I am in SoCal and I finally got a chance to really test out the AC, I have found that:

1. It is not cold enough.
- I drove 90 miles to Lancaster (Poppy reserve), I left it at full blast. I was in shorts/t-shirt and it didn't feel cold at all in the car. The old accord 2005 I replaced was a lot more cold.

2. AC doesn't get cold fast enough.
- It took forever it seems to get the AC to cool down the car.


Anyone else experiencing the AC lacking on the 15' Fit? I would like to get this resolved before the summer hits. TIA.

 

did you switch it over to recirculate? If not give it a try it should help.

 

Any chance your econ button is on? Unless I am mistaken if that were on it would result in less energy being available for the ac and that could result in less than cold air.

 

Mine will freeze you out in an Arizona summer

 

I generally have it under re-circulate. Still not cold enough

 

Yes, I have been driving my car with the econ mode. I will try it in the other mode when it gets really hot again here in S. Cali., thx.

 

I want the AC unit in your car!

 

I've been doing this with every car/truck I've owned for decades. When you get in a car parked in the sun, the interior is much hotter than ambient temperature, and the thermal mass of the interior, i.e. the seats, carpeting, insulation, headliner, dash, etc, hold a lot of heat. You can open the windows and even the tailgate to let all the hot air out, but the thermal mass still holds a lot of heat and as soon as you close the car back up, it can reheat the air back up above ambient.

Until that thermal mass cools down, you DON'T want to use recirculate. You want to leave it on fresh air, where the AC is getting ambient air cooler than the interior thermal mass. Once the interior has cooled down to about ambient, you can switch to recirculate. This technique will help you cool the car down faster.

 

I never use recirculate, or if at all, very sparingly. I don't want to keep rebreathing the same air.

 

Those are two completely meaningless phrases. Bring it in to a dealer and complain: they'll measure its output tempreature, compare it to ambient and not care what you're wearing.

Now that we're done with comparing apples to daydreams, let's compare them to oranges: Your Accord had a more powerful engine spinning a bigger compressor to cool a car with a smaller cabin. It was also a few notches upmarket from the Fit: Honda's web site shows today's Fit starting at about $6500 less than the Accord. Someone spending that much more would hope for nicer amenities than come with the cheapest car in the lineup.

People have pointed out ambient temp, interior temp, recirc and even the econ button all have an effect on how well it can work. I'll add humidity to the list: drier air gives the AC less to work with. You can help out the interior temp with one of those windshield shades and maybe leaving a window or two open a bit. It's a low end car built for efficiency- you'll get better results if you help it out a bit.

 

Is it true that the econ button can affect the cooling?

 

Maybe indirectly. The ones I'm familiar with deal with shift points and torque converter lockup, but it all comes back to engine load- and the hamster wheel under the hood can only put out so much. If the car isn't going to downshift nicely and there isn't all that much to go around...

 

It seems that might be the case. From the manual:

The ECON button turns the ECON mode on
and off. The ECON mode helps you improve
your fuel economy by adjusting the
performance of the engine, transmission,
heating and cooling system*/climate control
system*, and cruise control.*

Other pages also mention this:

Automatic transmission (CVT) models:
While in ECON mode, the system has greater
temperature fluctuations.

 

Looks like no ECON for me this summer!lol

 

Nope. I am keeping it!

 

I am also in phx and recently on a 92 degree day my Fit kept the cabin plenty cold on the lowest fan setting I always turn the temperature to the coldest setting and my ECON button is always on.

 

I drive in the desert regularly here and the AC is amazing. Sounds like you have a lemon.

 

So I did a measurement today on the AC:

1. I had the AC on full blast for over 30 mins while I drove to work today (25 miles).
2. When I got to the parking lot, I moved to re-circulate air.
3. I took out the non-contact infrared digital thermometer and did a reading while the AC is blasting at max cold/fan. Please see picture for ref to outside temp and what I am getting off the AC.
4. Looks like I need to take it into the dealer to check it out. Seem like others are saying, I should get around mid 40s blowing from the vent if my AC is working as it should.

Ref Image:



Hmm

 

Have you had your windows tinted (including the sunroof)? That will help keep some heat out of the car.

 

No tinting yet. Though I do plan to have it tinted before the summer starts. But tinting is one thing, with the vent not being able to get it below 56F at full blast, car won't be cool enough during the summer here in S. Cali.