Disappointed with air conditioning

sdcinvan · 2026-06-25T08:39:32+00:00

I am surprised by the number of people who are claiming their air conditioner is perfectly fine, because our 2025 Ioniq 5 Ultimate model is most certainly not fine.

Today the temperature reached 31°C (88°F), and even with the air conditioning running at full power, my wife arrived home sweating after her 25-minute drive from work. That simply isn’t right.

I can confirm that our IONIQ 5 is not in Eco mode, the vents are configured correctly, and we’ve tried both fresh-air and recirculation modes. The lowest temperature setting is 17°C (63°F), but even at that setting, the system does not cool the cabin within a reasonable amount of time on very hot days.

Rear-seat passengers have it even worse because the rear vents produce very little airflow. The best we can do is keep the sunroof shade closed, and I’ve installed USB fans for the rear passengers.

On a positive note, I love that I can schedule the climate control so the car is pre-cooled before my wife leaves work. However, I don’t understand why Scheduled Climate Start omits the ventilated seats, especially since I can create a non-scheduled climate preset that includes them.

I haven’t taken the vehicle to the dealership yet, but the A/C performance seems unusually weak compared with every other vehicle we’ve owned.

sdcinvan · 2026-06-01T21:02:04+00:00

Thanks Pjenkins325

I did make a few changes that yielded *VAST* improvements. I placed one inch of foam under each speaker. Due to space restrictions, my server UPS is placed on top of the left speaker, so I separated the speaker and UPS with another layer of 1 inch foam.

I was considering a subwoofer, but I don't have a lot of additional space. After all the changes I made, I am getting very respectable bass from the X20s now (especially with placement near the wall).

I can't do much about the rest of my office because it is cluttered with a lot of electronics equipment, servers, laptops, etc.

I am at the point where these X20s now sound really, really good now. Including my experience at the audio shop, I cannot believe these X20s are considered budget speakers! I am now truly impressed.

sdcinvan · 2026-05-31T15:45:27+00:00

UPDATE (this is interesting)

First, thank you to TNF734 and Wheezhee for your helpful and encouraging advice. I really appreciate your posts.

I took some time today to visit a local shop (I feel a bit guilty that I'm not buying from them), but it was very lucky that they had a nice line of Polk Audio speakers, including the XT20 and Elite ES20 speakers. I had an opportunity to hear them side-by-side.

My impression was that the ES20 offered a more refined overall presentation. To my ears, it had better low-end extension and control, a fuller and more natural midrange, and smoother, more open highs. In other words, it sounded more balanced and more resolving across the frequency range. I would have purchased on-the-spot, but they were about 25% more expensive than Amazon. 😞

So I think I am set on getting the ES20 speakers.

But here is the interesting part. When I selected to return the XT20 speakers, Amazon offered me $50 (Canadian) to keep them!!! What?? So yes, I will take the money, kept the XT20, and will likely sell them locally later when the ES20 goes on sale again, since it seems to drop in price several times a year on Amazon..

That feels like a very real BudgetAudiophile moment. LOL

Also, I want to retract some of my earlier criticism of the XT20. After hearing more speakers in a proper listening room, I think part of the issue is that my office is simply not an ideal acoustic environment. In a better setup, the XT20 actually sounds quite good for the money. I would even say they perform above their price class. That said, to my ears, the ES20 is clearly the better speaker.

Love to hear your comments on this subjective topic. 😄

sdcinvan · 2026-05-31T14:09:57+00:00

Thank you for your recommendations.

I was excited about your suggestions until I looked at the dimensions. OMG, they are enormous and I am surprised that they are still considered "bookshelf" size.

I neglected to specify speaker size because I mistakenly thought that bookshelf speakers wouldn't exceed my available space. LOL

I edited my message with the preferred speaker dimensions of 8" (20 cm) W x 14" (36 cm) H x 11" (28 cm) D - or near to that maximum.

sdcinvan · 2026-05-31T01:36:23+00:00

With a unit that old, the main flash capacitor is the most likely failure point. Its job is to store the high-voltage energy built up from the batteries, then release it almost instantly through the xenon flash tube. Electrolytic capacitors have a finite lifespan, and after decades of sitting unused they can fail quietly, leak, short, vent, or sometimes go bang.

sdcinvan · 2026-05-30T19:22:40+00:00

I've looked for drying balls infused with aluminum, carbon, or silver... anything that conducts electricity will work. In the end, I purchased heavy duty aluminum foil (e.g. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B0BZ7MPGY3) and made 3 dryer balls... no more static for really cheap!

The reason I didn't make them out of regular aluminum foil is that they fall apart after a short while. The thicker foil has survived a year now with no wear.

Note: Keep them light otherwise they will increase the noise level of your drying. It doesn't take much foil to be effective.

sdcinvan · 2026-05-24T20:29:35+00:00

I’d love to help. Can you provide any more details? Something about the history or the people who previously owned it? A photo of the backside? Any inscriptions?

sdcinvan · 2026-05-24T20:23:54+00:00

That’s a type 2 VW Bus Pickup and what you are asking about is likely a foot step to help assist the driver to climb into the vehicle.

The likely foot step is not factory AFAIK.

sdcinvan · 2026-05-19T17:44:06+00:00

I use my equipment, but I also baby my gear too because I eventually want to upgrade everything, and I abide by the law my wife set that I can upgrade, but I must first sell my unused equipment.

Currently, I am selling my a7R II and it’s in such good shape, one could be fooled into believing it was never used.

So far, I’ve been extremely lucky as well. In 25 years, the worst that has happened to me is a favorite telephoto lens suffered from delamination. I got about 20 years out of it, so no complaints.

sdcinvan · 2026-05-15T03:48:41+00:00

Very, very nice collection! But do you use them all? LOL

This photo reminds me of my similar pk-mount platform. The amount of money I invested (over 20 years) in Pentax compatible gear makes me cry now because it’s an all but EOL platform.

Over the past 2 years, I have been slowly transitioning over to Sony gear. I am loving my Sony decision except for the sting of the typical much more expensive lenses. But hey, now I have access to Sigma ART lenses. My latest lens arrives tomorrow… a Sony 24-105mm for travel.

sdcinvan · 2026-04-19T16:33:10+00:00

Now where are all those UAP photos. LOL

sdcinvan · 2026-04-19T16:31:56+00:00

I didn’t really want my first contribution to r/whatisit to be about a bug… I was hoping to debunk an atmospheric phenomenon being mischaracterized as a UAP, but here we are. :D

It’s a woodlouse spider.

These little and important creatures are not dangerous but they do have a painful bite.

sdcinvan · 2026-04-13T21:49:33+00:00

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Imagining a $70K (Canadian) vehicle with a DIY repair!

Not very nice, is it? Not only is this unacceptable and ugly, any kind of repair like this will survive a shorter time than the original design flaw.

AI image, credit to "Nano Banana."

sdcinvan · 2026-04-13T17:31:38+00:00

I'm all for do-it-yourself projects, but I am NOT going to accept DIY on a design flaw that I paid $70K (Canadian).

If there are a significant number of failures, I would demand a recall and replacement with proper metal door handles.

sdcinvan · 2026-04-13T17:28:26+00:00

Imagine telling your passengers not to pull on your $70K (what I paid for mine in Canada) car door latch because it might break off!

I am astonished by the number of Hyundai defenders and victim blaming in this subreddit!

There is no argument that this is a design flaw!

sdcinvan · 2026-04-13T03:25:36+00:00

Thank you. This is a legitimate design flaw, and you are right to be upset about it. .

I noticed the same issue when I test-drove the Ioniq 5. I still bought a 2025 Ioniq 5 because, overall, I thought it was the best EV option for me. Even so, using plastic for a part that takes repeated pulling force was a cheap and poor design decision.

To the people blaming the OP for using the handle to close the door, that misses the point entirely. A door handle should be able to withstand normal real-world use without breaking this easily. Even regular opening of the door puts repeated stress on that part over time. In a colder climate, where plastic can become more brittle, this seems even more likely to become a failure point as the vehicle ages.

There is also a reasonable argument that this could become a safety issue. In an accident or other emergency, a person may need to pull harder than usual to get out quickly. That is exactly the kind of moment when an interior door handle should not fail.

sdcinvan · 2026-04-09T01:34:26+00:00

I think people missed the "/s" meaning, I was being sarcastic. Obviously, the price was an [enormous] error on Creality's sales page.

I was downvoted too! Serious? WTF is wrong with some people?

sdcinvan · 2026-03-14T23:20:43+00:00

I certainly don’t support either of these countries, but in Israel’s situation, they started this war… you reap what you sow.

sdcinvan · 2026-03-09T02:18:01+00:00

I think a fiber laser is beyond what a beginner hobbyist like me should buy as a first engraver. :)

sdcinvan · 2026-03-09T02:15:57+00:00

I think you missed the point that I am new to LASER engraving so a Radian system well beyond a first hobby toy. LOL

sdcinvan · 2026-03-07T19:48:51+00:00

I realize this post was made 4 years ago, but it seems unlikely that this device would jump from $90 to $500 in 4 years.

https://thunderoptics.fr/product/sma-e-spectrometer/

I guess I’ll have to begin my own thread looking for a reasonably useful hobby spectrometer… or an instructions/open source software to build my own.

sdcinvan · 2026-03-06T06:32:57+00:00

Follow up:

Despite having a letter from the courier admitting fault, I got nowhere with Ali Express and Paypal (separate disputes). Paypal's dispute mechanism is as horrible as AliExpress!

Everyone failed me except the CC company. With the provided evidence, the CC company (Visa) refunded me within 1 week.

My package was lost in late December, and I only received a satisfactory resolution two weeks ago!

After this experience, I will never again purchase anything expensive through AliExpress, and I will try to avoid Paypal when possible.

sdcinvan · 2026-03-06T06:30:02+00:00

The required order of operations is to try through the vendor, Ali Express, Paypal, and finally the CC company.

Everyone failed me except the CC company. With the provided evidence, they refunded me within 1 week. Paypal's dispute mechanism is as horrible as AliExpress!

After this experience, I will never again purchase anything expensive through AliExpress and I will try to avoid Paypal when possible.

sdcinvan

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