Yes I have . Next time it get that hot here, I'll definately check the temperature of the A/C's discharge air. And you are right the systems low pressure switch will disengage the compressor's clutch before the evapotator coil reaches 32*F.

 

We're not talking about how you personally feel in the car we are talking about A/C vent temperatures in general.

The point is, the Fit is never going to achieve the temperature delta that beefier A/C's produce, but for its market and price range it's above average, I say this because my Fit A/C hasn't let me down and it's at least better than the Versa, I'm not sure about the Yaris...definitely whips the Aveo/Focus A/C's so it's not that terrible.

If you are unhappy with your Fit's A/C:

1. Hybrid Metallic Tint on the Windshield (V-KOOL and 3M are the best)
   This is extremely effective, I used a TW MT GD3 with V-KOOL Hybrid all day and I was turning the A/C down way sooner than usual, it eliminated the windshield heat and since that and the roof are the primary sources of cabin heat, this is the most noticeable way to improve the cabin temps IMO. I am definitely getting this for my Fit.
2. Tint the rest of the car if you didn't already
   If you don't want the loss in visibility, there are many "heatblocker" tints that just block out heat and still maintain near stock visibility.
3. Insulate the roof
   Apply a adhesive backed metallic Heat Shield to the inside of the terrible 0.8MM thick roof, there is also spare room between the roof and headliner for a good 1/2"-3/4" thick thermal insulation. More expensive cars already have at least some roof insulation between the headliner and roof sheetmetal, the Fit has none.
4. Park in the shade, of course.

 

what year focus? the older ones? i drove a 09 the other day and it beats the fit hands down the a/c lol. and i also drove a yaris/prius/corolla the a/c was better then my 09 fit.

 

Hmm I drove an 07 and all the ones my work has are 02-07 and they all have terrible A/C's, maybe the 08 redesign gave it an A/C upgrade?

 

Since people were talking about compressor cycling times, I timed mine tonight on the way home. Every 20 seconds (no lie), warmer air came out of the vents, then it went back to cold. I had the fan on 3, the recirculate switch to the left (recirculate interior air), and the vents just to the torso/face. Doesn't this seem excessive? It was about 80 degrees out if that helps.

 

it is imo but the 3 honda dealerships say its normal. and ive driven other cars (yaris/prius/focus/corolla that had better a/c. last sat i drove 3 civics 1 lx sedan/ 1 lx-s sedan and a ex sedan and only the lx sedan's a/c worked good. i think honda has a problem with a/c and they won't admit it.

 

No doubt, the Fit's a/c is marginal at best. Maybe yours is defective, maybe your expectations are high, maybe you're obsessing at this point.

Not to seem indignant, but perhaps your best bet is to take the hit and get out of the car, maybe get out of Honda alltogether.

Whatever you do buy, make sure it's in the dead of summer and you check the a/c performance thoroughly before signing on the dotted line.

Mine is not the best a/c system I've ever owned, but it doesn't have me contemplating selling the thing, either. It probably runs as good as any other GE Fit. Then again, I'm running Formula One Pinnacle 35% and ICE 32 performance enhancer. Next step would be windshield tint.

 

Took my Fit into the dealership today for them to check the A/C. Of course they said it is "working as normal". Yesterday, I was driving around for 15 minutes before the vent temps got anywhere below 70.

I always try to park in the shade, I have the darkest window tint available for my state, and I also have an "eyebrow" window tint on my windshield. I use a high quality solar reflective windshield heat shield, and it still takes FOREVER for the A/C to cool down to where it blows about 50 degrees.

I can't really think of anything else I can do to keep the temp inside the car down. I have to get the A/C working well for my wife, because she can't stand the heat. Does anyone have any more ideas?

 

Honestly, to beat the Texas heat I:

A. Got the windows tinted the day I got the car

B. Installed window visors, so I can keep the windows cracked

C. Drive with the a/c on 4 with the windows down for at least 1 minute before rolling the windows up and recycling air.


Bigangrytexan, since you already have tint I'd most definitely opt for the window visors. You WON'T regret it.

 

Yeah, I already ordered them. I live in the woods, though, and I'm concerned that flys, bees, mosquitoes, wasps, etc will get in there while it is sitting. I've actually had a big giant red wasp fly in my vehicle while driving before, its not fun!!!!!

 

FWIW, I haven't done much about my A/C since I started this thread because we've had a most unusual May/June here in Phoenix, the coolest since 1913. Guess we're trying to make up for global warming. Anyway, temps have been so cool that the A/C hasn't been stressed to "normal" Phoenix levels, but it looks like that's changing this week as we go back to more seasonal temps (~ 100 to 105 deg. F).

A few observations, anyway - I park outside at home and at work. When I drive to work in the morning, the A/C isn't an issue, it works OK, because the car is relatively cool to start with. All my windows are tinted to legal max, and I use a full-width reflectorized window shield (the roll-up one the dealer and H&A sell) when I park at work, there's no shade in our lot.

When I come home at night, I have about 5 minutes on city streets (3-4 lights, ~40 mph avg speed, one light I always have to wait at for +1 minute), followed by about 10 minutes of freeway/parkway driving with minimal lights (50-65 mph), followed by about 7-8 minutes of surface streets (several lights, ~40 mph). I run the A/C on fan setting 4, max cool, fresh air intake (interior of the car measures as high as 140 deg. F after sitting). I usually open the windows for the first 30 seconds I'm moving to clear out the hot air. The A/C actually cools rapidly, but when I'm on surface streets, it cycles ever 20 seconds or so. If I have to sit at a light, the low temps during the cycles aren't very low. Any moderate to hard acceleration causes the compressor to cycle and I get warm air.

Once I get on the freeway and get to a set speed (cruise control), the A/C quickly stabilizes (less or zero cycling) and the car cools down decently, and the A/C continues to work properly the rest of the way home.

Compare this to my Boxster on my commute home. A/C starts blowing cold within 30 seconds. No cycling. Keeps blowing cold when I'm sitting at a light. Keeps blowing cold when I accelerate. Gets so cold the climate control drops the fan speed within the first few minutes of driving. Note that the Boxter interior volume is about 1/3 of that of the Fit, and the windshield is about 1/2 the size.

My M3? Actually a lot like the Fit. Warm/cold cycling when starting from sitting all day, eventually gets to be OK. Has been checked many times.

Sienna? Cold in the first minute, no cycling. Doesn't like to sit at lights, however, will slowly get warmer.

914? Best A/C ever. Take the roof out, drive fast, and wear a hat. A cold drink helps.

 

Do you make sure the air is recirculating and not constantly drawing in outside air? Makes a big diff.

 

No complaints about my A/C...until now.

Something is up with my vents all of the sudden, now when I switch it to recirculate nothing comes out of any of the vents it just sneaks air a little on the middle vents and the rest are dead, even on 4! I've obviously checked all the vent controls...the slide switch that engages recirculate feels the same as always...something mechanical that engages it must have broken though.

I'll bring it up to the dealer when I get my oil change tomorrow...

 

Have you checked which vents you have selected on the dial?

 

Straight to face, other settings just make it quieter.

I'll let you guys know what they fixed when they check it out, I'm doing my oil today or tomorrow.

 

Today; Chattanooga, TN; 97*F, Fits A/C on recirc, fan on high, vent temperature 40*F. Once again pretty damn good.

 

No offense, but we call a 97 deg. F day a "nice day" here in Phoenix. After our recent cool spell (longest June streak under 100 deg. F since 1913), we're looking at 109 deg. F by next Thursday, and it will likely stay around there until early October, with at least a few days in excess of 115 deg. F. Let your Fit sit outside all day in heat like that at work, then drive on city streets to start your commute home, then tell me you think the A/C is great .

BTW, as you can imagine, these conditions push any A/C system to its limits. I don't mind warmer vent temps until the system cools, but the cycling simply sucks. I don't see any reason for it, and nobody has explained why the system does that. If it would just stay on, it would be tolerable.

 

RE: recirc mode - I flip it to recirc only after the interior temp gets down to a reasonable level, otherwise, it's drawing hotter air than from outside.

RE: hybrid metallic tint for the windshield - may check that out, concern for me is legality.

RE: has anyone insulated the return line as someone suggested a while ago? Makes sense that this might help.

 

I have the insulation foam material from homedepot, but have not spent any time locating the line. Any pointers, pics?

 

Yeah, and you call 40% humid.. I'm wasn't comparing who lives in the hottest place, I was commenting on my Fit's A/C vent temperature. I'm pretty sure that's what this thread is about.