[Richard Leon]

A/C not working when it's hot.
When it is hot outside ( > 90 deg F inside) the A/C is not able to cool the car down after 15 minutes with the A/C on and the temp set to Lo. I have a service appointment pending. When the car is not hot (< 80 deg inside) the A/C is able to keep the car cool to 72 deg. Anyone else have the same issue?

 

[ZapM3]

I took delivery of 26xxx on 6/15. 5 minutes into my drive home I could tell the AC was blowing uncooled air.

I returned to the dealer, told them, and after some hassle they started servicing it immediately. They found that there weren’t any leaks, but that it was way short on refrigerant (is it still called Freon now that they changed the chemical used?) They filled it up and it’s worked fine ever since. The whole thing took 90 minutes or so.

Precooling the interior at the end of a round of golf on a hot sunny day, the car cooled from 117 to 67 in 12 minutes with the system set to LO.

My guess is that your car needs more refrigerant / Freon. If that’s all, it’ll be a quick fix.

 

[rgoodwin]

If I precool it's fine every time (set to say 74F), but from a regular start, quite often I have to crank it down to 70F or less to get the car cool, sometimes 65F. I'll have them check coolant level.

 

[PNWmisty]

If I precool it's fine every time (set to say 74F), but from a regular start, quite often I have to crank it down to 70F or less to get the car cool, sometimes 65F. I'll have them check coolant level.

The A/C in the Model 3 begins to taper off as it approaches your set temperature (it runs on a variable speed electric motor). So if you want it to cool as fast as possible, and don't care about efficiency, you will want to set the temperature to a lower number. It only needs service if you set it to "low" and the air coming out doesn't feel nice and cold.

 

[RMann]

Ditto on the hot a/c. Just took delivery of my Model 3 Dual Motor and A/C is lukewarm but trying it's hardest to blow cold. I'm hoping there won't be any damage if I continue to drive it until they can recharge?

 

[ZapM3]

Ditto on the hot a/c. Just took delivery of my Model 3 Dual Motor and A/C is lukewarm but trying it's hardest to blow cold. I'm hoping there won't be any damage if I continue to drive it until they can recharge?

Be careful with waiting. I believe that the Model 3 uses the same compressor for cooling the cabin, battery, and computers. I assume the car would just shut down if things started to overheat. I'm not sure if being in the sun on a very hot day without driving or charging could produce a temp capable of damaging the battery. I'd call service sooner rather than later to be safe, especially in August.

 

[JimInAZ]

I am noticing variable performance of my AC on the Model 3. Sometimes it cools pretty well but usually that is when the car has been sitting under covered parking or it's less than 100 degrees (I live in AZ). Other times it is blowing cool air but its performance is no where near my wife's Lexus.

Also, it seems to lower the range substantially when running the AC - about 17% from 310 miles to 255.

Any thoughts? I had problems when i first got the car and had to take it back for AC service and it took a week to fix so I am suspicious.

 

[garsh]

Also, it seems to lower the range substantially when running the AC - about 17% from 310 miles to 255.

When the AC is first turned on, the power draw is pretty high. The range guess doesn't take into account that it will be less as the car cools down. Leave it on for a while and see if the estimated range begins to climb a bit as the car cools.

 

[JimInAZ]

When the AC is first turned on, the power draw is pretty high. The range guess doesn't take into account that it will be less as the car cools down. Leave it on for a while and see if the estimated range begins to climb a bit as the car cools.

Thanks. Im looking at average wattage/mile numbers from the odometer. Not the range read out. Over the last 100 miles of mostly highway driving at around 70 to 80 mph with ac the watts per mile are around 310. That does seem as efficient though it is hot here - around 105 to 115.

 

[JimInAZ]

Thanks. Im looking at average wattage/mile numbers from the odometer. Not the range read out. Over the last 100 miles of mostly highway driving at around 70 to 80 mph with ac the watts per mile are around 310. That does seem as efficient though it is hot here - around 105 to 115.

Sorry...meant to say "does not seem as efficient".

 

[Jay79]

Man you guys are making me nervous...lol I just ordered my M3 two days ago, hope they resolved this by now

 

[JimInAZ]

Man you guys are making me nervous...lol I just ordered my M3 two days ago, hope they resolved this by now

Fear not. All will be fine. Plus in Michigan you don't need the AC much I am guessing. Most people are seeing the efficiencies in the watts per mile that puts the range at 310 or more.

I am just trying to see if I need to take it in to have it looked at. I'm loving everything else about the car!

 

[PNWmisty]

Also, it seems to lower the range substantially when running the AC - about 17% from 310 miles to 255.

I just returned from a weekend trip, charged to 100% right before we left Friday morning, drove to our destination, let my nephew take the car on a test drive to discover the performance when floored, took a 20 mile trip into town on Saturday and returned home Sunday having covered 242 miles. A/C was in use the entire time. We had a detour due to traffic being backed up 6 miles on our planned route so we went about 25 miles farther than planned over some VERY hilly terrain. Returned with 79 miles of range remaining so we "gained" 11 miles over the projected range even though the A/C was on the entire trip. We also left the A/C on when we went grocery shopping Saturday so the car was nice and cool when we returned with groceries.

This car gets amazing range, even with constant A/C usage!

 

[RMann]

Wanted to update that Tesla found a crimped o-ring in my Model 3’s a/c system that had allowed all the refrigerant to leak out sometime from production to delivery. It’s been repaired and all is well. It should be noted though that the car does not seem to know if the a/c is working properly or not. As some mentioned, if the a/c controls temperature of other items (coolant), it may be important for Tesla to detect the failure of this component in the future.

 

[garsh]

it may be important for Tesla to detect the failure of this component in the future.

They could probably use the existing internal thermometer to determine when the AC simply isn't working, and then suggest that you have the refrigerant checked when it believes cooling is failing to cool. So, hopefully just a software update, but the software would have to be a bit sophisticated to avoid false-failures.

 

[JimInAZ]

Just got back from a weekend trip from Phoenix to Tucson and back (225 miles roundtrip) at about 75 mph. Averaged wh/m of 247 (which calculates to approximately 300 mile effective range) with AC on and outside temp of around 105 average. So I am very happy with the performance.

Interestingly, the wh/m were 270 on the way to Tucson and 227 on the way back. So the difference in elevation of approximately 1,200 ft makes a difference in terms of the subtle climb.

Key change I made was to use recirculation of AC air. This makes sense. If you are constantly bringing in really hot outside air and trying to cool it to 65 degrees the AC is going to work harder. Also, while I am not sure, I wonder if bringing in outside air increases the drag. No clue if the latter is a factor but glad that the car is performing as advertised.

 

[Evans]

I have same problem. AC didn't work last week (09/09/2018) while parked in Florida hot sun for about two hours. Only worked next when parked in garage overnight. Had to drive in 100 degrees hot car. Contacted service department was advised keep it at "LO" I had already done that. So let it go the first time.

Today Saturday (09/15/2018) happened again car was parked for about 20 minutes 1:50 PM - 2:10 PM outside in sun. Got in the car started and no cool. Turned it on "LO" but no help. Set in Manual/Auto and nothing is working. Today is Saturday and service department is closed over weekend. Watching it overnight again. Very frustrating experience for a 2 week old car. There is something seriously wrong with AC's of model 3. Not sure if more people are having the same experience.

 

[RMann]

Evans, it could be low on refrigerant. The usual scenario for this is the car cools well after going highway speeds, or starting from a cool area, but if you get into traffic, slow down in blazing sun, start off with hot cabin, the low refrigerant levels prevent it from bringing the inside temps down.

Tesla should pressure test it as you may just have a slow leak.

 

[PNWmisty]

Also, while I am not sure, I wonder if bringing in outside air increases the drag. No clue if the latter is a factor but glad that the car is performing as advertised.

The effect would be incredibly small, but bringing in more outside air would actually reduce drag slightly. Because you would be drawing air from the front (higher pressure) are and discharging it to a lower pressure area in the rear.

 

[Nikola]

Interestingly, the wh/m were 270 on the way to Tucson and 227 on the way back. So the difference in elevation of approximately 1,200 ft makes a difference in terms of the subtle climb.

We see the same effect in the Model 3 and in our ICE car. The ICE car gets about 30 MPG going "downhill" to Phoenix, and about 27 MPG going to Tucson. This has been consistent over many trips.

Glad to hear you are getting performance "as advertised". Our Model 3 is performing perfectly also, and the air con is very impressive in desert heat. Haven't even felt the need for the optional sunshade, although we did tint the side windows.