notopm3

This A/C system is driving me nuts. In order to get it to actually blow cold air I have to hit the "MAX" button, which makes the fan blow as hard as possible. I immediately have to turn the fan down. If I just use the little snowflake button, the air is cool, but not cold as MAX and feels a little humid. So, I constantly have to run the "MAX" A/C. Then is shuts itself off and goes back to the regular snowflake A/C which is not nearly as cold. Long story short, I constantly have to reengage the MAX button in order to keep the cold air flowing in.

Why is the regluar A/C not cold, but the MAX A/C is very cold? Why does it keep turning itself off? I know it has an automatic function (which I don't remember ever setting), but when it switches from MAX to snowflake, it gets noticeably warmer in the car...which should trigger the MAX function immediately, right?

Jim165

I think the MAX function simply recirculates/recools the air in the car to cool the interior
down faster. The standard function with the snowflake will cool outside air unless you have the recirculation button pressed. Is this a constant condition where it never gets cool in normal mode or only when you start the car and it's hot inside and outside? I'm wondering if you have low freon and the auto shutoff of the blower on MAX is a damage-prevention function? Get your freon levels checked...

bcromwell

Almost sounds to me like you have the upper vents turned to warm in idrive.

healthservices

1. Go to idrive to change settings
2. if the ac stops working each time you get into the car, and you have to re hit the button it is the control panel

Jim165

Did a quick Google and it looks to be a very common problem with the E60. As a matter of fact, I think this happened to me yesterday, but I chalked it up to my hitting one of the buttons by accident. Most people are saying it's either a compressor issue and will require a replacement, a control panel issue, or an interior temp sensor issue...

notopm3

I will check it out. I love this car but it is unnecessarily complicated. Everything doesn't need to be adjustable. the A/C in my 99 M3 is so much more user-friendly.

notopm3

When I use the MAX button the air comes through crisp and cold...just like you expect. If I just use the little snowflake button, it feels a little humid and just cool. Essentially I keep the MAX button on at all times and occasionally it turns itself off and only runs the snowflake. The change is immediately noticeable. Hopefully it is just the dumb idrive.

sanjsanj

check idrive centre vent settings, and where the vents are directed to blow out of.
Max cooling switches on the ac, recirculate mode, and forces all air through the vents only.

I think it switches off the max once the system thinks it's cold enough, that or it's on a timer. Mine gets too cold on max cooling so I've never had to use it on that mode for long.

So do check your settings, but it sounds like your ac gas levels are low if it only cools properly in recirculate mode. A regas should cost too much, it's ~£45 at indys here. That's the full pressure test vacuum test, dye test and refill. DIT test: after setting idrive floor and windscreen air flow to off, and centre vents to coldest, get a thermometer and measure air coming out of the vents with recirculate off. Should be ~5-7 degrees C. If not, most likely needs gas.

notopm3

Tried everything last night and it's still not working properly. The only way to get cold, dehumidified air is to keep the MAX button on. The car is still under warranty, so I'm going to take it in and have it checked out.

deltabox

Please post your findings after dealer visit. I had this similar problem the other week. It was a hot day and I hit the MAX button, it works fine and all. But after about 3 minutes, the MAX went out and it went back to normal AC mode. I hit the MAX button again and it did the same thing again.

My AC works just fine with MAX on or off, but just wondering why it would turn itself off like that. So now, I just turn my dial all the way clockwise for max air.