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A/C seems wimpy

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by nategold, Jul 17, 2016.

  1. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    Yes, Both were off. I very rarely ever use either one.
     
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  2. Colin Jones

    Colin Jones Member

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    This. If ECO mode did the same as the other modes, you wouldn't need an eco mode, you'd just have one super efficient A/C ON or OFF. The point of having the different modes is that you can make fuel efficiency savings at the expense of not having A/C cool as much, for when conditions outside mean you don't need as much cooling.

    ECO mode is very good at the moment here in the UK, where our temperatures are round about 3°C (37°F), but we've had a lot of wet weather (loads of condensation). Leaving A/C on in ECO mode means beautifully clear windscreens and windows. Plus in summer we're hot in the car at anything above 25°C (77°F), so have the A/C on eco to bring it down to 18° :cool:
     
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  3. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    Colin's right. Nobody really understands the weather in the British Isles, (UK and Eire)!
    You either love it or hate it, but it's so varied it's a whole topic of conversation over here. :):(:mad:(y)
     
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  4. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Melbourne Australia is the place for "weather". I was visiting friends (a few decades ago), it was hot and sticky, we had fans on full belt inside, I'd guess about 38C, then within 3 hrs, the wind changed and they had the fireplace going and we had cardigans on. CRAZY. The friends said they can have 4 seasons in the one day, no problem. We left after 2 days, and haven't been back.
     
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  5. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    Tell me Alan, did we get that 'four seasons in a day' from you Ozzies
    Or did you get 'em from us Poms? (n)
     
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  6. Colin Jones

    Colin Jones Member

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    Ah but the Aussie's don't know what cold is... ;) I was there for a couple of months a few years ago in their "winter", and went along to Bondai Beach. Beautiful sunny day, blue sky so I had shorts on, shirt off - on an almost deserted beach. All the Australians were walking along the promenade with massive fur lined winter coats with their hoods up, looking at me as though I was a nutter or something. :LOL: I thought it was lovely summer day (for us). :ROFLMAO:
     
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  7. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    I guess it's all relative - me, I like to put the a/c on when it gets above about 25C. It's not for me, though - it's for my piano which likes a controlled climate with no extremes of either humidity or temperature. That's my story - I'm sticking to it!! IMG_1309 - Copy (640x584) (49x45).jpg

    On the same trip home from Melbourne (to tropical North Qld), we stopped off at the Snowy Mountains - week after Christmas, and went on the chairlift. I was in shorts, t-shirt and sandals. The chap checking we were strapped into the chairlift commented "'tis not summer up there, you sure you'll be warm enough". Well, no, not quite by the time we got to the top - fortunately, I like the cool, but that was a bit nippy. We could see the remains of some snow on the next peak across. That's the closest I've ever been to snow.
     
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  8. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    Should have bought a simple Corolla....
     
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  9. Dragon Rider

    Dragon Rider Active Member

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    Guy here in Miami is 69 degree now . It feel like summer . For us is always hot . We take as is it . The eco mode is cold on my pip . I used power mode on the freeway the fan is always on one line. I never go higher cause it will get too cold.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #69 Dragon Rider, Nov 22, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2016
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  10. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    We had a little rain finally, but going right back up to mid 70's. It will probably be a warm "winter."

    How can I get rid of the STINK coming out of my vents? When I have the climate control set to "fresh air" (AC off) I get a bad odor. Is the California air that bad!? :LOL: If I push the "recirculation button" (close off the outside air) the stink goes away.

    Maybe I should spray some disinfectant inside the vents. And the one outside the car too, under the windscreen. Another one of those Prius Oddities..... :mad:

    Another Prius Oddity....

    Yesterday, I had no airflow coming out of the upper vents. It was set to high/low, but I felt nothing coming out of the top. I played with all the buttons, I turned the fan speed up and down, I cycled thru the vent selector several times... I put it on "face only", but still no air up top.

    Finally, about one hour later, I started to feel some weak air coming out of the top vents. :LOL: This car always makes me laugh, because I never know what to expect from day-to-day. It's always an adventure! (a frustrating adventure).

    Don't try and figure it out, just drive the darn thing and enjoy the great mpg. :D
     
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  11. Dragon Rider

    Dragon Rider Active Member

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    My a/c is always on . I never open the vent or open the window. I drove with my window open before in another car my roof inside is charcoal the color changed to black . I learned my lesson this time.
    Have you changed the cabin air filter. My spare tire was inside the room and could smell the tired from outside the room. I put it in the garage and the smell went away. I did not wanted the smell in the car. All my car had spare and I never smell the tired odor. Maybe I am getting old.
    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #71 Dragon Rider, Nov 22, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2016
  12. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    No idea - just a possibility - there's a Cabin Air Filter on the Climate Control, but I'm not sure how often they change it. Possibly it has some buildup of "California Air Pollution", or something is caught in it and rotting away? No, that's not going to do it, as I think recirculating air goes through it too. It has instructions in the Manual as to how to change it - you could pull it out and look (I'd put a mask on just in case). The filter is supposed to get rid of allergens, smog, smoke and "toxins"
     
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  13. Dragon Rider

    Dragon Rider Active Member

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    On my Gen 3 I only did it at 20,000 miles never again . I had no smell . I never open the outside vent now .my a/c it always was on . No smell at all. If you open the. A/C vent you getting the air from outside. Even if is cold I don't like the air coming in thru the vent.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #73 Dragon Rider, Nov 22, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2016
  14. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    Prawns down the grill below the windscreen make a stink, after a few weeks.:sick:
     
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  15. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    I pulled the heater core out of an old Mazda with 300,000km - the core was full of dust, insects, seeds, pieces of fine chaff etc - and stunk. I cleaned it thoroughly and the airflow increased dramatically and the car smelled much better.
     
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  16. MagyarPrius

    MagyarPrius Member

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  17. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    Try de-selecting driver priority when faster cooling is desired. Today, even after manually increasing the fan speed, I was not getting the amount of air out the dash vents I desired. Then it occurred to me to switch off driver priority and sure enough after a few seconds the air volume from the dash vents "magically" increased without touching the fan speed. It makes sense if you think about it, the fan needs to blow harder to get the cool air to the rear occupants when driver priority is de-selected. When I re-enabled driver priority, the air volume decreased from the dash vents.
     
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  18. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),Highlander HYB Plat,B52-D,G,F,H

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    Yep, first week I realized that button is a feature that needs to be removed. Must make sure the light on this button is always off.

    Had an older Prius that if you didn't leave the vent open when parked on dry days that you would get a bad smell.
     
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