Mine works great. No problems cooling off quickly or maintaining temperature. I just set it to around 72, hit AUTO and let is do it's thing. For reference I have an all black interior, and I drive daily in bumper to bumper traffic every afternoon going 0-15 mph for about 30 minutes continuous (Adaptive cruise for the win!), before I get on the backroads and can start moving again. Here in Charlotte NC the summer month are consistently high 90s to low 100s every afternoon.

I think you should check your system.

1. Check refrigerant level first.
2. Ensure your cooling fans are working properly.
3. Make sure your Intercooler/radiator/condenser stack is not obstructed and the gaps between the fins are not plugged up with road grime, dirt, sand, debris, etc.

If all that checks out, you may just have a compressor that is worn out and cannot build adequate pressure differential between high and low sides of the system, but that should become obvious in step 1 when you hook up a manifold gage set.

 

Same. Set mine at a cool 21 Celsius no matter what and the car warms/cools to that temperature.

 

need a lot more details but my 2012 S60 works fine, air flow is good. I know nothing about the xc70.
A/C diagnosis starts with pressure checks.

 

Mine works fine. The Sedans don't have tinted windows though, so that would have an impact in efficiency, but that wouldn't impact the output. If you're not getting real cold air at the vents there is an issue..

 

as a side question, and maybe all volvos are this way. I learned on my S60 that the control buttons for floor, vents, and defroster modes are actually separate on and off buttons. So you have to make sure that the vents are not turned off.....To me, a weird way to do it, but sure makes a big difference in vent airflow !
duh😳

 

You're say that even on the "auto" AC setting you still need to open all the vents? Maybe that is my problem, never even thought to mess with that!

 

Mine works well. The system SOUNDS terrible sometimes, with the well-documented "groan" when the compressor is engaged. In the heat I usually set to LO x2 and keep recirc turned off. Windows, body & floor usually. I have a charcoal cabin filter (Mahle I think) that probably should be replaced (is about 1yr old) and the automatic Air Quality system which does its thing in the background.

Mine takes a minute or two to really cool the car, owing to black interior, but blows cold pretty soon after startup. Once it gets going, the system blows ice-cold. Not sure if it's ever been serviced, but if not, it puts out an impressive amount of cold air for a 13-year old setup. I keep waiting for it to break, and it hasn't. (Knock on Urbane wood trim...)

One thing I've noticed about the Volvo compared to my Chevy or Mazda is that it takes a little more fan speed to actually feel like the cold air is blowing. The Volvo has more vents than both, which might reduce some of the airflow pressure? Either way I have no complaints about the Volvo system, as long as it keeps working.

A/C use usually kicks my engine fan on immediately, to the degree where you can feel a vibration in the pedals at idle.

Just topped off my coolant (it was getting a little close to MIN for my liking) in anticipation of a July 4th trip to DC. That'll probably be a 10-hour drive in the heat, in traffic, with 3 people in the car.... if we make it home with A/C still blowing I'll be impressed.

 

Mine works great, and I am often in the Palm Springs during the 100 plus temp. The car gets really hot sitting in the parking lot and it cools quickly. The car is a 2012 s60 t5, without tinted windows…

 

The two P3 HVAC systems should be fairly similar so I'm thinking something might be wrong with the S60. As suggested, make sure all vents are open and hold a thermometer near the vents to see exactly how cold the air is that is coming out. You may just be low on refrigerant.

 

"I usually set to LO x2 and keep recirc turned off.". ben D

is there a reason why you keep recirc off after cooling the cabin down a little?
recirc is designed to be used for max cooling after getting the cabin cooled down some.

 

I avoid the overuse of recirc b/c of moisture (and other crud) buildup in the system. I use it primarily when I am driving through dusty areas / bad air quality (such as today in New England). The air quality system will automatically cancel it after a while anyways. As far as I know, it's not something to be used permanently.

 

To AM REED:
ok...follow me
when auto is selected, the fan speed is selected automatically and the vent mode ,cabin vents in my case , is also selected. There is no pax in seat diagram.
If I change the fan speed, auto is disconnected, the diagram shows up and the cabin vent/s (mode) chosen by the auto mode show selected. But Now you are in manual mode.
If you are in manual mode, the pax in seat diagram is showing, and depending on what vents(mode) you select, that arrow/s will be displayed or not displayed.
If you are in manual mode, regardless of what vents/mode are selected on or off, if you select auto, the pax in seat diagram will disappear and the system selects the vents(mode) it wants....

the thing is, if you are in auto mode and change the fan speed just one "bump", or select a vent(mode), it puts you in manual mode.
to me, it's just that you can be driving and if you're not aware of how this system works, you might put yourself in a "low airflow mode" and not know it.
Anytime the pax in seat diagram is displayed, you are in manual mode and need to make sure an arrow is pointing to what vents you want on.......
kinda annoying.....

makes me wonder if some of the airflow complaints on this site just might be operator error.

 

Not great - I attribute it to the apparently leaking evaporator per the UV dye by the evap drain

 

My AC has always been on the weaker side as compared to other luxury vehicles since day 1. In the dead of summer the fan speed is usually at max for my entire drive home, about 30 minutes. The car does sit in the sun all day. And this is with tinted windows all the way around and the use of a windshield sunscreen and leaving the windows cracked.

 

I got in the car today and the temperature gauge read 122 degrees in about 10 minutes the car was cooled down in 20 minutes I turned the fan down…

 

My A/C got so cold last night (set to LO, fan speed 2) that it left cold condensation patches on the windshield. It wasn't hot here - damp and cool - but the air quality is bad, so I've been using my A/C a lot more than usual. The classic groan from under the hood sound terrible but the system still works a treat. I do think my compressor is either seized or suffering from a bad clutch. Sometimes, you can hear some kind of rotational friction noise from outside the car when the A/C is engaged.

 

If an a/c system has been opened/serviced, sometimes the proper amount of oil isn't added. If that is true, the compressor can make a noise.
The clutches can make a noise.
There was a service bulletin on my 2012 S60 about a noisy compressor, I believe it was a hose.

a/c system work takes correct knowledge, especially for us DIY'ers, if you want to avoid the "a/c rabbit hole" scenario.

 

Yes, I worried a lot when I first bought this car that the compressor was failing. It could be, of course, but it also hasn't broken yet, so I'm crossing my fingers. I'm certainly not well-versed enough in A/C systems to trace the sound exactly, but it is actually more audible in the car, than outside.

The noise is intermittent - sometimes it will get really loud and whiny. Other times, it will go days without occurring at all, and the A/C won't be audible.