I have recently purchased a 5 door Dynamic and am having a problem with the air con. I am unsure which buttons to press to get the best results because no matter which combination I press I seem to get only coldish air. In fact having the air con button on only gives the same cool air as putting the heater on normally with the dial set to the blue section. Is this right? How good is the air con on anyone elses car? I have travelled now on three consecutive one hour journeys and the results have not improved. Anyone got any ideas? Cheers

No problems with the aircon on my 5 door Active - only had it for a week and a half and couldn't have picked a better time to change to a car with aircon.

I've found that the best way to get the cabin cool as quickly as possible is whacking on the internal recirculation as your passing chilled air back through the system (also the only way to use it when sat next to a truck in a traffic jam!!)

Had my 3dr 1.6 Dynamic now for 15 months and last summer air con was superb (had to keep at lowest fan setting and point jets away from me or it felt too cold!).

However, this summer it just doesn't seem to be a patch on last year and I have taken back to dealer twice who say there is nothing wrong with it.

It seems patchy at best and the upper glove box 'fridge' barely gets cold. Where I cannot deny that it is 'working' to a degree it just isn't the same this year, but if the dealer says there's nothing wrong with it, what can I do?

Buckster, was the car bought new or second hand? One of the coolant pipes might have cracked over the winter is you bought it second hand.

Fiat Stilo Abarth 3dr. Loden Green, Beige Leather, Sky Window, Cold Climate Pack, 17" Alloys, CD Changer, 260w 8 Speaker Stereo.

Yes - the car was bought second hand from the local dealer. It was previously owned by Fiat. I bought the car a week ago and noticed that the last service was undertaken in January. However the mileage when I got the car was only about an extra 20 miles since the service. I wondered if maybe the system had jammed or something similar to what you suggested. I have just tested it again over a 30 min journey and there is no difference in temp whether I have the heater on cold only or whether I press the air con button also. It seems to me that it's not working at all. Is there a noticeable increase in noise when you put the air con on or is it not possible to tell?

You can hear and feel the difference in the engine when you engage the air con. Try just using the blower and listen to the engine and watch the rev counter. Then try the same with the air con. If you notice the engine is having to work harder with the a/c option, then it 'trying' to work. But if the temperature of the air isnt noticeably lower, then it isn't working properly.

It should be easier with the hot weather we are having at the moment. The outside air will be so warm, that the air through just the blower (even on it's 'minimum' setting) will still be warm.

But with the a/c on, it should be noticeably cold. At least mine is. :I

PS My dad's old Granada has a/c, but he never used it as he was scared of what it would do to his fuel consumption. I tried to use it the other day and it was no different to having just the blower on. But his car is an 'L' reg [:0] You can knacker an a/c system if you don't use it. But as yours is relatively new...

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2003 Stilo 1.6 Dynamic 3dr, Orion Grey, 17" Alloys, Dual Zone Climate Control, Aluminum Sills, Clarion DXZ928R, Kenwood DualMags, Clarion SRX1784, de-badged.
I accept no responsibility for anything contained in my posts, or any decisions you make based on them.[^]

One of the air con pipes on my Punto cracked and released all the coolant into the atmosphere! [V] The same thing might have happened to yours. You may well hear the system kicking in but if there is no coolant it will just run and not do anything.

Fiat Stilo Abarth 3dr. Loden Green, Beige Leather, Sky Window, Cold Climate Pack, 17" Alloys, CD Changer, 260w 8 Speaker Stereo.

The air con pipes are placed in a very sensitive area of the engine compartement.
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engine
space

x pipes
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artists impression of Stilo engine
please consider above drawn diagram to represent the rectangle that accomodates the engine.

just look where the (x) is placed. Left of the ventilator. They are very near the ground and it is a possibility that they might have been damaged for any reason.
I dunno! it's worth checking though!

Hope the post makes sense!


pantelis
Fiat Stilo 80 Active, no alloys, no power tuning, love the sky window though!

i suggest you get a damp cloth and when it gets a bit too hot mop your brow that usally works if not get the person in the passenger seat to waft a copy of the sun in your direction!!!!!!!!11

1.6 dynamic coming soon

Way I do in my Stilo 1.8 dynamic is 2 press on AUTO button and u'll see FULL AUTO in your display and I often use MONO button to set the same temp on each side... and then u set the right temp 4 u!

It is very sunny in sweden now and my air con is working very good!

Stilo 1.8 16v Dynamic | Zatzy Racing | Swedish Fiat Club | F/I/A/T/ Tipo- SOLD