I figure this might be possible since it is available on the Caliber.
Has anyone made their own "chill zone" in their patriot by routing AC to the glove box?
If so, how did you do it?
Pics?
Walkthrough?

I don't own one but can offer some pointers:

The HVAC in the Caliber, Patriot and Compass are all identical.
You can go to the dealer and order the plastic hose that connects between the HVAC and chill zone compartment
You'll need some side cutters to snip off the plastic cap on the HVAC to open the duct, then slip on the hose and route it to the Glove box... Instant chill zone (Note: the Chill zone only works with the A/C on)

This same HVAC is also installed in the Dodge Avenger & Sebring - I worked the cooler bin on the I/P for the Avenger program. :)

Edit: The location of the cut on the HVAC. There should be a short stub on the of the HVAC. Near the tunnel area of the passenger footwell...

Nice mod. I like it. Pics?

Sounds sweet... what are the downsides to this awesome idea?

Thanks, srothfuss!

There should be a short stub on the of the HVAC. Near the tunnel area of the passenger footwell...


A short stub on the what? of the HVAC? Side?

Since it only "runs" with the A/C on, did you guys do something special with the chill zone box to make it more insulated than the typical glove box. Because after all, if the car ain't running the drinks would be getting just as hot as the rest of the things in the interior.

LOL - You bring up a great point and no the box isn't insulated. It's just thermoformed plastic with a rubber liner. I'd suppose the rubber has a little insulating property but it's nothing magical.

Sorry North: The stub is part of the HVAC case. Located passenger side footwell near the tunnel / firewall area. Right where the resistor block is located. You might need to drop the close out panel to see it (if the Patriot has one in the footwell.)

Downsides: This cooling duct only runs when the A/C is on.. Thus it can only cool your beverages to the temperature of the air coming out of the vents [i.e. it isn't very effecient for short rapid cooling.] On a long road trip it would come in handy..

LOL - You bring up a great point and no the box isn't insulated. It's just thermoformed plastic with a rubber liner. I'd suppose the rubber has a little insulating property but it's nothing magical.

Yeah, the rubber ain't gonna do much. I think that the chill zone is actually not even enclosed in the first place, right? :doh:

The true "cool" mod will be when someone installs a set of solar panels on the roof and removes the glove box completely and replaces it with a mini-fridge that can run on DC power. Then the "chill zone" could run all day so that your afternoon drink of choice will be good and cold. That solution however will be much more costly than a good cooler and a bag of ice! :)

Did you see that the new Ford Flex is coming with a true "mini-fridge"? That's something I'd like to see integrated into a Jeep. (not necessarily the Patriot, due to its size), but maybe one of the bigger ones.

* Class-exclusive refrigerator, mounted between the second-row captain's chairs. Unlike competitors' systems that merely keep cold beverages cool, the Flex's available compressor-driven refrigerator can cool up to seven 12-ounce cans, four half-liter bottles or two 20-ounce bottles from room temperature to 41 degrees in just more than two-and-one-half hours. That's 40 percent faster than a standard home refrigerator.

My biggest problem with the chill zone is that it's directly linked to the A/C. So if you need a cool drink and you turn the A/C on full, the occupants in your car are going to be freezing also!

On the Caliber there is a coverd bin that lays semi flat to hold four 20oz bottles. The Avenger bin is covered and stands vertical. It can only hold four 12oz cans.

Edit: yeah the FLEX is going to be super sweet if it does indeed come with that fridge

The true "cool" mod will be when someone installs a set of solar panels on the roof and removes the glove box completely and replaces it with a mini-fridge that can run on DC power.

I did this this in my vw pop top van. The solar panels (45 watts total) were not nearly enough to run a fridge. I had to install a second Optima yellow battery that charges when the engine is running but with a circuit that cuts it off from the main battery when starting and when the engine is off. (starting would fry the wires if aux battery was low) That runs a small 12v fridge which drains the aux battery in about three hours, even with the solar panels running full steam. The main battery stays charged to start the van. I also use the second battery to run my stereo, accessories, and interior lights when parked. To use the fridge when AC was available I wired an intelligent battery charger into a fused AC circuit and into the aux battery.
Turned out to be a lot of work and expense for a small return, the little fridge did not cool things down well and did not even keep cold things cold when it was really hot in the van. A chest with a block of ice works much better, three days cooling with no power drain. You only need a fridge if you can't get ice for more than three days. Even then, it is much easier to run a fridge by starting the engine from time to time than relying on solar.

Wow - this is funny. The "Chill Zone" is a feature on what was the competion for my money - the Nissan X-trail. For Americans (this sport-ute is sold in Canada, not US) the Nissan X-trail is Nissan's answer to the CR-V and Rav-4. It has an electronically actuated 4x4 mode like the Pat, and is a 4-banger like the Pat. It also has probably the biggest sunroof for the money - its huge. Anyhow - the X-trail cupholders and "storage bin" have little vents hooked up to the HVAC that let you heat or cool a drink. Sounds like this is a "killer-app" that should be on the next Patriot!

I hope that the quotes around "killer-app" was to say that you were being sarcastic.

How about just making the glove box a true cooler with a drain plug. That way we can stop at the convience store at the gas station, buy a $0.99 bag of ice and put it in the glove box. I am thinking it would need a dual wall. Where the drinks would go is aluminum and would have that "cool" color change thing like a can of Coors Light (to let you know when the beverages have reached optimum comsuption temperature). The outer wall would be like the latest fad in roof construction, but in this case it would be a layer of plastic then a layer of high density foam and finally the skin of the Patriot interior. Then the drinks can get nice and cold even when the Patriot is OFF.