# Air Conditioning Issue



## 2017 Golf R (Aug 23, 2017)

I bought an Atlas SE/with Tech and 4 Motion last week. The AC vents in the front are noticeably warmer than the rear vents when set to "Max AC." I took it to a VW dealership this morning and they are troubleshooting the issue. The service advisor stated that the technician said the air exiting the front vents was 30 degrees cooler than ambient and that they normally expect to see 45-50 degrees cooler. He stated that there is so little information on this vehicle from VW because it has been out no longer than it has they need to keep it for further investigation. Has anyone experienced a similar issue? With my other VWs, I'm coming off "Max" to "Auto" about 5 minutes after starting driving because it's so effective. The Atlas is leaving us sweating on the seats in "Max." Any help would be appreciated.


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## Woj (Oct 23, 2000)

The review in the NY Post earlier this summer complained about that very issue .... yeah, I know that the NY Post is hardly the epitome of reporting, but the reviewer was pragmatic and she was concerned about that issue 🤔


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## 2017 Golf R (Aug 23, 2017)

Woj said:


> The review in the NY Post earlier this summer complained about that very issue .... yeah, I know that the NY Post is hardly the epitome of reporting, but the reviewer was pragmatic and she was concerned about that issue 🤔


This is what I was most afraid of. VW telling me nothing's wrong with it.

Thanks.


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## Yul-Sav (Aug 6, 2017)

I have a SEL premium (well the wife has) and have no complaints. I have noticed the air is not as effective when the engine auto-stop is on stopped at traffic light (I typically disable auto stop as it bugs me). Found out that putting the AC in re-circulation mode does helps some. When set in this mode with fan speed above 4 the engine auto-stop goes in disable mode automatically. It's been pretty efficient for me and I like cars cold (Canadian living in Savannah). I would say on par with the 09 Q5 prestige or the 2015 qx60 plat.


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## 2017 Golf R (Aug 23, 2017)

Yul-Sav said:


> I have a SEL premium (well the wife has) and have no complaints. I have noticed the air is not as effective when the engine auto-stop is on stopped at traffic light (I typically disable auto stop as it bugs me). Found out that putting the AC in re-circulation mode does helps some. When set in this mode with fan speed above 4 the engine auto-stop goes in disable mode automatically. It's been pretty efficient for me and I like cars cold (Canadian living in Savannah). I would say on par with the 09 Q5 prestige or the 2015 qx60 plat.


Thanks for the tips! I'll try them...


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## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

2017 Golf R said:


> Has anyone experienced a similar issue? With my other VWs, I'm coming off "Max" to "Auto" about 5 minutes after starting driving because it's so effective. The Atlas is leaving us sweating on the seats in "Max." Any help would be appreciated.


*Short answer:* Don't use Max AC, on the Atlas or any other car with decent automatic climate control. It's only there because people are used to having a Max AC button and pushing buttons makes them feel like they're doing something.

*Longer answer:* Max AC on basically any car out there, the Atlas included, means turn on full recirculation and crank the fan speed to max. Think about walking up to your car on a nice sunny day of 85F, getting inside, and starting it. Inside your car it'll be much, much hotter. In Auto mode, the AC will take 85F air and blow it on you as fast as it can be chilled. In Max AC mode, you've told it to ignore its intelligence and take 130F or more air and blow it on you faster than it can be chilled. This isn't a flaw with the vehicle, it's the vehicle following your explicit instructions. Auto will perform better. It will automatically blend in some recirc when and if it makes sense to do so. Set your preferred temperature, put it in Auto, and leave it in Auto, always.


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## davidc1 (May 10, 2010)

jyoung8607 said:


> *Short answer:* Don't use Max AC, on the Atlas or any other car with decent automatic climate control. It's only there because people are used to having a Max AC button and pushing buttons makes them feel like they're doing something.
> 
> *Longer answer:* Max AC on basically any car out there, the Atlas included, means turn on full recirculation and crank the fan speed to max. Think about walking up to your car on a nice sunny day of 85F, getting inside, and starting it. Inside your car it'll be much, much hotter. In Auto mode, the AC will take 85F air and blow it on you as fast as it can be chilled. In Max AC mode, you've told it to ignore its intelligence and take 130F or more air and blow it on you faster than it can be chilled. This isn't a flaw with the vehicle, it's the vehicle following your explicit instructions. Auto will perform better. It will automatically blend in some recirc when and if it makes sense to do so. Set your preferred temperature, put it in Auto, and leave it in Auto, always.


Excellent info.


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## kamouche (Sep 22, 2017)

I am having a slightly different problem -- When I turn on the A/C in my SEL Premium, the vents on the driver side (by the door) are noticably warmer than the vents on the center console and passenger side. Has anybody else experienced this issue? I plan on bringing it to the dealership for them to check it out.


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## gvan1998 (Jun 26, 2017)

kamouche said:


> I am having a slightly different problem -- When I turn on the A/C in my SEL Premium, the vents on the driver side (by the door) are noticably warmer than the vents on the center console and passenger side. Has anybody else experienced this issue? I plan on bringing it to the dealership for them to check it out.


I had the same symptoms, where my driver side was cold, passenger side was mild, 2nd row mild, and 3rd row warm air. The Atlas is at the dealer right now. They said that my condenser was leaking and it needs to be replaced.


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## AudiVW guy (Feb 7, 2006)

i got a letter from VW saying there was a recall for AC


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## gvan1998 (Jun 26, 2017)

AudiVW guy said:


> i got a letter from VW saying there was a recall for AC


Can you post the letter? So I can prevent the dealer ripping out my front bumper.


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## 0macman0 (Nov 6, 2017)

gvan1998 said:


> Can you post the letter? So I can prevent the dealer ripping out my front bumper.


I think the ac letter being referred too was in regards to a kinked condensation drain line


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## AudiVW guy (Feb 7, 2006)

0macman0 said:


> I think the ac letter being referred too was in regards to a kinder condensation drain line
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


yes


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## jingranbury (Mar 21, 2018)

Can those of you here who are having A/C problems post the build month of your Atlas... I waited to purchase mine until the middle of March hoping I could find a later build date to avoid some startup problems with the earlier builds... Mine was built in late December of 2017...

Thanks


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## atlasguy (Apr 6, 2018)

Built in 11/2017. 1600 miles. Air is not working at all on any setting. Back to the dealer I go.


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## gvan1998 (Jun 26, 2017)

atlasguy said:


> Built in 11/2017. 1600 miles. Air is not working at all on any setting. Back to the dealer I go.


Wow this is bad qualityy control from VW. Whats the point of having a long warranty if the vehicle keeps breaking.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

gvan1998 said:


> Wow this is bad qualityy control from VW. Whats the point of having a long warranty if the vehicle keeps breaking.


How have you determined what the issue is? Your source?


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## atlasguy (Apr 6, 2018)

At the dealership right now. I'll let you know what they determine is the cause when/if they find out.


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## kamouche (Sep 22, 2017)

kamouche said:


> I am having a slightly different problem -- When I turn on the A/C in my SEL Premium, the vents on the driver side (by the door) are noticably warmer than the vents on the center console and passenger side. Has anybody else experienced this issue? I plan on bringing it to the dealership for them to check it out.


My car has been at the dealership since Friday the 4th and they still can't figure out what's wrong with the A/C. They told me they are calling some of the experts and will let me know when they figure something out.


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## atlasguy (Apr 6, 2018)

So the dealership thinks they have fixed the AC. Told me that after ordering the new style refrigerant in the proper quantity, the new machine was still taking forever to fill the system. Finally took it down to the local Honda dealer and it filled right away. Turns out their new machine is defective. They detected no leaks and the air conditioning is working. Service guy said there may have been very little refrigerant or none at all from the factory! That reassuring. Will report back when I get the Atlas back if the air is working correctly.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

jyoung8607 said:


> *Short answer:* Don't use Max AC, on the Atlas or any other car with decent automatic climate control. It's only there because people are used to having a Max AC button and pushing buttons makes them feel like they're doing something.
> 
> *Longer answer:* Max AC on basically any car out there, the Atlas included, means turn on full recirculation and crank the fan speed to max. Think about walking up to your car on a nice sunny day of 85F, getting inside, and starting it. Inside your car it'll be much, much hotter. In Auto mode, the AC will take 85F air and blow it on you as fast as it can be chilled. In Max AC mode, you've told it to ignore its intelligence and take 130F or more air and blow it on you faster than it can be chilled. This isn't a flaw with the vehicle, it's the vehicle following your explicit instructions. Auto will perform better. It will automatically blend in some recirc when and if it makes sense to do so. Set your preferred temperature, put it in Auto, and leave it in Auto, always.


On-point. Auto. Always. That's what I do too. The only thing I don't care for is that recirc is default off in auto - sometimes you want auto with recirc such as times when there is smoke, foul smells, in traffic, etc. outside. Pushing recirc kills the auto function which is strange to me....they should be independent of one another.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

KarstGeo said:


> .....The only thing I don't care for is that recirc is default off in auto - sometimes you want auto with recirc such as times when there is smoke, foul smells, in traffic, etc. outside. Pushing recirc kills the auto function which is strange to me....they should be independent of one another.


Recirc is used only sparingly. It should never stay on after the vehicle has been shut off and back on. It is separate for a very good reason.


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## utsava (Jun 5, 2002)

So I brought my 2018 Atlas SEL in for a state inspection and the dealer did some campaign work on it. 
One was for the AC blend doors, which apparently could cause the hot/cold air to not properly fully output at max levels.
The other was for the rear seat quick release handles for getting into the third row. 

I didn't see anyone talking about these, so I figured I'd chime in. Seems there definitely is an known issue with at least some vehicles. I have a May 2017 delivered car, so it's one of the first off the lines.


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## kamouche (Sep 22, 2017)

kamouche said:


> My car has been at the dealership since Friday the 4th and they still can't figure out what's wrong with the A/C. They told me they are calling some of the experts and will let me know when they figure something out.


So they figured out the problem, they said the Temp Flap Gear wasn't fully engaged into the airbox. They ordered a new Temp Flap Gear and reinstalled it.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

KarstGeo said:


> On-point. Auto. Always. That's what I do too. The only thing I don't care for is that recirc is default off in auto - sometimes you want auto with recirc such as times when there is smoke, foul smells, in traffic, etc. outside. Pushing recirc kills the auto function which is strange to me....they should be independent of one another.


This. There are times when recirc is better in terms of keeping you cool when it's very hot out or when there is smoke/odors etc. that you want to keep out. I hate that I can't use recirc independent of auto! Also, another trick to cool your car down quicker in the hot summer is when you start it up, a/c on and roll your window down for a few minutes to get that hot air out as fast as you can. I agree that when it's very hot in the car, max isn't going to be as effective as outside air that is cooler BUT when it's very hot out and you have your interior cooled down, max should work better as you are now cooling air that is already much cooler than the outside air - essentially the situation you have in your household system. It's hot here today and I did notice the Atlas not quite cooling to my liking....uh-oh.....


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

KarstGeo said:


> This. There are times when recirc is better in terms of keeping you cool when it's very hot out or when there is smoke/odors etc. that you want to keep out. I hate that I can't use recirc independent of auto! Also, another trick to cool your car down quicker in the hot summer is when you start it up, a/c on and roll your window down for a few minutes to get that hot air out as fast as you can. I agree that when it's very hot in the car, max isn't going to be as effective as outside air that is cooler BUT when it's very hot out and you have your interior cooled down, max should work better as you are now cooling air that is already much cooler than the outside air - essentially the situation you have in your household system. It's hot here today and I did notice the Atlas not quite cooling to my liking....uh-oh.....


You seem to be over thinking the situation. Use auto always unless you want to prevent outside fumes getting in, or if the outside temp is really high. But only use recirculate for a short time, as the outside intake is your only source of oxygen.


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## Pnvwfun (Jan 22, 2018)

One thing that happens in the hot sun is that the dash soaks up all of the heat and radiates it back (especially the black one), effectively becoming a heat source. The windshield shades are effective in lowering that temperature. What I do is to turn on all of the vents, including the defroster vents so that cold air blows over the top of the dash to cool it down until the air in the car gets cooler. I also leave my sunroof cracked open to vent the hot air hot out and leave it open for a few minutes of driving.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

Pnvwfun said:


> One thing that happens in the hot sun is that the dash soaks up all of the heat and radiates it back (especially the black one), effectively becoming a heat source. The windshield shades are effective in lowering that temperature. What I do is to turn on all of the vents, including the defroster vents so that cold air blows over the top of the dash to cool it down until the air in the car gets cooler. I also leave my sunroof cracked open to vent the hot air hot out and leave it open for a few minutes of driving.


We use windshield sunscreens in our vehicles and they do help.


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