outside temp recorded 84. With the car off, the difference was 0 degrees. With the motor running idle, the difference was a couple. But once the sun started baking the dash, that difference jumped. No doubt a colder ac would help, but like tinting windows, the difference would be marginal. Its like having the hot oven door and a cold refrigerator door open at the same time. One more thing I’d like to point out. I tested the ac on those hot days, as well as on the not so hot days (about 90). Car baked in the sun for about 8 hours with a windshield sun screen installed and the moon roof open to vent. Again, I tested the middle vent with fan speed on 3 and recirc all the time. These are the results while driving on the highway at 70+ mph. On the very hot days (99 and 100), the vent temp range was 43 to 51. The lowest temp of 43 was reached towards the end of my 30 mile drive home. On the not so hot days, the middle vent temp range was 39 to 49, again with the lowest temp reached towards the end of my 30 mile drive home. Closer to home, in stop and go conditions, the middle vent temp range would be higher by 6 to 8 degrees, regardless of how hot the ambient temp. Mind you, this was after the ac had been on for the better part of 40 minutes and had a chance to cool things down a bit. Even though the ac temp coming out of the middle vents was higher by 2 or 3 degrees on the hotter days vs. the not so hot days, it just felt colder the hotter the day. Go figure. Funny as this may sound, I had to turn the far left vent away from the steering wheel because it felt as if I was getting frost bite on my knuckles. And I know for a fact the temp coming out of the vent isn’t that cold. |
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