OK, I have some questions that I am hoping someone here can clarify after discussing some issues with my dealer. I have had some repeat AC issues, particularly with my second row which does not have its own climate source. I have a base Defender 110 with only AC controls in the front.

Issue - I will always have my car on 68 and will measure a variance of 5ish degrees of air temp out of the front and 50-100 degrees out of the back.

Here is my current understanding (without much in-depth knowledge) of how AC works in cars and I thought my Defender.

• When you set the AC to 68 degrees
  • My understanding - it will blow 68 degree air out. From my memory in all my previous cars (Subaru, Jeep, Volvo, Toyota) this is how it worked.
  • My dealer - is telling me that the Defender is trying to set the internal temp to 68 degrees so it may blow hot air if the cabin is cooler than 68 degrees. I thought this behavior was only expected if on "Auto".
• The next piece that confused me was how the rear should act without any climate controls in the back.
  • My understanding - The rear should blow the same temp as whatever the front is set to since there are no rear controls.
  • My dealer - Since there are no controls in the back the rear can only blow full hot or full cold.... This makes no sense to me. They said that if the front was set to 68 and the car was cooler than that the car would blow heat and the back would blow as hot as possible since its only on and off? This means that 140-degree air coming out of the back on my rear passengers is expected but I refuse to believe that....

Any clarification here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Your dealer is more or less correct.

 

I suspect something in the heating/AC system changed during the chip shortage. Our 2021 quietly keeps the same cabin temp to the point that you never even notice. Our 2023 suddenly blows cold air or hot air that requires you to constantly adjust the temp setting or fan speed. Even on "sync" I can hear the back fan blowing air when the front is not.

 

Same with our 2020. I leave it on 68 all year in Texas. When strong cold fronts blow in I might turn it up to 70 for a bit, but then usually back down to 68 after 15-20 minutes. It’s like set it and forget it.

 

I had this issue which was recently fixed by Sewell in north Austin. They set the front temperature to 68 and it measured 98 in the back. They ended up replacing the secondary row ac module and now it’s closer to 72 which is fine with me.

 

Something isn't working right. I agree with the dealer that it's looking to maintain 68 degrees.
If it's hot as you know what outside it's not going to start by blowing 68, it's going to blow "max" cold which could be in 40's to 50's depending on the car.

If the front and rear aren't directionally the same, then something isn't working correctly. You can test this at the dealership by starting your vehicle and another one and setting the same temp and see how it works. @is21447 is correct with his experience.

I had a vehicle that the AC unit leaked. When you would fill the refrigerant and stick a thermometer in the vents it would read in the 40's. Then we knew it was full again and disconnect it until we needed to refill it again.

 

I had this exact same issue. I took it to the dealer and they said the AC module needed to be reset/replaced/ and updated. They did whatever they did and it fixed it. I also had an issue where the driver side was blowing the correct temp while the passenger side was blowing heat. They fixed that as well. All under warranty.

 

Ya Sewell of North Austin has had my car 10 times for this issue. They have replaced the entire HVAC system and modules multiple times. When I picked it up this last time they said that they tested it against other cars with the same AC setup as mine and it's expected for the rear to either blow as hot as possible or as cold as possible.

This still just doesn't make sense to me and when using the temp gauge I have I don't see this behavior consistently. With the current temps in Austin in the 50s I keep my AC on 68. I will see the front blowing between 68-75 degrees and at the same time the back will be blowing an identical temp or 140 degrees. I just refuse to believe that this is how it's intended to operate. When I have people in the back I literally have to closet he vents so they don't overheat.

Anyway, I received a survey while my car was in for the 10th time and filled it out honestly saying the people were awesome and the experience with everyone there has been great. I said the car has been in 10+ times and still is not fixed. When I picked my car up this week the Service Director told me the surveys go to their owner and caused problems and not to come back and that I wouldn't be satisfied.... Wild experience that I haven't had with any other brand. Man, I love this car but don't think I will be able to keep it especially now that I apparently can't take it back to Sewell.

 

I would take that as a challenge and keep going back. In parallel I would contact JLR customer support and open a ticket with them. 10 times for the same thing is lemon law territory in any state that has a lemon law.
I would also argue that if they tried to fix it 10 times they clearly think there is a problem. Otherwise they would have said that it's normal after the first time.

Don't put this one to bed yet. Time to change tactics and get some resolution. You can also call your states attorney general and ask them to assist in this situation. They should have an email or form you fill out with your concerns. State facts, don't use any emotion other than disappointment. You'll be surprised how the service group will react once they get a call from them. I've been through more customer disappointment than most people. I've learned some things over the years that's for sure.

 

I would agree that this is not how the system is designed to operate.

What year is your Defender, and how much warranty do you have left? (and when was the 1st visit to the dealership for this, and how long between that and the latest one)?