Jakeman

This question regards a 2002 C320 W203 Wagon built in late 2001 with the digital climate control. It has 40000mi.

Whenever the economy button is deactivated, the chiller turns on. That part is normal. However, once the econ button is pressed, it takes about 5 minutes for the chilled air to stop blowing. This occurs even if you tap the econ button (off then on) for just a couple of seconds. When that occurs, the air gets cooler and cooler for a few minutes, and then gradually warms up. I've never had this happen before with any other car. Usually, when you hit econ, the air warms up fast.

When the car was under warranty, the local dealer insisted that this was normal. As I've just discovered this great forum, I am curious to see if it is not, given all those flappers hidden inside.

Thanks,

Jakeman

sosh

Believe thats normal

Jakeman

Well, that's good news...but it sure is a strange feature.

Jakeman

sosh

Think about it. The coils are cold all the ducts are cold, and the compressor most likely takes maybe 30 sec to stop. The air coming in is still chilled by the cold that remains in the coils and ducts until all that stuff warms up a bit. Have a look under the hood with the a/c on and have someone push the econ button and see if the compressor stops and how long it took to do so.

shorthair

That is normal operation. It takes several minutes for the compressor to cycle down. They program it what way on purpose. I made the dealer give me the tech bulletin that describes this most unwelcome feeture.