2008 Mazda5 - blacked out the A/C Condensor

[twentysixtwo]

Just a pet peeve of mine but I hate to look into the lower grille and see the silver AC condensor. I spray painted mine with some matte black krylon. After deciding I wasn't going to hassle with removing the lower grille, I simply spray painted through the holes and wiped off the overspray with a rag.

Looks much better....... Will post a pic when I have time.

[jeebusm3]

that's quite a pet peeve. doesn't black dissipate heat less effectively?

[jandree22]

White (or at least OEM silver) reflects light better, black will absorb light energy and convert it to heat. Also, not sure of the chemical makeup of Krylon, but I imagine it has some insulating effect. I hate to say it, but I think you just really eff’ed up your AC system, at least lowered it’s efficiency. I’m with jeeb here, if you were to paint a non-functional component, big deal… unfortunately the reason it’s positioned there is to expose it to cool outside air, and painting it is only going to hurt performance.

I hope you can come back and prove me wrong by stating that your AC system still works like a charm… this is one case I really would like to be proven wrong. But I don’t think I am, unfortunately :(


Disclaimer: Take my opinion here with a grain of salt, as I myself painted my brake calipers black. I have no doubt that I am contributing to brake fade by doing so, but I still believe this is of minimal difference when compared to painting something that’s sole purpose is dissipating heat.

[rweatherford]

I'd agree that it might not be quite as good, but many AC systems have black paint on them. I probably wouldn't worry if it's not really thick.

[twentysixtwo]

Black is good at ABSORBING heat but as the condenser is hidden this is a non issue. Black is also the best color for REJECTING heat (for the same reasons) and therefore black is actually a GOOD color for this.

As far as insulation, if I had put a thick coat on all the fins I'd agree, but this is a light spray that is really only on the ends of the fins. I haven't noticed any difference and don't expect to - based on experience I had engineering A/C systems for cars and trucks.

Speaking of which, if anyone wants "S" plan on a Mazda, just send me a PM and I can arrange it.

[rtalain]

I know that black dissipates heat well, but what I don't know is what the hell an "S" plan is.

[twentysixtwo]

is the Ford Employee discount for Mazda's. If I remember correctly it is basically the invoice price.

[rtalain]

Wow. That's a pretty gracious offer. If I didn't have mine already, I'd be all over it!

[stillageek]

Yup S plan is basically Invoice.
For my GT the Splan price was 21,063 before dealer discounts and Mazda lease cash. Makes negotiating a breeze.