I have two problems with my climate control system.

I have owned a 1995 Acura Legend LS Coupe, and a 1999 Cadillac STS, both with automatic climate control. On both cars, I set the system to 72 the day I got them, and never touched it again.

With my '03 TL-S w/Nav, I find that to get comfortable, the system is usually set to 67. I put a thermometer in the car, and found there was a 6-7 degree difference (I'd set the car to 65, it would be 71-72 degrees in the car, etc).

I also find that I have to constantly adjust the temp to get comfortable. One day requires 68, the next (same approx temp outside) requires 70, next is 66.

2nd problem, when it's hot outside (say 85 or higher) and I'm driving without traffic, the system is fine (except for the above issues) When I hit bumper to bumper traffic, it gets warm in the car very quickly. As soon as I get back up to speed, it cools back down in the car.

I have been to the dealer twice on this, they say it's normal. I say crap. Is anyone else experiencing these issues?

Thanks.

 

Yep. I also recently bought a thermometer and stuck it in my car to see what's going on. I also took my '02 TL-S w/nav to my dealer last year and asked them to check my A/C's cooling output. They came back with, "It's working just fine." But I could have sworn that when I first bought my car that A/C almost made it snow it was so cold!

Anyway, hopefully I'll have some better info in a couple of weeks. Until then, I've just been setting my A/C to 60 for a while, then adjusting it to 69/70. It's a pain... but at least it's still working!

Later,

V.

 

Mine seems to be blowing cold enough (except for the bumper to bumper traffic). I just find that the "auto" in climate control on the TL really isn't.

 

Same thing here...I have mine set to 72, one day it's blowing AC, the next (same temp outside) it's blowing warm humid air. Never had this problem on my 99 M3 with DUAL climate control :-)

 

i think part of the problem is the stupid daylight sensor below the windshield in the middle of the dashboard.

if it senses daylight it tries to cool the car more with cold air but when i drive east on the lower span of the bay bridge there is no sunlight and so the car begins to blow warm air.

not sure if this is the same problem you guys are having but i definitely agree that the auto feature on the tl a/c is crap.

 

This is my third Honda with automatic climate control, and I just set it to 72 and mostly forget it. If I have a few passengers, I might move it to 70, but rarely ever take it off Full Auto and I have a black interior.

I have noticed that when the car moves from sun to shade it does quickly adjust the blower, but that's about the only time the A/C makes itself known. It is just as unobtrusive as my old Accords (probably because it is the same unit).

If you think it is a problem let the dealer know--you never know what part could have failed.

And demetri, if you think the auto feature on the TL is crap, you might want to check out BMW and Jeep--both of those require so much constant adjustment that they might as well be manual.

 

Yep, the A/C output on the TL-S isn't all that great...OTOH, the A/C output on my Yukon XL makes the TL-S A/C feel like one of those small desk fans. One thing can be said about many American cars--they may lack in build quality, but their A/Cs are the dope compared to many foreign car A/C units.

 

i think on long trips the climate control does very well at maintaining the set temp automatically. but, i have noticed if the car is parked it takes the unit 5-10 minutes to begin blowing the air of the set temp. i have mine set to 70 and the overcast and cloudy mornings in pacificait blows cold air until the engine warms up after 5-10 minutes then it starts blowing warmer air. BTW my car is parked indoors.

I also dont like the fact that every time i push the recirc air button the system automatically swiches from auto to manual.

 

There are two sensors for the A/C system. The light sensor on the dash - which mostly adjusts the fan, and the small grill below the right side of the instrument panel which is used to sense inside air temp.

That grill sucks air in towards the sensor based on the speed of the fan. If the tube that connects it is obstructed (or otherwise screwed up), the sensor won't get a good reading of the interior temp.

I have heard of at least one TL that had a problem with that tube. It's certainly something you could ask your dealer to check the next time the car's in for service.

 

I was wondering if mine was ok, so I went out to the car to see what's involved in checking it.

It would be an incredible pain in the butt to attempt to remove the dash, so I came up with a good alternative test.

1. Rip out a small piece of tissue or toilet paper (about 1 square cm).
2. With the fan on low, put the tissue on the grill. It should stay there. As you slide it to the left (not over the hole) it should fall off when it clears the hole.
3. Turn the fan up to high. With the tissue on the tip of your finger, put it near the grill. Mine litterally sucked the tissue right off my finger and onto the grill.

You can see the sensor; it's right in the opening. If you have that sort of reasonable air flow, you should be fine. If not, let the dealer fix it.

 

Mine is set at 70 and I never touch it.

 

mine too sometimes starts blowing warm air even though it is hot outside. There is cloud cover, but it is hot - South Florida.