04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

As reported earlier, on my new 04 Civic EX when I'm accelerating in 2nd and
3rd the AC compressor goes off and I get non-cold air until it hits 4 th
gear. Before I take this issue to the dealer I want to know if others have
noticed this.

If you live in a warm climate, would you put your hand over the vent,
accelerate through 2nd and 3rd and see if the air temp changes from cold to
'warm' and back to cold when you get into 4th?

I want some data before I take this up with Honda.

Please post here or reply off-list.

Thanks,

Al

Re: 04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

One more note: I have the automatic trans. on the 2004 Civic EX.

Al C. wrote:

> As reported earlier, on my new 04 Civic EX when I'm accelerating in 2nd and
> 3rd the AC compressor goes off and I get non-cold air until it hits 4 th
> gear. Before I take this issue to the dealer I want to know if others have
> noticed this.
>
> If you live in a warm climate, would you put your hand over the vent,
> accelerate through 2nd and 3rd and see if the air temp changes from cold to
> 'warm' and back to cold when you get into 4th?
>
> I want some data before I take this up with Honda.
>
> Please post here or reply off-list.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Al

Re: 04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

One more note: I have the automatic trans. on the 2004 Civic EX.

Al C. wrote:

> As reported earlier, on my new 04 Civic EX when I'm accelerating in 2nd and
> 3rd the AC compressor goes off and I get non-cold air until it hits 4 th
> gear. Before I take this issue to the dealer I want to know if others have
> noticed this.
>
> If you live in a warm climate, would you put your hand over the vent,
> accelerate through 2nd and 3rd and see if the air temp changes from cold to
> 'warm' and back to cold when you get into 4th?
>
> I want some data before I take this up with Honda.
>
> Please post here or reply off-list.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Al

Re: 04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

"Al C." <no.spam.acanton@adams-blake.no.spam.com> wrote in message news:<10g0lafqmef35f2@news20.forteinc.com>...
> One more note: I have the automatic trans. on the 2004 Civic EX.
>
> Al C. wrote:
>
> > As reported earlier, on my new 04 Civic EX when I'm accelerating in 2nd and
> > 3rd the AC compressor goes off and I get non-cold air until it hits 4 th
> > gear. Before I take this issue to the dealer I want to know if others have
> > noticed this.
> >
> > If you live in a warm climate, would you put your hand over the vent,
> > accelerate through 2nd and 3rd and see if the air temp changes from cold to
> > 'warm' and back to cold when you get into 4th?
> >
> > I want some data before I take this up with Honda.
> >
> > Please post here or reply off-list.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Al

it's normal. it's called compressor cut, they do it to provide more
power under acceleration. if it stayed on all the time people would
complain that they didn't have enough power under accel. the dealer
can't do much about this.
Chip

Re: 04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

"Al C." <no.spam.acanton@adams-blake.no.spam.com> wrote in message news:<10g0lafqmef35f2@news20.forteinc.com>...
> One more note: I have the automatic trans. on the 2004 Civic EX.
>
> Al C. wrote:
>
> > As reported earlier, on my new 04 Civic EX when I'm accelerating in 2nd and
> > 3rd the AC compressor goes off and I get non-cold air until it hits 4 th
> > gear. Before I take this issue to the dealer I want to know if others have
> > noticed this.
> >
> > If you live in a warm climate, would you put your hand over the vent,
> > accelerate through 2nd and 3rd and see if the air temp changes from cold to
> > 'warm' and back to cold when you get into 4th?
> >
> > I want some data before I take this up with Honda.
> >
> > Please post here or reply off-list.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Al

it's normal. it's called compressor cut, they do it to provide more
power under acceleration. if it stayed on all the time people would
complain that they didn't have enough power under accel. the dealer
can't do much about this.
Chip

Re: 04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

Chip Stein wrote:

> "Al C." <no.spam.acanton@adams-blake.no.spam.com> wrote in message
> news:<10g0lafqmef35f2@news20.forteinc.com>...
>> One more note: I have the automatic trans. on the 2004 Civic EX.
>>
>> Al C. wrote:
>>
>> > As reported earlier, on my new 04 Civic EX when I'm accelerating in 2nd
>> > and 3rd the AC compressor goes off and I get non-cold air until it hits 4
>> > th gear. Before I take this issue to the dealer I want to know if others
>> > have noticed this.
>> >
>> > If you live in a warm climate, would you put your hand over the vent,
>> > accelerate through 2nd and 3rd and see if the air temp changes from cold
>> > to 'warm' and back to cold when you get into 4th?
>> >
>> > I want some data before I take this up with Honda.
>> >
>> > Please post here or reply off-list.
>> >
>> > Thanks,
>> >
>> > Al
>
> it's normal. it's called compressor cut, they do it to provide more
> power under acceleration. if it stayed on all the time people would
> complain that they didn't have enough power under accel. the dealer
> can't do much about this.
> Chip


It does not happen on my wife's new Toyota Rav which has about the same size
engine. Nor did it happen on my 1990 Accord which I replaced with the Civic
last month.

Al

Re: 04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

Chip Stein wrote:

> "Al C." <no.spam.acanton@adams-blake.no.spam.com> wrote in message
> news:<10g0lafqmef35f2@news20.forteinc.com>...
>> One more note: I have the automatic trans. on the 2004 Civic EX.
>>
>> Al C. wrote:
>>
>> > As reported earlier, on my new 04 Civic EX when I'm accelerating in 2nd
>> > and 3rd the AC compressor goes off and I get non-cold air until it hits 4
>> > th gear. Before I take this issue to the dealer I want to know if others
>> > have noticed this.
>> >
>> > If you live in a warm climate, would you put your hand over the vent,
>> > accelerate through 2nd and 3rd and see if the air temp changes from cold
>> > to 'warm' and back to cold when you get into 4th?
>> >
>> > I want some data before I take this up with Honda.
>> >
>> > Please post here or reply off-list.
>> >
>> > Thanks,
>> >
>> > Al
>
> it's normal. it's called compressor cut, they do it to provide more
> power under acceleration. if it stayed on all the time people would
> complain that they didn't have enough power under accel. the dealer
> can't do much about this.
> Chip


It does not happen on my wife's new Toyota Rav which has about the same size
engine. Nor did it happen on my 1990 Accord which I replaced with the Civic
last month.

Al

Re: 04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

Al C. wrote:
> As reported earlier, on my new 04 Civic EX when I'm accelerating in 2nd and
> 3rd the AC compressor goes off and I get non-cold air until it hits 4 th
> gear. Before I take this issue to the dealer I want to know if others have
> noticed this.
>
> If you live in a warm climate, would you put your hand over the vent,
> accelerate through 2nd and 3rd and see if the air temp changes from cold to
> 'warm' and back to cold when you get into 4th?
>
> I want some data before I take this up with Honda.
>
> Please post here or reply off-list.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Al

++++++++++++++++++

Al,

If you buy a used police car, it has the same feature.

You can have it COLd, or FAST, but not both. A/C uses something like 20%
of your engine's power, and that feature prevents the A/C from cutting
in while you're trying to pass a truck while climbing a hill with all
your family and gear loaded.

Isn't this explained in the owner's manual?

'Curly'

Re: 04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

Al C. wrote:
> As reported earlier, on my new 04 Civic EX when I'm accelerating in 2nd and
> 3rd the AC compressor goes off and I get non-cold air until it hits 4 th
> gear. Before I take this issue to the dealer I want to know if others have
> noticed this.
>
> If you live in a warm climate, would you put your hand over the vent,
> accelerate through 2nd and 3rd and see if the air temp changes from cold to
> 'warm' and back to cold when you get into 4th?
>
> I want some data before I take this up with Honda.
>
> Please post here or reply off-list.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Al

++++++++++++++++++

Al,

If you buy a used police car, it has the same feature.

You can have it COLd, or FAST, but not both. A/C uses something like 20%
of your engine's power, and that feature prevents the A/C from cutting
in while you're trying to pass a truck while climbing a hill with all
your family and gear loaded.

Isn't this explained in the owner's manual?

'Curly'

Re: 04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

I posted this on your other thread you started, so I copied and pasted it
here as well...

I have finally found someone else who shares my dissapointment with their
2004 civic's air conditioning! Al, I live in Arizona, and let me tell you,
it is no picnic with this car's air conditioning when its 110 degrees
out.

I have taken my car into the Honda shop 3 times now, and every time they
tell me that the air is "normal" and they have also informed me that this
was built to blow warm air when accelerating while getting onto the
freeway.

Aside from that, there are times when it takes 15-20 minutes for my car to
cool down. That doesnt help me out when I have a short drive to the
grocery store, and a baby in the backseat.

Their solution to the problem? They tinted my windows
for free. While that is a nice gesture, and it does keep some of the heat
out, it doesn't help the actual air conditioner cooling off the car.

I have already called the Honda customer service center, to complain. That
is when they contacted my local dealership to have them tint my windows.

During a follow up phone call from the dealer, I went off on him telling
him I will never purchase another Honda again, nor will I keep this
vehicle to the end of the lease term which is 2.5 years away. I am
assuming he passed this message along to the customer service department
because they have not returned any of my phone calls. My next step is to
complain to the BBB about this. I refuse to pay $ for a car that I dont
even want to drive. The makers of this car should try driving it in the
middle of an Arizona summer, then maybe they will build a better air
conditioner...

A small update to this post I posted yesterday...

I called Honda Customer Service AGAIN today to speak with my case
manager's supervisor. Of course they wouldnt let me speak with them, but
they did leave them a message that the case manager was not returning my
phone calls.

I finally got a call back from my case manager. I told her that my AC
still sucks, and that I never would have purchased this particular vehicle
had I known the AC would be so bad. She basically told me that she cant
help any more when it comes to this issue if thats the way the
manufacturer built this car.

Aside from my AC sucking, I have also been having electrical failures
which they cannot seem to figure out either. Sooooo, I am taking it to
another dealership to have it looked at one more time. If they come back
and tell me that everything is normal, I will pursue these issues with the
Better Business Bureau, and if they don't resolve this, I will get a
lawyer. I have had it with this POS car, and I will not continue to pay
for it for the next 2 years.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you out!

Alie

Re: 04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

I posted this on your other thread you started, so I copied and pasted it
here as well...

I have finally found someone else who shares my dissapointment with their
2004 civic's air conditioning! Al, I live in Arizona, and let me tell you,
it is no picnic with this car's air conditioning when its 110 degrees
out.

I have taken my car into the Honda shop 3 times now, and every time they
tell me that the air is "normal" and they have also informed me that this
was built to blow warm air when accelerating while getting onto the
freeway.

Aside from that, there are times when it takes 15-20 minutes for my car to
cool down. That doesnt help me out when I have a short drive to the
grocery store, and a baby in the backseat.

Their solution to the problem? They tinted my windows
for free. While that is a nice gesture, and it does keep some of the heat
out, it doesn't help the actual air conditioner cooling off the car.

I have already called the Honda customer service center, to complain. That
is when they contacted my local dealership to have them tint my windows.

During a follow up phone call from the dealer, I went off on him telling
him I will never purchase another Honda again, nor will I keep this
vehicle to the end of the lease term which is 2.5 years away. I am
assuming he passed this message along to the customer service department
because they have not returned any of my phone calls. My next step is to
complain to the BBB about this. I refuse to pay $ for a car that I dont
even want to drive. The makers of this car should try driving it in the
middle of an Arizona summer, then maybe they will build a better air
conditioner...

A small update to this post I posted yesterday...

I called Honda Customer Service AGAIN today to speak with my case
manager's supervisor. Of course they wouldnt let me speak with them, but
they did leave them a message that the case manager was not returning my
phone calls.

I finally got a call back from my case manager. I told her that my AC
still sucks, and that I never would have purchased this particular vehicle
had I known the AC would be so bad. She basically told me that she cant
help any more when it comes to this issue if thats the way the
manufacturer built this car.

Aside from my AC sucking, I have also been having electrical failures
which they cannot seem to figure out either. Sooooo, I am taking it to
another dealership to have it looked at one more time. If they come back
and tell me that everything is normal, I will pursue these issues with the
Better Business Bureau, and if they don't resolve this, I will get a
lawyer. I have had it with this POS car, and I will not continue to pay
for it for the next 2 years.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you out!

Alie

Re: 04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

Thanks for this info. I missed it the first time around.

If there is nothing that can be done to fix this problem at least I (we) have
the obligation to get the word out to the general public. I can help in doing
this as I own a book publishing company and I have a bit more access to the
media than the average person.

I believe that this 'feature' should have been disclosed to the prospective
buyer and while IANAL, it sounds like consumer fraud to me.

I want to get more 'testimonials" from other owners and then take the story to
the WSJ, NYT, Car/Driver, etc.

As for the car, I have title to mine and I'm already looking in the newspaper
ads for year-end deals... on other makes/models. Tomorrow I'm going to drive
a Toyota Carrola and see if it also shuts down the AC compressor when
accelerating.

Al Canton, President
Adams-Blake Company, Inc.
Fair Oaks, CA
http://www.adams-blake.com
http://jaya123.com



alie wrote:

> I posted this on your other thread you started, so I copied and pasted it
> here as well...
>
> I have finally found someone else who shares my dissapointment with their
> 2004 civic's air conditioning! Al, I live in Arizona, and let me tell you,
> it is no picnic with this car's air conditioning when its 110 degrees
> out.
>
> I have taken my car into the Honda shop 3 times now, and every time they
> tell me that the air is "normal" and they have also informed me that this
> was built to blow warm air when accelerating while getting onto the
> freeway.
>
> Aside from that, there are times when it takes 15-20 minutes for my car to
> cool down. That doesnt help me out when I have a short drive to the
> grocery store, and a baby in the backseat.
>
> Their solution to the problem? They tinted my windows
> for free. While that is a nice gesture, and it does keep some of the heat
> out, it doesn't help the actual air conditioner cooling off the car.
>
> I have already called the Honda customer service center, to complain. That
> is when they contacted my local dealership to have them tint my windows.
>
> During a follow up phone call from the dealer, I went off on him telling
> him I will never purchase another Honda again, nor will I keep this
> vehicle to the end of the lease term which is 2.5 years away. I am
> assuming he passed this message along to the customer service department
> because they have not returned any of my phone calls. My next step is to
> complain to the BBB about this. I refuse to pay $ for a car that I dont
> even want to drive. The makers of this car should try driving it in the
> middle of an Arizona summer, then maybe they will build a better air
> conditioner...
>
> A small update to this post I posted yesterday...
>
> I called Honda Customer Service AGAIN today to speak with my case
> manager's supervisor. Of course they wouldnt let me speak with them, but
> they did leave them a message that the case manager was not returning my
> phone calls.
>
> I finally got a call back from my case manager. I told her that my AC
> still sucks, and that I never would have purchased this particular vehicle
> had I known the AC would be so bad. She basically told me that she cant
> help any more when it comes to this issue if thats the way the
> manufacturer built this car.
>
> Aside from my AC sucking, I have also been having electrical failures
> which they cannot seem to figure out either. Sooooo, I am taking it to
> another dealership to have it looked at one more time. If they come back
> and tell me that everything is normal, I will pursue these issues with the
> Better Business Bureau, and if they don't resolve this, I will get a
> lawyer. I have had it with this POS car, and I will not continue to pay
> for it for the next 2 years.
>
> Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you out!
>
> Alie

Re: 04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

Thanks for this info. I missed it the first time around.

If there is nothing that can be done to fix this problem at least I (we) have
the obligation to get the word out to the general public. I can help in doing
this as I own a book publishing company and I have a bit more access to the
media than the average person.

I believe that this 'feature' should have been disclosed to the prospective
buyer and while IANAL, it sounds like consumer fraud to me.

I want to get more 'testimonials" from other owners and then take the story to
the WSJ, NYT, Car/Driver, etc.

As for the car, I have title to mine and I'm already looking in the newspaper
ads for year-end deals... on other makes/models. Tomorrow I'm going to drive
a Toyota Carrola and see if it also shuts down the AC compressor when
accelerating.

Al Canton, President
Adams-Blake Company, Inc.
Fair Oaks, CA
http://www.adams-blake.com
http://jaya123.com



alie wrote:

> I posted this on your other thread you started, so I copied and pasted it
> here as well...
>
> I have finally found someone else who shares my dissapointment with their
> 2004 civic's air conditioning! Al, I live in Arizona, and let me tell you,
> it is no picnic with this car's air conditioning when its 110 degrees
> out.
>
> I have taken my car into the Honda shop 3 times now, and every time they
> tell me that the air is "normal" and they have also informed me that this
> was built to blow warm air when accelerating while getting onto the
> freeway.
>
> Aside from that, there are times when it takes 15-20 minutes for my car to
> cool down. That doesnt help me out when I have a short drive to the
> grocery store, and a baby in the backseat.
>
> Their solution to the problem? They tinted my windows
> for free. While that is a nice gesture, and it does keep some of the heat
> out, it doesn't help the actual air conditioner cooling off the car.
>
> I have already called the Honda customer service center, to complain. That
> is when they contacted my local dealership to have them tint my windows.
>
> During a follow up phone call from the dealer, I went off on him telling
> him I will never purchase another Honda again, nor will I keep this
> vehicle to the end of the lease term which is 2.5 years away. I am
> assuming he passed this message along to the customer service department
> because they have not returned any of my phone calls. My next step is to
> complain to the BBB about this. I refuse to pay $ for a car that I dont
> even want to drive. The makers of this car should try driving it in the
> middle of an Arizona summer, then maybe they will build a better air
> conditioner...
>
> A small update to this post I posted yesterday...
>
> I called Honda Customer Service AGAIN today to speak with my case
> manager's supervisor. Of course they wouldnt let me speak with them, but
> they did leave them a message that the case manager was not returning my
> phone calls.
>
> I finally got a call back from my case manager. I told her that my AC
> still sucks, and that I never would have purchased this particular vehicle
> had I known the AC would be so bad. She basically told me that she cant
> help any more when it comes to this issue if thats the way the
> manufacturer built this car.
>
> Aside from my AC sucking, I have also been having electrical failures
> which they cannot seem to figure out either. Sooooo, I am taking it to
> another dealership to have it looked at one more time. If they come back
> and tell me that everything is normal, I will pursue these issues with the
> Better Business Bureau, and if they don't resolve this, I will get a
> lawyer. I have had it with this POS car, and I will not continue to pay
> for it for the next 2 years.
>
> Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you out!
>
> Alie

Re: 04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

Al, I am glad this info helps! I have been searching for other people with
this problem, but you are the first person I have come across. I see that
you live in CA so you know how I feel when it's hotter than hell out here
and the AC is not functioning properly.

I definitely think they should have a disclosure about the crappy AC,
because I never would have bought this car if I knew it was going to cause
me so much grief.

I am going to do everything I can to get out of this lease, and into a
Toyota Corolla. My boyfriend's dad has one, and he loves it! No AC issues
whatsoever!

Keep me posted, and let me know if you need anything else!

Re: 04 Civic owners wanted for AC question
 

Al, I am glad this info helps! I have been searching for other people with
this problem, but you are the first person I have come across. I see that
you live in CA so you know how I feel when it's hotter than hell out here
and the AC is not functioning properly.

I definitely think they should have a disclosure about the crappy AC,
because I never would have bought this car if I knew it was going to cause
me so much grief.

I am going to do everything I can to get out of this lease, and into a
Toyota Corolla. My boyfriend's dad has one, and he loves it! No AC issues
whatsoever!

Keep me posted, and let me know if you need anything else!