I don't know much about cars so is it possible to upgrade the AC on the civic I? My town reaches temperatures close to the 120's but it seems that my civic never reaches the "62" it has on it's lowest temp setting for the AC.

 

I don't know of too many automotive A/C systems that can take the temp down more than 30 - 40 degrees below ambient... and that's in a dry climate (worse results if humidity is high). If you're in 120 degree heat, the best you'll see is 80 out of the vents.

If your temps are 120, I assume that means you like a hot climate, so 80 is probably frosty-cold to you! If not, I'd recommend moving!

Ouch... 120??? I'd die there.

 

You may have lost some freon in your a/c system. Have it checked.

Also, there is an a/c company locally that advertises a service where they do a simple service to the a/c that is supposed to make it cool as much as 9 degrees more and make the compressor last about 25% longer. You might want to check your local a/c service centers to see if they offer a similar service.

Your best bet, aside from moving, is to tint your car's windows. There are different qualities of film - don't get the cheap stuff. Darker doesn't mean better. There are lighter colored window tints that block out more heat and UV than darker tints. You can even have the front window tinted with a very light film that doesn't block out much light but does keep most of the heat out.

I live in sunny South Florida, and the difference with out without window tinting is amazing.

Good luck!

 

R134A or B; no freon has been used in almost 20 years

But still a good idea. Also the window tint idea is important in warm climes. Consider also garaging the vehicle and then opening the garage door and letting the car warm up and the AC cool down the cabin. Otherwise no car will do well in 120 degree heat.

My in-laws live in Houston and I find no matter what car I am in (amongst my father, mother, brother or sister-in-law, aunts or uncles), and they vary in size and make, I never feel like the temperature is cold until right before we pull into a parking space

 

Why would you set it to 62? Especially when your town goes to 120? If it was 120 outside, even 80 feels cool.
Don't use the auto a/c like manual one.

 

Well... I can't move... that's not an option right now. I've tinted the windows limo black in the back and about 50% in the front as soon as I bought the car, which was last year. I don't have a garage to put the car in and I set it to 62 cus that's the lowest the AC will go (I'm assuming that the lower the setting the faster it gets cooled?) I have to check into that service for the AC and see what's up. Also, i just serviced the car with Honda about 3000 miles ago and they said everything was fine (don't know if they checked the ac though) and no, I don't like living in 120F weather, I was born into it.

On a side note, I went to the local walmart and saw that they sell this fan that's solar powered and tucks inbetween your window and the top of the door. Basically, you lower the window slightly, attach the fan to the top of the window and then raise the window again... the fan has little movable grills on it's sides that'll cover the gap between the window and the top of the door and this is supposed to circulate hot air from inside your car to the outside.... any thoughts on this?

Here's the link for a pic http://www.ajprindle.com/index.jhtml...1608&src=TLSDC

 

Malditos, lowering the temp won't cool it any faster. The temp setting is simply used as a limit switch. When the inside air temp gets cool enough to reach the setting, it will begin to cycle the compressor on and off to maintain that temperature.

One other tip not yet mentioned relates to the outside / recirculate control...

DON'T use "recirculate" right away! The inside temperature of your closed-up vehicle is probably 150 degrees. Putting it into recirculate right away will take that 150 air and apply the cooling from the A/C. Obviously, using the cooler 120 degree outside air is better here, and you'll cool it off faster.

Use "outside" air until the inside temperature matches the outside, then you can switch it to recirculate. By cooling the already cool inside air, you might be able to get the temperature a bit lower.

I've seen those solar powered vents. I don't know if they work. I've been tempted to try one, though! I think it might help longevity of the IMA battery in hot climates (it's sensitive to high heat).

Good luck.

 

One more idea...

Get a car cover. It will keep the inside of the car from getting so hot, and will help your a/c cool the inside down much, much faster.

Is your front window tinted?

 

I had a buddy that ran a fantastic slush making AC unit for the Nation's Bank building in Dallas. They make slush at night when it is cooler and the peak electric demand is much lower. The system uses a 3 stage chiller, each stage lowering the temp of the water perhaps 30 degrees (guessing). You can't lower the temp from 100 to 30 in a single stage. Same goes for your car, a single stage unit can only lower temps so far.

 

If you do get a car cover, get one that is tailored to the car and has thermal insulation and reflectance. If you get the cheap Auto Store ones, they don't always breathe well (heat needs to escape), often are not opaque so light still gets through and can heat up the cabin with the greenhouse effect, can absorb heat and often let water seep through causing water spots when it rains.

Between a car cover and tinting, turning off Recirc, opening the windows from the start, and putting the AC on low, you should cool down in less time than before.

Also, I don't know which color interior you have, but if it is navy, maybe consider seat covers (so 1980's I know) of a lighter color.

Michael