I looked at the referenced artical for the Ford Scorpio...... The Fit also has a thermistor. I don't believe that it would be as much trouble to do this (as the Scorpio) and instead of a 9 position switch you could buy one single 1/8 watt resistor and place it in parallel with the thermistor leads at the connector to remove a little margin to freezing (a jam fit in the connector).... It doesn't look to have a lot of downside to equipment damage. Or maybe just a switch with the single resistor lead in series to stimulate maximum cooling for a quick cool down. You could use the blank switch positions in the bottom left of the dash. Thinking about buying the repalcement thermistor ($10 at Majestic Honda) to play with it before I try.......

 

I never noticed. I turn the A/C on and it gets cold - I'm happy (Just a few years ago A/C was actually an option on cars in this class, and still is for some i.e. hyundai,kia). Of course, living in Illinois A/C is far from a deal breaker. There are maybe 20-25 days a year when you REALLY need it. Most days I can just put it on the fan without the A/C and feel plenty cool.

 

Yeah, there have been other posts about this and it is annoying. But trading in a brand new car is a really extreme reaction to an annoyance. I have my windows tinted as dark as legally allowable, and I always use a sunshield when my car is parked which keeps the temp down by 40 degrees. Plus the color of my car is white which might help a little bit too. However we have an all black interior and a lot of windows, so it's always going to be a challenge to keep the car cool on a super hot day. Another thing that helps is turning the fan on high, and using the recirc mode and move the slider to the left, which recirculates inside air creating a greater cooling effect.

The A/C cycling thing does annoy me but there is no way I would consider trading my car for that. Hopefully Honda will realize there is a problem and issue a service bulletin, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Anyway, I tend to forget about the A/C when I'm whipping around turns and zig-zagging around the huge SUV's and trucks I have to contend with on my rush-hour drives to and from work.

 

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?

 

What was the outside temperature?

How are you measuring the vent temperature?

Even the best car A/C systems will struggle to get a 50 degree difference in temperature (vent temp vs. outside ambient air temperature).

How did you have the dealer check the A/C? I would demand to see the how they measure the vent temperature. Demand to have a visit into the service bay. In a covered service bay with a 85F ambient, with the engine at idle, with A/C set to max, you should be getting around 45F vent temperature. That's as good as it should get. (That number is not necessarily what the Fit service manuals state, but from my prior experiences).

Reasons:
1) Engine is at idle (~900 RPM). Meaning you're not going to be turning the compressor at maximum speeds.

2) Car is stopped. The only airflow through the A/C condenser is from the electric fan. The electric fan isn't going to be able to pull a consistent rate of air through the full face of the condenser.

3) Since engine is only at idle, the alternator is probably only putting out 13V instead of the 14V you'd probably get with a higher RPM. The interior blower probably pulls 30 amps. The front fan probably pulls another 30 amps. The DRL's probably pull another 10 amps (5 amp per headlight). The A/C compressor clutch is pulling another 5 amps. You're looking at 75 amps. What I'm getting at is that your fan's probably aren't spinning at max speed since they're designed for a maximum of 14V or so. You're probably only at 12.5V or 13V due to the loads and speed the alternator is turning.

Have the dealer PROVE to you that your car is performing to specification. IIRC the old Mercedes-Benz shop manuals used to have a chart listing ambient temperatures along with a corresponding range of vent temperatures. I'd expect that Honda may have something similiar.

You can bring your own thermometer to prove to them that the vent temp on your car is not normal. Feel free to ask them to bring a "new" model off the lot to perform the same test for comparison.

Hope this helps.

 

I noticed the cycling the first time I ran my A/C, however, I ran it again yesterday (my cat was in the car on the way to the vet, so I wanted to keep his whiny a** cool), and I used the recirculating option. That made a SERIOUS difference. For a 15 minute trip (city driving), on a 80+ degree day, the air got cold in about 1 minute and kept the temp comfortable for the whole trip. The return home was just as good.

Felt some serious pain though when I saw my MPG gauge drop .3 from using the A/C in a particularly hilly area.

-P

 

I have an 07 and mine does this!

 

My 2011 does this. I'll be driving on the freeway and all of a sudden the AC gets warm then immediately cold again. I need to add freon.