DKraky

It's weird it just seems like it takes in the quite a while to get cold in my car. My Camaro convertible seems to put out Ice Cold Air without turning the fan all the way up and waiting a while.... am I crazy or is there a trick I'm missing or what?

Midnight Mystery

I created a similar thread about 4 years ago. That's how all three of my Honda/Acura vehicles have been. I think it's just how H/A's are.

I do, however, know the coldest AC I've experienced is found in Toyotas and GM products.

EFR

Yep, it's been on this board before. I took mine in for weak AC and they said they checked the AC temp and all was normal and OK. In the meantime, at least mine (2019 ASpec)....the AC is pretty weak. Max temps where I live get to about 101/102 so good AC is fairly important.

Dereileak

Make sure recycling is on, that makes a huge difference. Mine gets plenty cold, and it gets hot here in Colorado.

TheDatanator

Agree. It is one of the weaker systems I’ve owned - weak in the sense of not as cold as others. The air volume the vents project is actually quite good in my opinion. The temperature could use incremental improvement.

JB in AZ

It was 108-110 here in Southern AZ today. My car sat outside for an hour, and it was VERY hot inside. I was comfortable within about 5-7 minutes. I find that the "Auto" setting doesn't get as cold (set to 67) as just setting it for 58 degrees, and adjusting the fan speed as desired. Setting it to LO will deactivate Auto Idle Stop.

DJA123

Setting to Hi will also deactivate AIS.

I've never been amazed by Honda/Acura AC performance, but it's always been adequate. The RDX has so far been just fine here in the humid northeast US. (Upper 80s, with dew points above 60)

The exception was an '88 Integra that likely had less torque at idle than my lawn tractor. I hated stopping for red lights as the AC needed engine speed to work at all.

I agree that Toyota and GM seem to have excellent AC performance -- even their 4-cylinder cars.

supafamous

It's pretty shit relative to my 2007 TSX but way better than either of my Miatas which is setting a low bar. Even in lukewarm Vancouver it runs a pretty high fan speed to keep the cabin cool - much higher speed than my TSX.

Ludepower

Agree about it being weak but I cant back that up with any proof.

DKraky

Well.. the crazy thing is I used a lazer thermometer and shot inside the vents both cars to see which was cooler.... but I did this after both cars ran for quite a while with the air on.... if I shot deep enough into vents I was able to get all the way down to 30° which really amazed me I could get a below freezing reading. It just seems like when I start the Camaro I've got ice cold air right away and it takes a quite a few miles down the road especially when leaving the golf course where I'm already hot and sweaty before I start to get cooler in the RDX. I will try the recirculation button and if that doesn't work I guess all I got is full speed fan and low low temp. At least I know what I got is probably normal. Thanks guys.

Midnight Mystery

My 2006 Accord is the same way. If you just started the car on a hot day or in stop and go traffic the AC isn't super cold. I'm usually melting for 3-5 minutes when I first get into the car.

MarineOne

I agree the system is sub-par. I ran a thread some time ago checking the temps at several places in the vehicle. I will try to find the link and repost.

Madd Dog

Honda’s AC isn’t great. I’ve been remote starting the car to get it going before I get in. Last time I did that, the interior temperature was 111 degrees.

There is a lot of interior volume in this car, so what works for me is to turn recycle off, open windows to get the hottest air out while the unit cools the ducts down, and then buttoning things up and recycle.

fogdoctor

It is not great. I would put it at average or just below. For example, in terms of function, it is better than my Civic, better than my wife's Subaru Outback, about on par with my moms Accord and my son's Subaru Legacy, not as good as the GMC Acadia, not close to the Cadillac XT6 or the Lexus RX 350, and significantly worse than the one in my Sienna XLE AWD. Some of them may have the same/similar systems with different volumes but I have not looked that deeply into it. The Sienna was the only vehicle I have owned that would get uncomfortably cold with the AC at 68 or below. Part of me thinks I should have never traded in the Sienna because that was the best cross country vehicle, even if the fuel economy was garbage.

I basically do what Madd Dog suggested but the thing that helps the most are cooled seats. So if you have the advance and keep the seats in auto, you may not even notice.

NooYawkuh

My 1st Gen Honda Pilot had a kickass HVAC. Car warmed up quick in the winter but the AC was even better. Best AC in any car I've owned.

Fords are probably the worst. The AC is okay but they take forever to warm up on cold winter mornings.

Oh yeah, and make sure your 2nd row vents are open. Mine were closed when I got the car and I didn't discover it until the summer. Others have reported the same thing and it makes a huge difference.

fogdoctor

I'll second the Ford call. I had a Contour SVT that was actually a Contour POS. The AC never worked properly and broke twice, once under warranty and once just before I sold it. That was one of about 25 problems with that car.

DJA123

I hadn't considered this. Does this add to the overall air flow, or redistribute air from the front to the rear?

Tom2

Trying measuring the A/C vent temp and see what you get. If the outside air is 90 to 100 F and your A/C is cranking out somewhere in the 50 degree F range, it's operating as intended. This is just a generalization since there are other factors to consider, but if your A/C is putting out air that is generally 40 to 50 degrees cooling than ambient air, then it's doing pretty good. I don't think the Acura A/C is really any weaker than other cars for the most part. Then again, I can't stand having freezing cold air blowing on me even when it's really hot outside.

MarineOne

This is the test I ran a while ago.

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...e-test-972666/

Midnight Mystery

Ironically the AC in my 2007 RDX has decided to quit only again today. Usually happens once a year, this year, it's twice.

NooYawkuh

Of course. More cool air into the cabin cools it faster. If the rear vents are not open, you'll never get the cabin cool on a really hot day.

Anybody should check it before complaining about the AC. Several here have noticed they were apparently closed since they got the car from the dealer.

007Acura

The performance of the a/c in my rdx isn’t better or worse than the other cars I’ve had. Seems to do the job just fine to me

misantor

My 2020 RDX A/C cools things down pretty well. I notice compared to my 2005 MDX it switches to recirculate mode much more aggressively.

RCJD

Agree 110%!

Midnight Mystery

Found this kind of interesting.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-ds675922

gtssenior

When people say it is weak it sounds like they are saying that the time to cool down is too long but I did not hear that it is weak in the sense that it can't maintain the temperature once reaching the set temperature. My vehicle is almost always parked in a garage or in the full sun only for short interval so I am not seeing any issues.

Waetherman

This is my first summer owning the car, and I have to say I find the AC a little weak. But it depends on the situation; today was above 90 in NYC but driving down the highway I found it was able to keep the car cool just fine. I had to fiddle the settings a bit instead of just using “auto” but it was fine. I even turned the fan down to 2 because 3 is loud enough to bother me unless I have music playing. On the other hand though, when I through a 2 hour long stop and go traffic jam that Six Flags had the nerve to call a “Safari Drive.” Even though it was only 80 outside, sitting in the direct sun most of the time, panoramic shade open, the AC felt like it was barely keeping the car cool. I even cranked it up on everything to see if I could get it to cool down and it is a bit, but not the way I felt my old Honda could.

It’s below my expectations enough that I’ll mention it to the dealer at my next service, which is probably coming up in a month or so.

NooYawkuh

I garage my car too but the real test is if the car is parked in direct Sun on a hot day for hours with the windows closed.

First thing I always do is open ALL the windows to get a complete air change. Once I'm underway, I turn on the AC and let the car air out as I drive. Then I start closing the windows. Then I turn on the ventilated seat. Within a couple minutes, the car is fairly comfortable and it just gets better from there. Can't really complain.

JB in AZ

I'll say again what I have discovered this summer, after owning the RX for 18+ months. AND I live where it is over 100 F from June through Sept.....The RDX AC works fine. This summer I have changed my usage. Rather than use the AUTO setting, I set the temp to 58 (I don't set it to LO because I want the Auto Idle Stop to engage), and modulate the cabin temp by increasing or decreasing the fan speed. I truly believe the temperature at the vents in the RDX comes out colder this was. Setting the AUTO setting at 68 degrees, will increase the fan speed attempting to get the vehicle cabin to 68 degrees, but personally, I think the car cools off faster using the manual setting.

My family here has owned a few new cars that will not deal with Arizona summer, but the RDX will.

russianDude

Seems fine to me. Its not a very big SUV, so I do not expect arctic freeze...

Madd Dog

Oh, come on.

Apply yourself. One never knows what one can accomplish until he applies himself. Surely there must be something about which to complain.

hans471

Every vehicle I can think of has built in body vents. These are normally hidden away out of sight. They are one-way flaps that allow air to be pushed out of the cabin, especially when the HVAC is on the "fresh air" setting. I normally never open the windows of the car when its moving as there is no need to as the car will "self vent".
When the vehicle has been setting out in the sun I might open the windows on start up for a few moments to allow the hot air to leave even faster than the built in vents will allow. Of course this technique only works if the ventilation system is set for "fresh" (as in outside) air. On the "Recirc" position its not drawing in much outside air.
I live where we have high humidity and temps well into the 90's. I find my AC to be OK. No, its not as icy cold as a good GM system of old, but its quite comfortable. I do find that taking over manual control can at times help with making different adjustments. Its something you have to experiment with. I do find that even when the outside temps are around 100 degrees the duct temps are 50 degrees or lower. The industry standard is stated that a properly working system will bring the interior of the vehicle down to 20 degrees cooler than the outside ambient air temp. So, if its 100 degrees out the system should be able to bring the car down to 80 degrees. Now, this isn't instant. There is a lot of heat energy stored in a vehicle, things like a hot dash that will radiate heat and make you feel hot while the AC system is blowing out 48 degree air. You swear the AC is not working right but as a technician trying to fix your car I may have to explain the laws of physics to you. . Park that thing out in the bright Summer sun and its going to store a pile of heat energy. Your AC system not only has to try to cool you down, its got to overcome and remove all the heat stored in every part of your vehicle interior. It can be quite the job.
Taking preventive measures can really help with a hot car. Those reflective shields you put inside your windshield when you park can make a major difference in your comfort when you return to your car that has been parked out in the sun. Having a light interior and tinted windows really help. I can't tell you how many customers use to buy the cheap model car which lacks the solar tinting and then complained how poorly their AC performed on a hot day. Their AC was fine, their interior was baked by the bright sun.
So the perception of AC performance hinges on a lot of variables, some of which you can easily control. Put a sun shield in your windshield. The dash of a car absorbs gobs of heat energy which will radiate out and make you feel hot. (some vehicles actually have infrared sensors that measure how hot your face is from this and the sun and will increase AC air flow to help cool you down. ) Tint your side windows or get some of those roll down sun shades to help block the sun. Chose a vehicle without a black interior! They are the absolute worse in the sun! I got the special red paint as much for the light interior color that comes with it as anything.
If you want to know how your car is actually doing put a thermometer down inside the duct and see the temp of the air coming out. Hint: Don't set the fan on "high". You will normally get better cooling if it is on a speed less than "high". If your duck temperature is like 55 degrees or less (with the engine at normal cruise speed) the system is likely working OK. Its not rare for a good vehicle to drop down into the high 40's depending on factors like ambient outside temps and humidity. You do NOT want the temperature to drop down in the 30's as this is a sign of a low charge in the system and an evaporator that will freeze up and prevent air flow. (This is what happens when you read about someone's system at first cooling then slowing down unless they turn it off for a bit and turn it back on. Their system works too cold and ice forms on the coils blocking air flow which stops the cooling. Let it thaw out and then cooling will start again.

NooYawkuh

I knew about the unavailability of power folding mirrors and bought the car anyway. So, I can't complain about that either.

FDNewbie

I agree, it will cool the car overall, but in terms of actually providing consistent cold air esp directed at the front passengers, the Auto function sucks IMO. I simply take it off Auto, drop the temp to 70, and turn the fan speed up, and it does the job exponentially better than leaving it on the Auto function at 70.

JB in AZ

Yes, I'm not sure why the Auto function doesn't work well, but I just use the manual setting, as stated. I may ask the dealer when I am there next.

FDNewbie

Please do share what they say. I suspect they'll test the system, confirm the temps coming out of the vents are within spec, and tell you they couldn't find anything wrong with the A/C; it's performing to spec.

catalytic_ca

Yep, AC a bit weaker than average. Some suggestions:

1. Use a folding windshield sun reflector when parked outside
2. Ceramic tint for side windows
3. Ceramic tint for front windshield
4. Ceramic tint for panoramic sunroof

Need to be careful ceramic tinting the front windshield, as it can be considered illegal in some parts. One could use the 80% VLT Air or Blu ceramic tint, where the tinting is so light that it would be hard to tell the difference unless you had a stock RDX next to it.

Also need to be careful tinting the panoramic sunroof, as I've heard people claim that it might potentially cause / accelerate cracking / shattering. Personally, I doubt that tinting could weaken the structural properties of glass, and if anything, it might help hold the glass fragments and prevent hundreds of little pieces from falling on your head, but it is something one should think about.

Tinting the pano sunroof and/or front windshield isn't something one should do on a whim. Having said that, I suspect both would make a big difference to the temperature inside the car because both represent the largest and most horizontal window surfaces in the vehicle.

catalytic_ca

Hans,

You make excellent points throughout your post, but not sure if I agree with everything in this section.

For example, if someone is testing the AC with the fan on low, they are not using anywhere close to the full capacity of the system. An AC system is heavily dependent on airflow through the coil in order to utilize all of its cooling capacity. For most systems, 400 CFM per ton of cooling (or around 33 CFM per 1,000 BTU) is the standard.

As you had mentioned later on in this section, an iced up evaporator coil is useless, so most AC systems have a TXV that meters the flow of refrigerant into the evaporator so that it doesn't ice up (or has an orifice tube and pressure switch that cycles the compressor off). If one sets the fan to Low, the TXV will restrict the amount of refrigerant to the evaporator so that it doesn't ice up (or the compressor is cycyled off / on).

If one wants to test the capacity of the system, one would need to run it at max fan speed so that the airflow through the coil and the corresponding TXV restriction or compressor cycling aren't the bottleneck.

vealboy

I'm glad I saw this thread. I have only had my RDX a few months, and have been underwhelmed with the AC. I thought maybe it was my imagination, but it is not as good as my old Camry AC.

JB in AZ

If you want cold air, turn the setting to LO (turns off the Auto Idle Stop) or 58 degrees, and modulate the cabin temperature with the fan speed. Works much better than the Auto setting. I finally succumbed, and agreed with what my wife has been saying for over a year.