Air Con Effectiveness

[Berto84]

In our continuing search for the perfect base van for our first family camper the Mrs has stipulated it has to have air con! A reasonable request I agreed. This has naturally steered us towards looking for a Highline. However I'm just wondering how effective the air con really is once the bulkhead is removed and the van is fully opened up and conveŕted? We will have the young lad in the back and are looking for a Lwb so it seems like a lot of space to cool from blowers in the front.
Is it still worth getting or can I possibly manage without it and look at a lower priced trendline which would give us some spare change for some extra other bells and whistles on the conversion!
Thoughts and experiences much appreciated!

 

[Davenjo]

In our continuing search for the perfect base van for our first family camper the Mrs has stipulated it has to have air con! A reasonable request I agreed. This has naturally steered us towards looking for a Highline. However I'm just wondering how effective the air con really is once the bulkhead is removed and the van is fully opened up and conveŕted? We will have the young lad in the back and are looking for a Lwb so it seems like a lot of space to cool from blowers in the front.
Is it still worth getting or can I possibly manage without it and look at a lower priced trendline which would give us some spare change for some extra other bells and whistles on the conversion!
Thoughts and experiences much appreciated!

We have a Highline based camper with aircon but it is never switched on - tend to just crack the windows open if we need to cool down.

 

[andys]

I'm the exact opposite of @Davenjo , my aircon is left switched on 365 days a year and I would never consider buying a vehicle that didn't have it. The T6 AC isn't massively powerful and doesn't get as cold as a car, but it is good enough. My grandaughter is as hot-blooded as me and she is fine in the summer with it on full cold in the rear seat. It helps if you point a couple of the vents upwards then the cold air circulates better. Much better to get it at the start than be one of the people asking on forums how much it would cost to add it later and being horrified at the cost!

 

[Davenjo]

I wouldn’t buy a car without aircon either, just that I don’t use it very much (not had a day this year where we’ve needed it but you never know - we may get a good summer next year). The only time I have used it was trying to supplement the heated front screen clearing a very condensed window.

 

[andys]

I wouldn’t buy a car without aircon either, just that I don’t use it very much (not had a day this year where we’ve needed it but you never know - we may get a good summer next year). The only time I have used it was trying to supplement the heated front screen clearing a very condensed window.

Yes that's one of the reasons I like aircon, even when you're using the heater it dries the air and you don't get misting up.

 

[former member]

3 zone climate in a Cali Ocean works well.

 

[PukkaT6]

3 zone climate in a Cali Ocean works well.

Ello ello me old mucker

 

[zombie_T6]

Trendlines have aircon as well, or at least mine does.

 

[Berto84]

Thanks for the replies. Probably best I don't go without I'm thinking then. We are planning some summer trips into france where the weather is likely to be more "kind" than ours so may be a life saver then.
Back to the drawing board on how to fund the LED LIGHTS then!

 

[Ed Webb]

I've got a high line and my aircon is awesome. Way better than my Audi A3. Gets bl00dy freezing just how I like it.

 

[former member]

Thanks for the replies. Probably best I don't go without I'm thinking then. We are planning some summer trips into france where the weather is likely to be more "kind" than ours so may be a life saver then.
Back to the drawing board on how to fund the LED LIGHTS then!

While this year's "big trip" didn't get much above 30, last years hit 40 several times. While a bit of an exaggeration, the climate/aircon was a bit of a lifesaver. We actually sat in the van a few times with the engine running and aircon on full blast. What WASN'T handy was one time it did a DPF regen thing (or whatever it is) and heated up the floor of the van - this was a mile or two from a massive forest fire, ash falling everywhere, air well into the 40s.

 

[Berto84]

Mind made up. Air con it is! Just to keep the Mrs happy of course! I'd rather sweat my nads off and have some fancy lights really!

 

[MikeB]

If you're buying new, and it's a choice between aircon and LED headlights, you do need both - - cost notwithstanding - - -

 

[HotandCold]

My Highline LWB conversion aircon works fine, we were out in 30+degrees last summer and kept cool enough. You can add a rear evaporator unit, running off the front via a tap-in adaptor which then works like the twin a/c caravelles and Calis.

 

[Berto84]

My Highline LWB conversion aircon works fine, we were out in 30+degrees last summer and kept cool enough. You can add a rear evaporator unit, running off the front via a tap-in adaptor which then works like the twin a/c caravelles and Calis.

Interesting! Any further info or links for that unit mate? It's definitely been decided we'll only be considering vans with air con!

 

[HotandCold]

My business is installing aircon and heating in specialist vehicles so I’m involved in this sort of thing. Webasto and Eberspacher are the two main suppliers of this equipment, Kalori are another. The T6 aircon front end has plenty of capacity to run a second unit. There is a large range of evaporator depending on available room and cooling requirements.

 

[DXX]

I have a 2016 Highline with standard AC, it functions well with the fan speed on 4, unfortunately the noise is about the same as having the windows fully open at 60MPH!
It seems that the AC is working as ‘normal’ but the fan speeds 1, 2 & 3 don’t have much air flow. I’ve tried every combination on temperature, fan speed and vent but my conclusion is that there is a either a defect or a design flaw.
Does anybody have the same ‘problem’

 

[HotandCold]

I have a 2016 Highline with standard AC, it functions well with the fan speed on 4, unfortunately the noise is about the same as having the windows fully open at 60MPH!
It seems that the AC is working as ‘normal’ but the fan speeds 1, 2 & 3 don’t have much air flow. I’ve tried every combination on temperature, fan speed and vent but my conclusion is that there is a either a defect or a design flaw.
Does anybody have the same ‘problem’

You might find that your pollen filter is becoming blocked and restricting the air flow, or it could be an issue with the flaps in the heater box.

 

[DXX]

The problem was fixed on warranty - blown resistor unit for ventilation fan, apparently a known issue.