Does car Air Con vary in hotter climates?

[Thankyou4calling]

Whenever I'm in the USA my rental cars AC feels colder than my own car. This though is usually a US vehicle.

Do manufacturers change the AC spec on a model depending on its selling location. For instance will an S Class Mercedes sold in the Middle East have more powerful AC than the same model sold in the UK or Sweden as standard?

[skyrover]

You feel the change in temperature far more in a hot country. I would imagine you will be perspiring more as well, so that sweat will cool and make your feel colder.

If a car is fitted with air-con in the UK, it will be the same as the one in the USA

[mattshiz]

I think it can vary region to region. Different countries have different laws on what gases can be used in air con systems.

[Matt UK]

I'd be surprised if they use different spec components. It must be cheaper / easier from a purchasing and manufacturing perspective to just have a single unit specified to cope across the full criteria spectrum.
I've no actual insight though.

[ging84]

BMW do build different climate versions, they do hot, cold and tropical (maybe others)
From what i understand hot is 'normal' UK and US cars will be hot, cold usually means an oil upgrade from 5w30 to 0w40, and tropical means detuned for st fuel and the oil upgrade. There are coding differences which may affect the ac / climate control, there normally are no part differences, but occasionally there are due to a minor design fault which only affect more extreme climates.

[Cerbieherts]

mattshiz said:

I think it can vary region to region. Different countries have different laws on what gases can be used in air con systems.

No they don't.

The simple reason is that it feels more effective when the ambient temps are higher.

[Pothole]

also aircon should be serviced every two years and regassed every 5 at least. Hire cars are usually less than 2 years old so their systems will be in tip top condition. Unless you're comparing them with brand new or nearly new cars in UK, you're not comparing like with like, I'd have thought...

[Willy Nilly]

Pothole said:

also aircon should be serviced every two years and regassed every 5 at least. Hire cars are usually less than 2 years old so their systems will be in tip top condition. Unless you're comparing them with brand new or nearly new cars in UK, you're not comparing like with like, I'd have thought...

+ 1, I service my fridge and freezer on the dot every time.

[Mattt]

Yes the cooling systems and potentially A/C do vary - the Gulf being one place they are beefed up.

[Mastodon2]

Mattt said:

Yes the cooling systems and potentially A/C do vary - the Gulf being one place they are beefed up.

I was going to say, I was in a Prius taxi in Dubai, outside temp was 38 degrees (at night!), high humidity, and the taxi air con was absolutely ice cold. Driving a 63 plate Prius for work, the air con on full blast is cool at best. There is a noticeable difference between merely the blowers on the cold setting, and air con on full whack, but it's nothing like the "opening an industrial freezer" feeling the same cars had in Dubai.

[jeebus]

Willy Nilly said:

+ 1, I service my fridge and freezer on the dot every time.

Unfortunately willy you have been wasting your money as a domestic fridge is hermetically sealed, a vehicle AC system is semi hermetic and will lose a certain amount of refrigerant over time and therefore will benefit from servicing.

[Thankyou4calling]

Thanks for the answers. I'd be interested to get the definitive though as both Yes and No camps are out in force.

[squeezebm]

Pothole said:

also aircon should be serviced every two years and regassed every 5 at least. Hire cars are usually less than 2 years old so their systems will be in tip top condition. Unless you're comparing them with brand new or nearly new cars in UK, you're not comparing like with like, I'd have thought...

Just like the nice service lady tells you at the dealership

[bigfatnick]

I wondered this, i've got a monaro, it SHOULD have awesome air con, instead, it has good aircon. I often wonder if maybe uk aircon regassing places aren't the experts they might be in other parts of the world

[Willy Nilly]

jeebus said:

Willy Nilly said:

+ 1, I service my fridge and freezer on the dot every time.

Unfortunately willy you have been wasting your money as a domestic fridge is hermetically sealed, a vehicle AC system is semi hermetic and will lose a certain amount of refrigerant over time and therefore will benefit from servicing.

We we having a new compressor fitted to a machine at work just after I had received a flier from the dealer that supplied my then new to me car suggesting I have the a/c serviced. I asked what he thought. He said it was a load of ball cocks and the system doesn't need servicing, if it works leave it alone, worst case get them to put the gauges on it to check the pressure.

The stuff I use at work had Denso heavy duty compressors and has to work in very dusty conditions. I just blow the radiators and filter (the cab filter is about twice the size of the engine air filter on a car) out as and when and it blows an arctic breeze into the cab.

[squeezebm]

Willy Nilly said:

We we having a new compressor fitted to a machine at work just after I had received a flier from the dealer that supplied my then new to me car suggesting I have the a/c serviced. I asked what he thought. He said it was a load of ball cocks and the system doesn't need servicing, if it works leave it alone, worst case get them to put the gauges on it to check the pressure.

The stuff I use at work had Denso heavy duty compressors and has to work in very dusty conditions. I just blow the radiators and filter (the cab filter is about twice the size of the engine air filter on a car) out as and when and it blows an arctic breeze into the cab.

This,

If it works ok leave alone. The car will not need the refrigerant changing for "new" if it has a leak it will require a repair not a service

[Sheepshanks]

I remember having hire cars in the US is the past with a "hi" setting for the a/c but I don't recall having seen it for a few years.

This question comes up quite often on the Merc forums. People reckon they're the same worldwide, but the a/c in my C Class feels like it's only just coping and never feels cold as such. I'm sure it would struggle in hotter countries. Had it re-gassed (routine "servicing" of a/c is a complete scam) and it made no difference.

[TheEnd]

There's options tucked away in BMWs to switch on a "hot climate" aircon setting.

[Pothole]

I guess everyone's MMV but a regas to my 1998 S90's system brought the icy draught back...

[jeebus]

Willy Nilly said:

jeebus said:

Willy Nilly said:

+ 1, I service my fridge and freezer on the dot every time.

Unfortunately willy you have been wasting your money as a domestic fridge is hermetically sealed, a vehicle AC system is semi hermetic and will lose a certain amount of refrigerant over time and therefore will benefit from servicing.

The stuff I use at work had Denso heavy duty compressors and has to work in very dusty conditions. I just blow the radiators and filter (the cab filter is about twice the size of the engine air filter on a car) out as and when and it blows an arctic breeze into the cab.

That is more or less a service, like most have said I wouldn't bother until the performance drops off but vehicle ac systems with flexi pipes and o rings will lose refrigerant over time. Although cars have a low pressure switch to cut the compressor out, the refrigerant is what carries the oil around the system and back to the compressor so a correct charge of gas is essential for long compressor life.