Problems with new (ex-demo) MG4

facade

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82104093#Comment_82104093

As it loses gas, the compressor has to run for longer to cool it down, and it just doesn't have the cooling capacity that it is supposed to.

Eventually when the gas is virtually gone there is a pressure switch that will stop the compressor running.

!0 years ago R134a was still allowed in legacy vehicles, if your system is filled with that then there is every chance that it still works, but after 10 years I would be very surprised if a regas doesn't produce a marked improvement in cooling performance.

A regas with R134a is "only" £££££, compared to the ££££££££££££ of R1234yf too.

My air con has been so so from day one

If you have "climate control" then it appears that the air-con (& heater) don’t work very well, because the temperatures are blended to the setpoint on the dial, rather than running at full chat on minimum (& maximum) temperature. With Poverty Spec. "AC" you can get air temperature down to low single digits, especially on recirculate, you won't get near that with "Climate control".

When you climb into the car gasping for breath from this heat, you want to feel cold, you don't get that feeling unless there is an icy blast freezing the sweat on your legs, you just have to get used to feeling uncomfortable for a while until you are used to the milder temperature.

oldagetraveller1

"Poverty Spec. "AC" you can get air temperature down to low single
digits, especially on recirculate, you won't get near that with "Climate
control".

I beg to differ. I had my 12 years old Toyota Yaris's a/c regassed a couple of months ago. The printout from the machine showed recovered 216g of R134a and filled to the correct 306g. Plus the correct amount of oil. It had lost that mass of gas over a 5 years period, set on auto and 20deg, year round

It has dual climate control. On one of the recent hotter days with the car's interior scorchio the temperature out of one of the facia vents, on recirc. (automatically selected) dropped to 4.2 deg Centipede. Once the interior had cooled down it fluctuated between 8 deg and 11 deg out of the vent.

Bandy2023

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82103447#Comment_82103447

The last part of your comment I agree with, it's astounding people still switch AC off.

Renault have the best idea, their default setting for AC is on and you have to press a button to switch it off.

greyteam1959

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82105489#Comment_82105489

4.2 degrees Centipede ??

😁😁😁😁😁😁

Mildly_Miffed

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82122102#Comment_82122102

Having just bought a <70bhp car with manual heater controls and an aircon button…

You KNOW when the aircon is on. At idle, turn it on and you can HEAR the load and see the idle dip. Driving, it's like the road is now a slight incline.

You'd also need to be turning the heat up manually quite considerably to maintain the same interior temp. And, unlike climate, the aircon is not then engaged when required to maintain temp or humidity… It's on all the time the button is pressed and lit.

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82122715#Comment_82122715

Most new cars A/C is electric & not belt driven like older cars. (even 2012 Picanto was electric.

oldagetraveller1

"4.2 degrees Centipede ??" Yes, it's the new Centigrade/Celcius.

Fahrenheit has also been officially renamed Fartingheight.

I think you know I was being flippant.

Keep_pedalling

Worth checking the A/C settings and make sure the follow Eco mode is off. It does seem to effect the amount of heating you get in winter and cooling in very hot conditions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSatjEMJN8Q

Goudy

You can usually turn climate control from auto to manual.

In auto it will work to achieve the set temperature and maintain it at that level.

In manual it will work as a bog standard AC system and keep blowing out at the temp and fan speed you set no matter what the ambient temp is inside the car.

My car has auto climate control which can be switched on and off by it's own "Auto" button, but it also has an independent A/C button. If I turn it to Auto and set it, the AC compressor kicks in (and the AC button light comes on by it's self) no matter if it's set high or low. If I switch the AC button off in Auto it will turn the Auto off completely.

If I turn Auto off, I can run the heating and ventilation with or without the AC by using the AC button.

On longer trips I tend to use Auto but in the recent hot spells, I've left it in Manual and cranked the temp to low and the fan speed to high. I don't know if it made much of a difference in cabin temp, but it sure made me feel better thinking I had some control of it myself!

silverwhistle

I don't think Eco setting makes much if any difference, and I crossed France this summer with no issues. On my own I find I sometimes get a bit lost stabbing the screen to change settings but that's a general bane of modern cars.

I would investigate the 12v electrics as that is another modern problem. With my MG4 there was an issue with the 12 battery which led to systems shutting down as the voltage dropped because, I believe, the 12v wasn't being recharged by the drive battery. I disconnected which cleared the control unit, recharged over night and have had no further problem.