So we just recently hit some heat and I grabbed the Magnum just to realize this car has the most craptastic AC system I have ever experienced.

Sitting in traffic, it was about 30 degrees C, so mid 80s. I had it cranked all the way cold and fan as high as it goes and it was blowing at about 1/2 of what the highest setting is in our Yukon or my IS. It simply could not get or keep the car cold!

I remember reading a review of the Chrysler 300 and the reviewer complained about the same thing.

So, to my fellow unfortunate drivers and owners of this ever present POS, is there anything we can do about this? Will the dealer do anything if its still under warranty.

 

Make sure the recirculate-air feature is set to full-recirc and the fresh-air intake system is completely OFF. This is usually indicated by car-graphic symbols with a superimposed arrow either showing air coming in throughn the front of the car or looping back around through the interior. If in doubt, consult the owners' manual for the proper symbol. Some cars have a slide lever that goes back and forth between the two; some have push-buttons with a green light that indicates what mode you are in. A few cars, such as Subarus, have a red light instead of a green one for the Recirc-mode.

If that doesn't cool to your satisfaction, have the freon level checked in the system, and, if necessary, topped off. Note that most new cars use R-12 freon instead of the older R-134 refrigerant. The two will NOT mix. The technician/mechanic should already know that. If he or she doesn't, then find a shop that DOES.

As for your specific problem, some Chrysler products (I don't know if that includes your specific model), for years, have had a crappy vaccum-operated system for climate control modes that doesn't work well at idle and low engine speeds, where vaccum readings are highest. You are not the first person to complain about this. Consumer Reports has noted it for years.

Also, do not be surprised that the system can't compete with the ones in the Yukon or IS. For the money, GM and Lexus make what are probably the best A/C units in the industry....at least, I have never seen better.

 

probably the A/C IS that bad... because the 300C and MAG should be still fairly new to casue any leaks.. but who knows, THEY built them...

 

Gotta love those old vacuum motors! I had a couple of cars in the '70's and '80's that would cycle through their entire menu of HVAC settings when you floored the throttle, to the accompaniment of a full repertoire of gasps, wheezes, and sighs - as flaps randomly creaked open and closed, sending puffs of warm and cold air through the cabin.

At least by the ‘60’s most windshield wipers were electric. The old vacuum-driven wipers of the ‘30’s persisted well into the late ‘50’s. They also made for a pretty good adrenalin rush when passing on the highway in a heavy rain. Bury the right pedal and the engine vacuum would fall to zero as the throttle butterflies opened wide, bringing the wipers to a halt, effectively blinding you - unless you lifted for a split second to get them to sweep the windscreen a time or two to let you see where you were going. It made passing into an interesting series of lurches.

It took Lucas Electric to top vacuum wipers for automotive thrills. It was during my brief romance with British sports cars of the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s when I discovered the Prince of Darkness had new terrors in store for me. Heading into a downhill sweeper on a narrow two-lane road late at night in a pouring rain, the evil Prince shut down BOTH the wipers AND the headlights, leaving me to slash the apex and power out of the corner using the Braille system while fumbling with the switches.

Of the two, despite reams of recrimination written on Lucas' faults, at least they were incredibly unreliable, not designed into the vehicle as a feature bent on taking your life. Who'da thunk there was some elegant engineering rationale behind vacuum wipers? If there was, I never heard it.

 

unfortunatly all chrysler/dodge cars are like this, my durango has the same problem, so does my freinds 300c SRT-8

 

my brothers 300c has one of the coldest ac's ive ever felt, make sure u hit that little *snowflake button other then that i have no idea

 

I agree . I loved the cold AC in the Chevy rental when we took a week-long trip to NorCal........great for those 95F days in the valley. Now if only the controls weren't at knee-level............ (I'd do a full review but didn't want to steal Marshall's spotlight)