I notice that if I have my a/c set at a certain temperature, the a/c intermittently changes by itself to a higher temperature and feels somewhat warmer before it goes back to the temperature setting on its own. This becomes annoying and I have not experienced this in any other car I've owned. The outside temperature has not changed and I am constantly driving in the sun. The a/c can blow very cold if I set it in the mid or low 60s, but it's the changing and inconsistency of the temperature that I'm concerned about. The Jaguar service writer says it is an inherent characteristic of the XK a/c system. Here in Florida, I need a strong a/c system. Anyone else experiencing this?


Additional notes: I need to keep the XK settings between 68-69 to be comfortable, while in my Lexus, 76 will keep it quite cold. I'm assuming the a/c temperature settings on different cars vary with their accuracy. With my G35, you could hang meat in the cabin at 77 degree settings.

 

The climate system is quite complex and the dealer should check for fault codes before dismissing your complaint out of hand.

 

I usually keep my Lexus and Infiniti a/c setting between 77-78 and find the XK needs to be in the upper 60s to get the same comfort level. Where do most XK owners living in the Southern Warm climates leave their a/c temperature setting? Do you use auto only or auto and recirculate?

 

Boca:

On my 2009 XKR when I first start the car and drive away, the A/C unit blows a bit warm then after about 2-3 minutes it starts to cool.

Other then that I have no reported problems. The weather here during the summer can reach outside temps in excess of over 102 degrees. The inside ride is very comfortable.

Hopefully you can get the problem worked out, especially in the Florida sunshine and humidity.

 

Richak, What temperature setting do you keep your a/c on? Is it always on auto?

 

72 to 73 degrees. Sometimes auto, sometimes not. On auto, the blower seems to blow rather high. The cabin on our cars are very small and doesn't take long to cool the interior.

I also use the A/C with the top down on hot days. Works great. With the intense sun down here, I need to wear a long sleeve shirt, collared shirt and hat on.

 

I'm in northern climates, and my XK fails to maintain a stable temp. I always have to bump it up or down by 5 degrees to get it to react.
I understand the temperature sensor behind the center vents is known as a common culprit. The Part itself is about $30.

Vince

 

In So Cal I keep my 2012 vert at 67-69 degrees on my side and my spouse keeps hers anywhere between 70 & 74 during the summer. With the top down I usually don't have the AC on but do use the seat cooler on very hot days or put the top up. Always have sunblock on and wear a hat as well.

 

Also live in SoFla and I keep mine set at 68 and auto. Maintains a cool cabin and seems stable without widely varying fan speed or the temp setting changing. I would agree that temp setting seems too low and not accurate but it works. My major complaint is the time it takes to cool down the car on a hot day. The system on most cars set at auto will wait until the coils cool down and then auto switch the system to recirculate and fan on max. Mine doesn't do that other than a slightly higher fan speed. Reading the manual it appears that in Jaguar wisdom the recirculate function only kicks in on auto when the external sensor determines the exterior air quality is poor. Doesn't seem they took into consideration warm climates.

 

Alljagz.....If the 4.2 uses the same a/c system as the 5.0, your car behaves similar to mine at the 68 temperature setting. At least I know I'm not alone when noticing how the fan speed is not automatically at its highest when the car is hot inside. I didn't think I had to push the a/c down to the 60s to get it comfortable but I see now it is quite inaccurate, but as you say, it works. I'm still planning on taking my car in to see why it fails to maintain a stable temperature when my settings are in the low 70s.

 

I'm in Miami and keep it 68-70 most of the time.

 

I stopped by a local Jaguar dealership this morning. I was told that Jaguar climate control here in Florida works best when the settings are in the 60s in Auto and tends to wander and be somewhat inconsistent when choosing 72 or higher. The a/c fan does not come on full blast when entering a warm car. That is normal. I just find that keeping my car at 68 is comfortable sometimes and too cold at others. I guess I may need to get used to the car not being that accurate or sensitive to settings as I've had in other cars I've owned.

 

In the heat of the summer 100-117°F I run the A/C at 77-78° and it is perfectly comfortable. When I get in the car after it has sat in the sun the A/C goes flat out as soon as it is turned on. As others have noted, it does not have an auto recirc facility, but I'm not too fussed as I want to flush the car of hot air before going to recirc. From what I read in this thread it seems like the climate control gets fooled by Florida's humidity.

 

Although I am still going to have the a/c checked out further, I've been told that to bypass the issue of failing to maintain a stable temperature setting, keeping the car on recirculate, rather than automatic should keep the temperature setting stable. I haven't tried it yet.

 

UPDATE: Had a/c checked by Jaguar and all systems are working as they should. After speaking at length with the shop foreman, I received a wealth of information about the XK in general. For anyone interested, the a/c system in the 2010 XK is even different than the 2009 and earlier XKs as well as the XF. There is no clutch in the compressor and it works all the time unless you manually shut if off. The interior sensor was checked and was working as it should. Even the temperature readings we see on the screen are inaccurate but it cools the car just the same. The slight irregularities in holding constant cabin temperature are inherent in the design of the car. If there is a slight change or increase in temp it corrects itself in less than a minute. I'm already getting used to it, after all.....it's a Jaguar.

 

I wonder what's different about the 5.0 A/C from the 4.2. The 4.2 also has a variable displacement a/c compressor (always running). I imagine the XFs do as well. I think my X350 did!

Variable Displacement A/C Compressor | Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide

 

That might be true, but there are different electronics assisting with it's operation. With the older mechanical clutch compressors, I personally didn't feel them kicking in when driving my Lexus or Infiniti and the temperature was always consistent. Just because automobile systems are modernized or made more "efficient" does not necessarily mean they are improved or void of their own specific set of idiosynchrosies.

 

All

I am also getting somewhat, really only slightly inconsistent temperature in the cabin in winter.

Interestingly enough, similar to bocatrip, my car also suffers of coolant smell. Not sure if that’s significant though.

br
ter

 

I have the same issues and car.
Its a small production exotic car- ignore it.
The juice is not worth the squeeze.

Also check your freon level.

 

I've had an example or two of most of the major Euro and American luxury cars and I have yet to experience a modern car with "climate control" that can keep a good, steady temp on the "Auto" setting. Regardless of price, I much prefer simple temp and fan knobs. Same goes for rain-sensing wipers.... Never see any that work worth a darn...