Is A/C adequate?
 

Hey yall,
noob here. I'm considering buying a Mazda3 S, but my main concern is the a/c. I've read reviews saying the a/c is pretty weak, and can't keep up with a 95 degree day.
I live in the Dallas, TX area. On average, my commute is 45 minutes, and the temp is usually 95+. With traffic, I'm lucky to get up to 40 mph on the way home.
Do you think the ac on this car will be adequate?
Thanks for your input.

yay lots of new people today. Welcome welcome!

I have no answers for you though so I'll sit back and wait for a Mazda3 owner to appear :)

A/C Works Great
 

The A/C takes a few minutes to get really cool, but after that it works just fine. It's been almost 100 degrees in Pennsylvania this week and the A/C kept up with the high temps.

The A/C is adequate. Make sure the air control is set to "feet" and not to "windshield"

Mazdamac0505

A/C is more or less OK
 

I live in Atlanta and had the same issues with the A/C. If I drive in the city the A/C sucks when the car is on a traffic light.

When I drive in the hyw is ok. I guess the heat interchanger is not designed properly.

to be as honest as possible... the a/c imo sucks. i mean its not the worst, but i live in southeast texas (summer almost year-round) and a/c isnt keeping me happy, but im not complaining about that, it's a great car compared to most other cars in its class, probably one of the best.
you should get the 3, you wont regret it

I would also agree...a/c in my 07 S sucks. In ohio, we only have a few weeks of really hot (for us thick blooded ohioians) weather...I get by. I have a 20 minute commute daily averaging 60 MPH home...its cool by the time I pull in the garage.

My Dodge Durango cooled off better and that thing was huge inside in comparison.

Yeah, I live in Atlanta, too, and I have to say that I feel like my A/C is broken for about the first 3-5 minutes after I get out of work in the summer. After the A/C warms up, it's ok, but if I get stuck in slow traffic on the highway, even the recirculate option doesn't really keep up with the heat.

i own a 2004 mazda 3 and this past weekend i took a trip through the same weather that you live in and i had to turn down the a/c because i was starting to get cold so i believe you will be fine.

I seem to recall that someone on the mazda3forums.com posted a TSB for this issue.

I just picked up my Mazda 3s last week.
I noticed that when I have the AC on max and recirculate, and the fan on high (4)
the air flow coming out of the AC vent is not great.
I can even move the mode to Top Vent & Feet and the air flow feels the same..
It's as if something is blocking the air flow...

Any one else notice this ??

i have an 07 2.3 hatch and ive noticed recently that my ac has got alot better with 14,400 on the clock. i have allso painted the center dash piece silver to help deflect heat.looks good and worked like a charm.maybe the compressor needs to be broken in ? seems so with mine

Not completely OK but worthy
 

Hi you all!
I'm oppinion is not completely ok, but the car overall beat any other option! I also hope to see a new Mazda 3 owner in few days/weeks.

Some stuff to check
 

I just had some expensive a/c service done, and learned a few things that might be useful. In my case, the bearing in the compressor pulley failed- lots of nasty clunky noises. With that fixed, I still had poor a/c performance, very unlike when the car was new (2004). I park outdoors and have had mice in the heat/ac system. Though I thought the debris was cleaned out, a bit still remained. This remaining debris was insulating the temperature sensors associated with the evaporator, preventing proper cycling of the compressor- the evaporator was getting too cold and icing up. Though you may not have mice, if a/c performance is bad, I'd check the following items:

1) Drive for a bit with the a/c full on. Pull over and raise the hood. Look at the large a/c pipe entering the firewall. This is the exit from the evaporator, a.k.a., the low side. This pipe should be sweating water profusely and be cold to the touch. Under no circumstances should it be white with frost or have ice on it. If it does, the temperature control loop isn't working, so go get it fixed. Understand that if the pipe is below 32F, the evaporator core is even colder and will ice up. I also believe that heat transfer is much poorer with a frosted evaporator, even if the air can get through it.

2) With the fan on high (4) you should have a pretty good blast of air coming out the vents (set to dash). If the air flow is poor, the system needs to be checked for debris. There is a miserable little access cover to the evaporator by the passengers left foot behind the panels. This is also where the diffuser goes, if you need that. Vacuum out that side of the evaporator.

3) There is also a $35 cabin air filter, even on the 2004. If this is plugged up, the air flow will be poor and the cooling will be poor- get it replaced.

4) Worst case, mine in fact, is debris not accessible via the little access cover. My dealer was able to clean the system using compressed air via the duct system, thus avoiding a complete dash pull out to get at the a/c housing. Once he did that, the temperature control worked correctly, the low side pipe doesn't ice up, and a/c performance is decent again.

FWIW, the Mazda system doesn't use a thermostatically controlled expansion valve, just an orifice. That means that the temperature of the evaporator is controlled entirely by cycling the compressor on and off. Thus, it's normal and expected to have a fairly short cycle time. Cycling is controlled by both temperature and system pressure, and all the sensors have to work correctly to maintain the evaporator just above freezing. Accomplish that, and the a/c will be effective.

:blue:

What?!