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09-27-2012, 09:04 AM | #1 |
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Someone please explain the "auto" climate control
The thing most perplexing to me is the hot/cold knob between the center vents which seems to work when in auto mode. Doesn't this negate the automaticness of being able to set a temperature and let the car sort out the rest? How does this all work, or more importantly how was it intended to be used?
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09-27-2012, 09:43 AM | #2 |
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From what I can tell reading the manual and experimenting, Auto only seems to regulate whether the AC is on or just the fans, which vents the air is directed to, and sort of controls fan speed. You can still control fan speed with Auto on, but that seems to be RELATIVE fan speed in Auto mode, because for example when I get into my car after it's been sitting out in the sun, the fans blast on to try to cool down the interior fast and then slow down after a few minutes even though I didn't change the fan controls.
And as you say, in Auto mode the center knob still works. However, (and there are already several threads about that knob, but I'll indulge you anyway), that knob only controls the temperature of the air that comes out of the two center vents, not the entire car. This is designed so that if you're in a cold climate, you can turn on the heater to warm up your interior but still blow cold air on your face to keep you from getting drowsy due to it being warm and toasty in your car. Some people don't bother with it, others apparently can't live without it. I personally keep it all the way on cold since there are very few parts of the year in Central Texas where I'm using the heater rather than AC.
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09-27-2012, 10:28 AM | #3 |
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After almost a year of ownership this is still one of the most puzzling things about my M. It just seems rather redundant... to me anyways.
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09-27-2012, 10:40 AM | #4 |
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Apparently, the Blue/Red knob in-between the vents is not for Cold/Hot.
The Blue side is to let ouside air in, while the Red side is inside air and only works for the front vents only. Not feet or windhield vents. The example I was given was in the winter time, if you have the heat on your feet or windhshield, keep the knob on blue and it'll take air from the outside and blow through the front vents. Not be to be confused with the re-circulate button |
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09-27-2012, 11:06 AM | #5 |
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09-27-2012, 11:08 AM | #6 | |
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09-27-2012, 11:12 AM | #7 | |
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I'm pretty sure that the winter driving scenario you observed wasn't because it was letting outside air in. Rather, it was doing exactly what I described above, namely heating the rest of the cabin but blowing cool air through the front vents since you had it on the Cold side.
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09-27-2012, 11:13 AM | #8 | |
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03-17-2013, 08:46 PM | #9 |
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hey guys, odd question but my entire climate control system is DEAD - won't power up all of a sudden!
Is there a fuse for the climate control? I didn't do anything and it just died....or is this something I have to take to dealer?
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03-17-2013, 09:09 PM | #10 |
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I only say this because its not an intuitive design, but did you inadvertently turn it off by lowering the fan speed? I think if you do, the only way to power it back on is to push the fan speed increase button. Just a shot in the dark.
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03-17-2013, 09:19 PM | #11 |
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^thanks but I hit every button on that damn display.....haha
Is there a fuse on this circuit?
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03-18-2013, 09:57 AM | #13 |
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Don't forget that AC is not only for cooling, but used as a dehumidifier.
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03-18-2013, 10:11 AM | #14 | ||
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Wrote this for the e46, but most of it applies to the e9X as well...
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03-19-2013, 04:56 PM | #16 |
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03-19-2013, 05:25 PM | #17 |
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The climate control on the M3 is really discombobulated IMO. A climate control needs 3 dials: vent setting, temperature, fan speed. It then needs a recirc function, and a dehumidify function. That's it.
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03-19-2013, 05:31 PM | #18 |
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03-19-2013, 05:43 PM | #19 |
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My personal experience is that following the lengthy instructions above does not work to MY liking, YMMV
A BIG part of how hot or cold i feel is directly related to the temperature of air shooting at me directly from the center vents. The foot vents and top vents might help regulate the temperature but personally i think they are pretty useless. To me the only point of the top vents is to defrost. I'd be perfectly ok with having ONLY center vents (besides the whole defrost thing). That being said if you leave the center blue/red dial in the middle it actually just creates a crappy middle of the road situation where it's this nasty lukewarm air shooting at my face. Having it in the middle means it won't be cool enough when the temperature is hot and it won't be hot enough when the temperature is cool. And it seems like BMW climate control have a heavy top/foot vent bias when you set it on AUTO. Meaning out of a 100% total power it will do something like 25% power center, 35% foot, and 40% top. Therefore i just leave the temperature dial at 72, put it in manual mode with only the center vent activated, and then increase or decrease the fan strength manually when needed. I also just move the center red/blue dial left or right when necessary. Maybe this system works for some people but for me it's just a hassle...
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03-19-2013, 05:51 PM | #20 |
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I've found the Honda auto climate controls pretty confusing as well. There's Full Auto and just Auto and you can change settings and still have Auto or Auto Off. All you get is 1 Auto button to do all this crap though.
In the M3, I leave the auto off and just turn the temp knobs, fan level and manually set AC on and off.
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03-19-2013, 06:09 PM | #21 |
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The red blue dial is one of my fav features of the car esp in winter. When I first get in the car, many times I want the front vents to warm hands and face. After few mins of driving, I get sick of warm air on face and want the vents to blow colder air but the entire car to continue to warm.
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