Poll: Got air-con? Is it powerful enough?

[Luca Brazzi]

This relates to an earlier post about the cabin temps.
I'm considering getting air-con retro-fitted to my Tuscan, and would therefore like as many views as possible about how good it is in the Tuscans.

So, for those of you who've got a/c, how do you find it on a hot day, and where taking the roof off is not an option. Do you stay cool enough??? Any other thoughts?

Steve

[Jarrett]

See my post on your other thread.

Factory fit works well enough but nowhere near German equivs.

Retrofit looks v.expensive 2-3K.

[viperman]

i dont think much of air con, takes too long to cool down or warm up, just a plain heater is good, the only thing good is heated windows, im a big fan of em'!

[blackmonday]

I didn't have A/C in my Chimaera and regretted it. When I ordered my Tuscan the first thing I added was A/C. However, I haven't used it once as the cabin temperature has never become the oven that the Chimaera was most of the time.

[whitey]

Hi,

I have air-con fitted in my Tuscan. Makes it a lot more comfortable on a muggy day. Roof off it also makes a big difference, just close all the vents except the footwell vents and get a cool blast rather than massive heatsoak when stuck in traffic. Again, it was the only option I regretted not having in my Chimaera, so was first on the list for my Tuscan.

Cheers
Whitey

[Jarrett]

Blackmonday,

Does "haven't used it once" really mean never at all? The reason I ask is that I am of the understanding that if you do not use the air-con regularly (once every couple of weeks) then the seals will dry out and the inert gas will start to be lost. This then leads to no cold air and a £150ish refilling bill.

Every car that I have owned with air-con, I have been told to at least use it occasionally to prevent this.

If I am wrong here then somebody please sort me out. Otherwise I hope that this info helps.

Jarrett

[Shamus1972]

I'd be interested in the answer to this one too.
Last week I tried my air con for the first time since buying the car 4 months ago and the temperature remained the same as if it was just the fan on. I'm starting to wonder if my car has indeed got air con. How long does it take to start cooling, and how can you tell if you're out of gas?

[Basil Brush]

This is true. Regular running of the compressor lubricates the seals and reduces leakage.

You should feel the engine speed change as the compressor kicks in and out. If not it could be low on gas. The charge seems to last a couple of years on my 944.

>> Edited by Basil Brush on Tuesday 18th June 10:22

[ajvmoore]

Me again - threads ran all last summer on this one. The S6 dumps loads of heat into the cabin - the tunnel and gearlever, handbrake and ashtray all get very hot. The aircon has to first of all remove this heat, you never get and 'icy blast' you only get a bit cooler than ambient as an airflow, but it does suck out the kilowatts of hot which otherwise leave you cooking. My verdict - the aircon is a necessity in the Tuscan, it can take 15-20 minutes to be felt because the hot bits need to have their latent heat sucked out before you feel the benefit.The aircon then continues to 'fight' the heating effect of the transmission. Closing the window ducts (back and front) helps the flow to the feet. The ducts on the steering column seem to be mainly ornamental! Had a lap in the Tuscan race car recently - now that is HOT in the cabin!

[richb]

It's true, the general advice (from the industry) is to use the air-con regularly at least once a week, or as has been said it will deteriorate. In all the cars I have had with climate control I just leave it on permenantly and have never had any problems. R...

[whatever]

quote:
I'd be interested in the answer to this one too.
Last week I tried my air con for the first time since buying the car 4 months ago and the temperature remained the same as if it was just the fan on. I'm starting to wonder if my car has indeed got air con. How long does it take to start cooling, and how can you tell if you're out of gas?

I've just had a similar experience in my "other" car. Basically it was working ok then a couple of weeks later it wasn't.

Basically, if you can find the pipes that carry the gas, they should get really cold to the touch (to the extent that condensation forms if it's a humid day) -- this might be a better test than just waiting for cold air from the vents. I don't know how easy this would be on a Tuscan (for example) though, with having the bolted bonnet etc.

Alternatively, your local friendly air-con specialist can measure the pressure in the system and then re-gas including a uv dye to spot where the leak(s) then come from. (Or decide that it's the compressor gone fubar)

I expect that your local dealer would do none of this in-house and would farm it out -- all you have to do is find out who to

[blackmonday]

"...haven't used it once" means just that. I've not used it other than to occassionally (maybe once a month) check that it works. After reading through the various messages I'm going to start using more often (once a week) to be on the safe side.

Thank for your input, Jarett. And everyone else too.

quote:
Does "haven't used it once" really mean never at all? The reason I ask is that I am of the understanding that if you do not use the air-con regularly (once every couple of weeks) then the seals will dry out and the inert gas will start to be lost. This then leads to no cold air and a £150ish refilling bill.

Every car that I have owned with air-con, I have been told to at least use it occasionally to prevent this.

If I am wrong here then somebody please sort me out. Otherwise I hope that this info helps.

Jarrett

[sixspeed]

Having sat and driven in 35degC heat on the way back from Le Mans on Monday I can safely say that AC is a must!!!!

Mine isn't working at the moment - its being fixed at the 6k service next week - but I'm cursing TVR for it! The drive was unbearable. Heat coming from the gearbox, through the windows from the radiator fans, from the heater vents (as the AC wasn't working!).

If you plan on a few summer trips, or even for the few days in this country that the temperatures get into the 30s, I'd say get it. Most cars these days come with AC, so why not. It'll probably help residuals anyway.


-andy-

[tuscanboy]

I've just sold my Non-AicCon Tuscan for 28.5K. I was starting to get a bit worried as there are a lot for sale at a similar price with Aircon on - and lets face it what would you rather buy. The £1600 price tag put me off when I bought it, but with residuals being a bit in the doldrums, I was almost caught out, and for this reason alone would probably specify next time.

[andyr]

If anyone is interested, the AA do an air con check for £10, even if you are not a member. They will completely recharge the system etc for £75. You can find out where their sites are on their website.