Rep Power: 0

I live in Palm Springs,CA ... temps. throughout the summer range anywhere from 105-125. I have a 05 Civic, and the A/C sucks. It takes forever to get cool and sometimes it feels like the air isnt as cool as it should be. I know my climate has a lot to do with it not being effected, but sometimes it feels like it is low on freon or is leaking it. I'm going to tint the windows to see if that helps a bit.

I have noticed that whenver I park/turnoff the car after the a/c being on ... the car leaks alot of water. Is that normal?

Has anyone had any problems w/ the Civic having a medicore a/c system?

Any tips?

 
Rep Power: 454

well if the temps where you live are reaching over 105 degrees and your car sits in the sun with no tint, once you get in it and start out, it is going to take a bit to cool off. realize that a car that sits in the sun for long periods of time are going to have inside temps that reach well over 150 degrees. Rolling down the windows upon startup will help with that a bit though.

Now to let you know just so you have an idea, your car doesnt use freon, it uses R-134A refirgerant, R-12 refirgerant is known as freon and used in 1995 cars and later. But if you feel you have a problem, take it in. I personally dont think you do, I think your climate has alot to do with it though.

Now the evaporator has a case drain (basically a tube) and condensation will run off from it whenever the AC is on. so ues it is normal to see the water under the car when you shut it off.

I have the same problem with my car, but I have a black car with a black interior so whenever I start out, it takes awhile to get cool, but once I start driving it starts to get cold.

 
Rep Power: 283

get tint that will really help

 
Rep Power: 316

DO it! Wifey got a used vovo wagon with 20% all around, you can leave it in direct hot sun and its nice (ok) inside when you open the door!

 
Rep Power: 283

Yeah i remember when i drove to get tint i was on 95 and it was so hot/.sunny that ac was not really working like it should. On the way home it was like night and day, no joke, i was in rush hour traffic just sitting there and my car was like a frig. The heat also dried up the tint perfectly none of that couple of days of bubbly tint.

 
Rep Power: 266

i personally feel that the ac system is rather weak, but i usually use my 220 (aka 440 in sedan models) 2 windows down at 20 miles per hours, well 320 if you count the sunroof, but seriously you may want to purchase a low pressure kit and a bottle of 134a to see if you are low on it, the directions included will walk you through the process, you can pick one up at like autozone and stores like that...

 
Rep Power: 0

I didn't see your thread before starting a similar one earlier today. Sorry about that.

If you look at my thread re my 2005 Civic LX, you will at least know you're in good company, though I don't have any solutions. I wish it was simply a matter of tint, driving for more than 10 minutes, letting hot air out before turning on the A/C or any number of good common sense ideas that you and I probably already tried. But since you too live in the desert, I'm going to assume that you have a real problem with no known easy solution, as I do. That's why I'm pursing the matter through BBB's auto mediation service and may well go after Honda in a Lemon Law suit. I do know I'm not dumb enough to buy a new car and leave it parked on hot days because Honda tells me everything is operating "normally." (The situation is so absurd that I'm now driving an older 911 Porsche each day to work because its A/C works so much better than the Civic's. If you don't know, older 911 Porsches have a reputation for having about the worst A/C's of any car made!)

As for the leaking water, all of my cars do that on hot days -- normal condensation I have assumed.

 
Rep Power: 303

Yes! The civics AC is weak. It's always been weak. It'll always BE weak. It's partly to conserve energy. A powerful AC system would be a lot harder to turn (compressor) and the little engine in the Civic would have even less power. Running r134 doesn't help either because it's about 30% LESS efficient than the old R12. My nissan still has a good R12 charge, and I can freeze beef in it. Sigh. I did experiment with my 02 EX and alternative refrigerants with much colder results. 10% shot of autocool mixed with the R134 seems to do a really good job of lowering temps by over 10 more degrees, and it doesn't impact performance.
But at this point I must add a disclaimer that this is not "legal", will void your warranty, and you must know what you are doing. Having your own AC equipment is a must.

Otherwise, take it to honda and scream like hell. In palm springs, the civics AC is UNACCEPTABLE. I drive through there twice a year. Have a timeshare at the Oasis.

 
Rep Power: 0

The trouble with yelling at my dealer is they gave me a copy of the information they received from Honda corporate stating that the A/C was working just like their test vehicle, i.e., "normally." I hate to think my only solutions are to park the car for the four or five really hot months here in AZ or sell a two-month old car and take a significant depreciation hit. But I'll give BBB mediation with Honda a shot and if that doesn't work look at AZ Lemon Law relief. I've also contacted a local Phoenix TV station that does consumer complaint pieces.

I feel like a dope for not reseaching this issue before buying the car but this is my fourth Honda and I had become a true believer that Hondas were the best economy cars made. I recall telling many people that of all the cars I've owned in 40 years of driving, the only ones I've never had any reservations about were my previous three Hondas.

 
Rep Power: 303

I gotta tell you, I had a 77 Accord Hatch until 2002. 286,000 miles. GREAT Car.
I also had an 82 Accord Hatch that I gave away with 160,000 miles. GREAT Car.
I was an IDIOT to buy a NEW 7th Gen. I got hit by new car fever.... what can I say. I truly believed that I would get an even better, technologically advanced car. I was wrong. Now, there is nothing "wrong" with my 02, but it is most definately NOT the Honda quality we have all come to know. Honestly, as excited as I am about the new SI, I am seriously thinking of stepping down to another older Accord. I really think I'll get a better car.

 
Rep Power: 454

I think that before you start calling up the BBB or calling up the consumer complaints at the local tv station, to take it to another dealership or to an independent shop that specializes in AC repair and see what they say. It seems like you are restricting yourself to 1 place, and they either dont know what they are doing or there isnt a problem. So far they didnt see a problem, but maybe a more experienced shop may find a problem. Dealerships arent always the best place for every repair. Yes they know the cars real well, but I have seem alot of independent shops in my area diagnois problems that the dealership couldnt find. All because that shop does those repairs all day, everyday. And if another shop does find a problem, then make the dealership pay for it. So far only one place has looked at your car, try a few more and if they all cant find a problem, then go back to honda.

 
Rep Power: 0

I just got off the phone with Honda corporate, which was returning my call to their complaint department last week. The gentleman of course knew about the service delivered on the car here in Gilbert and he repeated what the local dealer told me, noting that the A/C on 7th generation Civic is not in his words "robust," and further noting that the 8th generation cars have addressed the issue, at least to some degree. How nice of then to finally address a problem that was apparent for several years.

The odd thing is he didn't even try to defend Honda and acknowledged that the problem has been known for some time. When I used the words "factory defect," he quickly corrected me and said it was a "limitation." Sounds like he's been well trained by the legal staff.