C32 AMG, C55 AMG (W203) 2001 - 2007

Weak A/C

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Old Jul 18, 2006 | 04:26 PM
  #1  
SilverMPower's Avatar
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2008 C300, 2005 Odyssey Touring
Weak A/C

Does anyone else thing the air conditioning on the C32 (and I presume all other C-Classes) are underpowered? Seems on hot days of 100+, I need to have the A/C on full blast to feel the brisk air.
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Old Jul 18, 2006 | 05:31 PM
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Don't have a Mercedes right now...
I test drove a C32 about 1 month ago and felt that the A/C was a lot weaker than my C43's. I thought that it was that particular one, didn't think that all of the could be like that.
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Old Jul 18, 2006 | 05:36 PM
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W203, W211, W219, W212
Confirmed. I don't think there's anything you can do about it.
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Old Jul 18, 2006 | 05:43 PM
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my car is in service for that exact reason.... i bet you its not fixed

i think its a v6 thing... im borrowing an s430 and the AC is fine on that
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Old Jul 18, 2006 | 05:49 PM
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I have the same issue.. I just make sure i have the AC on full blast, and that the rear vents and dash vents are closed.. then it's not too bad..
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Old Jul 18, 2006 | 06:01 PM
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Don't have a Mercedes right now...
Originally Posted by clkcadet
my car is in service for that exact reason.... i bet you its not fixed

i think its a v6 thing... im borrowing an s430 and the AC is fine on that
They might be using a smaller compressor in the V6's.
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Old Jul 18, 2006 | 06:25 PM
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CLS55 Designo 030
ditto on this... A/C is not user-friendly IMO... you gotta play with the vents and filter/circulation/auto buttons to get it to max speed... then your hands are really cold but your back is hot... I don't mind it too much b/c it's like a gf/wife (comes with the package)... but I hate when my passengers are silently complaining moving all the vents around... besides, we have to complain about something all the time anyway.
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Old Jul 18, 2006 | 08:45 PM
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2002 c32
I find that mine is weak since it's been getting really farking hot here lately and my interior is charcoal. When I'm moving it cools down nicely, but until I get the engine going, it's pretty luke-warm.
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Old Jul 18, 2006 | 10:18 PM
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Keep in mind...

Keep in mind that newer cars use subpar refridgerants for environmental reasons. Couple this with an engine which they are trying to market for it's power production(read smaller compressor/less mechanical drag on the engine), and what you end up with is a "luke warm" AC system.
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Old Jul 18, 2006 | 10:38 PM
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A new AC compressor will help solve your problem. I had a new one installed and it gets freezing, and it's not even on the coldest setting. Either get a new one (expensive ie core charge) or rebuild your old one (cheap).
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Old Jul 18, 2006 | 10:52 PM
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Have the same issue.
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Old Jul 19, 2006 | 12:16 AM
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Was it like this since you've owned it and gotten progressively worse?

I drove my car last night and this afternoon (the thermometer read 109f today) and it was fine. I had my climate control set to 65 and fan on full blast for the first few minutes and turned the fan down to 5/8th. nice cold air coming out of all vents in stop and go traffic.

It sure beat my new minivan. I had both front and rear air of full and couldn't cool down the car enough...until I got on a stretch of moving traffic.
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Old Nov 6, 2007 | 09:46 PM
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CLK 63 AMG Cabriolet - 2006 Black on Black
Question 2006 CLK 63 - Weak A/C from new

My previous car was a CLK 430 - 2002 model and it had fantastic A/C. Freezing gold air from start no matter what the ambient temperature was even when idling in traffic.

This CLK 63 is considerably weaker and does not cool until you are driving for a good 5-10 minutes. Then it only cools the cabin to be bearable but not cold; I still get a sweaty back on a hot day. The thing runs on full fan speed all the time to try and cool the cabin which means it is very noisy and annoying.

The MB dealer tells me it is within spec????

I put a thermometer in the vent at a low fan speed and the CLK struggles to get below 6 Degrees centigrade. I have a 2006 BMW and it it easily gets to 2 Degrees centigrade on the same day.

When you switch the BMW air on, it actually feels like the cold air is cutting through the warm air in the cabin. With the CLK it is a gradual process of progressively colder air with lots of noise but no effective cooling.

Would be interested in hearing if any other current CLK owners are experiencing the same problem.
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Old Nov 6, 2007 | 10:59 PM
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same problem, but i dont drive my 32 anways.
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Old Nov 6, 2007 | 11:23 PM
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My ML320 is freezing cold even when stopped. The C just got recharged this summer and is freezing when the car is moving but still warms up when stopped.

Recall??? lol...
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Old Nov 7, 2007 | 12:48 PM
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From: dayton ohio hopefully it will be some place warm and sunny when i finish med school
2002 C32 AMG silver & 2003 Lancer Evolution 8 black very moded
mine blows pretty hard... just not on my feet (Driver side only)
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Old Nov 7, 2007 | 12:49 PM
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From: dayton ohio hopefully it will be some place warm and sunny when i finish med school
2002 C32 AMG silver & 2003 Lancer Evolution 8 black very moded
Originally Posted by pshek
A new AC compressor will help solve your problem. I had a new one installed and it gets freezing, and it's not even on the coldest setting. Either get a new one (expensive ie core charge) or rebuild your old one (cheap).
how do you rebuild it? other than taking it to a shop? i'd like to do itself
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Old Nov 7, 2007 | 01:09 PM
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07 E550, 02 C32, 91 300E
Originally Posted by herkjerk
Keep in mind that newer cars use subpar refridgerants for environmental reasons. Couple this with an engine which they are trying to market for it's power production(read smaller compressor/less mechanical drag on the engine), and what you end up with is a "luke warm" AC system.

Yeah my 300E pumps out way more cold air than the C32 (although it cant beat the E550 + ventilated seats). I've noticed the heater puts out hot air quicker in the 300E too, not sure how that would be affected by new coolants etc. I felt like I touched the thermostat way less in that car (left it at 75F 95% of the time) but I have to crank the C32 up to 83 plus turn on the seat warmers when its cold, or drop it to well under 70 or auto max cool to get the A/C cold enough when its hot out.
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Old Nov 7, 2007 | 02:24 PM
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Use the hidden ac menu to diagnose problems....will tell good info.
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Old Nov 11, 2007 | 05:42 AM
  #20  
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Hidden A/C Menu????

Sounds like a good idea; does anyone know how to acccess the hidden A/C menu?
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Old Nov 11, 2007 | 12:26 PM
  #21  
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Originally Posted by edtv82
mine blows pretty hard
As michael would say, "That's what she said..." Sorry, couldn't resist.
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Old Nov 11, 2007 | 02:30 PM
  #22  
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a C32 AMG & S-Works Tarmac
Originally Posted by tjbrum
As michael would say, "That's what she said..." Sorry, couldn't resist.
No apology needed. It's always great when someone can work in a reference from The Office. That was a good one too.
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Old Nov 14, 2007 | 01:11 AM
  #23  
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...
yup, this has been my only real complaint about my C32...i live in houston, it is hot most of the year...
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Old Nov 14, 2007 | 01:15 AM
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Originally Posted by 1FASTC32
yup, this has been my only real complaint about my C32...i live in houston, it is hot most of the year...
Same here... also along with my front & rear brakes I've
changed, I still have to apply 15% to 20% more than usual
to stop the car where I want it to be. Now I'm thinking of
changing the master cylinder along a new AC compressor now.
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Old Nov 14, 2007 | 01:19 AM
  #25  
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...
Originally Posted by neihouma
Same here... also along with my front & rear brakes I've
changed, I still have to apply 15% to 20% more than usual
to stop the car where I want it to be. Now I'm thinking of
changing the master cylinder along a new AC compressor now.
i don't think it will help...i have a brand new A/C compressor, coil, etc. in my car and it still doesn't blow as cold as it should when it is hot outside...

also, that is why i upgraded to Stoptech brakes in the front...no matter what you do, the stock brakes will always be inadequate compared to a big-brake upgrade...
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