Golf MKVI Air Conditioning

[elephino]

a - Was that the best reason he could come up with to not to buy VW - the a/c is poor?
b - Be wary of any salesman whose repertoire includes outright bagging the competition.
c - My GTI keeps the temp at a comfortable level no matter what is happening outside.

Like everything else on my car, it works exactly as it is supposed to.
And as the name suggests - it's climate control not just a/c.

Had a salesman once, bag the car I was then driving in an attempt to talk up the car I was looking at. Funnily enough, I didn't buy anything from that salesman (didn't end up buying the car either).

[Greg Roles]

Car salesmen hop into boiling hot cars on the lot to drive them short distances at best, so a more subtle AC like the Golf won't give the immediate blast in the face they probaby hope for. I wear business clothes all day and walk around in summer here in Qld, and the AC in the TDI is every bit as good as any other company car I've had, and as previously stated, a lot more intelligent actually.

[mfl]

The air-conditioning, died 2 days after I got the car, when the compressor stopped working, in the middle of summer. After the compressor was replaced it has worked very effectively since, no problem dealing with the Sydney summer temperatures (windows are tinted).

As mentioned by others the ac system does seem to work more subtlety than other previous cars I have owned with climate control.

[Corey_R]

This is a good thing that it works more subtly than others though.

Just like the "Adaptive Volume Control" on the stereos, the AC system is aware of the noise and vehicle speed, and therefore adjusts the fan speed to create a more pleasant environment free from excessive noise when you're sitting at a stand-still. It also uses multiple temp sensors (up to to determine the temp at various places in the cabin, and outside the car, so it knows whether the sun is out, or whether it's overcast, or night etc. It also has the pollution sensor and so automatically changes to recirculation if it detects pollution coming in the vents. It also automatically puts it on recirculation when you use the windscreen washers or put he car into reverse, so you don't get any fumes or smells from either of those operations.... It's a very clever little system.

[flappa]

Well, I for one wasn't that impressed. Maybe it was more subtle then I expected and of course, in a test drive, probably not set as I would normally like, but it did feel a little lacking. Especially coming from 2 Nissans with first class air con.

I'm hoping , and others seem to confirm, when set correctly its really good.

[G-rig]

Hi All,

I have a 118TSI on order. While test-driving a Subaru impreza at the dealership next door to VV, the salesman stated that the aircon on the golf was very poor.

Um, he was probably trying to sell you a Subaru LOL.

I'm sure the VW salesman could say that Subarus are generic and boring.

[Cossor]

Now REALLY looking forward to 118TSI delivery. Did not know VW aircon so high tec
(Did know about the chilled glove box. (Bit of a gimmic?)
At present driving 2002 Corolla Conquest. Has good 'blast in the face' basic aircon
Trouble is, gets too cold. Switch off, then too hot. Also very noisy

[cube_3]

lets put it that way
I know where he is coming from... old golf4 had ***** aircon... it was very nice on heat and just couldnt coop whn it was +40
on a new one Im freezing if I put it on half blast...

My MK4 has manual airconditioning i.e. not climate control and it has been keeping me cool, during the 40+ degrees we get in the perth summer, for the last 6 years.

[cameronp]

I can confirm that the A/C copes very well with the heat in the Perth metro area. This past Summer I had mine set to 24, which I found comfortable on all but the hottest of days. When it was stiflingly hot, I lowered the temperature to 23. Any less than that I find too cold in the cabin. On starting the car in the afternoon, the A/C always blasted out as it tried to cool the cabin, then the fan would gradually reduce in level to around two of the fan-speed indicator bars. In the car park at work I always keep the windows lowered a small amount to prevent the cabin from getting too hot, and I have one of those reflective sunblinds that sits inside the windscreen.

That's good to hear. My previous car was a Ford Focus which had rather average air-conditioning - you really noticed the heat when the temperatures hit the high 30s. I'd kind of assumed that this was a European car trait and that the Golf would be similar.

The climate control on the Golf works much better than I was expecting. I think it's my favourite of all of the automated gadgets on the car.

[Greg Roles]

This is a good thing that it works more subtly than others though.

Just like the "Adaptive Volume Control" on the stereos, the AC system is aware of the noise and vehicle speed, and therefore adjusts the fan speed to create a more pleasant environment free from excessive noise when you're sitting at a stand-still. It also uses multiple temp sensors (up to to determine the temp at various places in the cabin, and outside the car, so it knows whether the sun is out, or whether it's overcast, or night etc. It also has the pollution sensor and so automatically changes to recirculation if it detects pollution coming in the vents. It also automatically puts it on recirculation when you use the windscreen washers or put he car into reverse, so you don't get any fumes or smells from either of those operations.... It's a very clever little system.

Also confirmed via Vag Com, the AC draws about 5 nm at idle, and drops to 1nm on acceleration, running about 3-4nm of load on normal driving. Even more impressive is if you accelerate off boost, that is too low in the rpm range, the load actually drops to zero until you're on boost.

[G-rig]

it's a lot better than your normal cheap car where the air con is off or it's freezing. Climate control lets you set it to the optimal point. I usually still adust the fan speed and vents to be on driver + feet, but apparently auto still works but not sure (as the light goes off).

[118TSI]

No issues with the Air Con here, only had my car 2 weeks, seems to cool the cabin just fine, however the difference between 25 (Olso) and 26(New Delhi) is amazing

[nikamichi]

Well,

Wheels magazine when awarding the golf car of the year described the air conditoner as marginal and not good enough, and from my numerous test drives in February I believe their assessment.

From what I understand, it is essentially the same system as used in other PQ35 variants. This means marginal pull down, and in the longer term compressor failures ( a widely documented issue). to quote Honest John on both his review of Golf V & A3:

"Failure of Zexel or Valeo a/c compressors is common, usually a year or two out of warranty and dealers can quote £1,304 for new compressor, condensor and expansion valve. Sometimes goodwill of about £300 offered. But cheaper to buy a new Sanden compressor for £287 and have it fitted by an independent a/c specialist for about £150. Internet forums, particularly in USA are full of postings concerning failures of Zexel and Valeo compressors, seems a case of "when not if". "

My experience with my A3 is that the air cond is the worst I have experienced in any car, and have verified this with a temperature probe. In 32 degree temperature, the coldest it can put air out is 5.8 degrees. ( this is inside the main air vents). Audi have stated that it is within spec. And yes it has had to have the compressor replaced ! When we had the hottest day ever in Victoria last year, even with continual running for 3 hours, the system simply didn't cope.

My partners Mazda 3 MPS, which is widely acknowledged by press ( and even their own service personnel ) as having poor air conditioning as well, can put out air down to 3.8 degrees.

Curiously the Subaru Liberty Spec B which the MPS replaced, and which had superb air cond would put out air around -2.0 degrees.

The other cars I have owned which I considered to have great air, would all put out air that was below freezing.

I have a GTI on order for myself, and 2 Golf Wagons on order for my company, and I really hope that the air cond is better than Golf V, but don't hold that much hope.

[G-rig]

It's under warranty and just extend it to 5 years if you're worried.

I didn't think the MK5 airon was as good as my Audi '97 1.8T Quattro, mainly because it was noisier but still did the job well enough. On LO it's quite chilly (for me anyway).

They should rename this forum to VWWhingeCooled, there are a heap of nick picking threads lately.

[logger]

Have to say I am NOT overly impressed with the climate control in my tsi118. I just consider it average. No issues with the AC. It cools fine. What I dislike is:
1) the lack of fidelity and inability to get the temp just right.
2) inability to set and forget over long periods.
If I am a tad cold I increase the temp 1 degree only to be met with a rush of warm air. In my mind a request for a 1deg increase should be met with a subtle, barely perceptible change. This is certainly how my Toyota Kluger manages to do it. The Toyota has 0.5 degree increments though, so perhaps this is what the MKV is missing. So I have now resorted to splitting the climate control with the DUAL button even when travelling alone in and effort to get the temp right. So for example setting L24 R25 in a vain attempt to get it right. I suppose the main difference I find is in the Toyota I can set it at 25 deg and we would rarely touch it for months. Whereas in the MK6 I am forever having to tweak it. More like I would expect with a non climate control car that has a a heater plus AC but not as bad.

Certainly not a deal breaker for me. Just not a feature I would ever be highlighting as particularly good.