2015 Prius Auto A/C Takes a while to turn on, normal?

yes. AC startup lag - Is it normal? | PriusChat

 

This a new behavior on newer cars even in non-hybrids as I recently noticed the same behavior in a 2014 corolla rental. It allows the a/c to get to chilling before blasting the hot air built up in the dash on you minimizing the "hair dryer effect".

 

I live in Florids. My salesman stressed that I do not have to turn the AC off before shutting car off. When I start car up it takes less than 10 seconds for cold sit to come out. I had always in other cars I have owned shut the air off before shutting the car off but the dealer told me that is not necessary in this car.

 

Probably normal, but check the electrical connection to the compressor. It may be corroded as in the below thread.

Corroded AC wiring harness 2010 - anyone heard of this? | Page 2 | PriusChat

 

mine also lags, always figured it was normal.

the salesman is misinformed. if you leave it on, your going to have mold growing in the system.

perhaps this is a new dealer scheme to sell more a/c refresh services.

the best practice is to turn the fan up and shut the a/c off a few minutes before parking. this helps to dry everything out.

 

Mines never off. Had the car 5 years now and no funky smells to date.


iPhone ?

 

Mine lags. I presume on AUTO it's taking a variety of readings and getting the system pressurized before it knows how hard to run the system to try an reach the set temperature.

 

From the Owners Manual:

 

Hi. I too just got a C2, three weeks ago. The same exact thing happened to me. I was concerned because it was the first time in 3 weeks that it happened. It used to come right out cold. Now it is taking 5 to 10 seconds to get cold. I live in Florida and use the air all the time. But that wS the first time it happened to me.

Yes I was told the same thing by my salesman. He told me to just shut the car off and that the ac could be left on. That is new to me for I always used to shut the air or heat off before shutting the car down.

 

Completely NORMAL.

 

AFAIK, turning the A/C off on other cars simply reduces the engine strain on startup. On the Prius, the A/C is electronic and not driven by engine belts, so on/off doesn't have the same effect on startup. I used to turn it off on our van and still do on my truck, but the Prius simply stays on Auto. In some climates, odor can be a problem with any A/C and turning the A/C off and the fan on high a few minutes before getting home might help dry things out to minimize such odors. I've lived in climates from WI to IL, CA, CO, AL, HI and AZ and never had the problem severe enough to worry about, so I don't know how true this is.

 

My dad always shuts off AC before turning the car off.

Back in the day, AC was an ADDITION to a car and put a significant drain on the power system. Now that its standard, the electrical system is designed with the AC system in mind. So, it's not really necessary to do that.

My pickup truck had the AC compressor always on. In other words, it would cycle in order to ensure the system was pressurized. If you had the AC turned off, it just cycled on an infrequent basis. I'm not sure how or if that was "better" over it only being on when the AC was turned on, but IIRC, if you NEVER run the AC, it harms the components (they last longer when used regularly versus no use).

 

Multiple responders saying it's normal, noted in the Owner's Manual, and still people chime in with "yeah but what's wrong?" lol.

It's like watching one of those freeway pile ups: ever gaining new contributors.

 

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink! (now I am really showing my age!)

 

Even if he does drink, naive new colts are born every day.

 

This is normal for the automatic air con system in the Prius. The system in my Mercury did the same. I'm not a fan of the automatic systems...but no choice in my Prius. Can't really see the bother in just turning on the air and choosing the blower speed. But....

 

Other than "convenience," it helps the Prius save energy by adjusting the AC for optimal performance vs. energy conservation. Personally, I like it as compared to always looking for that "sweet spot" on the controls of my other vehicle.

I have a similar issue with space heaters at home. Give me one with a digital thermostat. Dials force me to calibrate and mark the unit so I know what setting is "comfortable" compared to just picking a temperature and letting it run.