Auto climate feature turns on A/C in winter..
#16
Lexus Test Driver
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 1,170
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Anyone else notice that if you turn on the Auto climate while the car is still 'cold' it will keep the fan speed on a lower setting and gradually increase it while the car warms up? I thought that was kinda neat, I drove a TL for a while and if you put it on Auto it would blow full blast regardless of how cold the engine was.
#17
I HAVE noticed this. The problem is that when it's very cold you get very little air circulation until the engine has warmed significantly. I would rather get a little lukewarm air than none at all.
#18
Well, if nobody here knows. A/C not only decreases temperatures, but it also dehumidifies. The point of the A/C coming on when it's cold out is to prevent the windows from fogging up. If you don't believe me, next time you're out driving...manually press the AC button to turn it off and drive around. The windows will start fogging up within 5 minutes or less in 30-40F weather. The colder it is outside, the quicker the windows will fog up.
I guess they gave the option of turning it off so you can roll around in the winter with the windows down and heater blasting. Yes I do that sometimes
I guess they gave the option of turning it off so you can roll around in the winter with the windows down and heater blasting. Yes I do that sometimes
#19
Anyone else notice that if you turn on the Auto climate while the car is still 'cold' it will keep the fan speed on a lower setting and gradually increase it while the car warms up? I thought that was kinda neat, I drove a TL for a while and if you put it on Auto it would blow full blast regardless of how cold the engine was.
#20
Not that I don't trust Gernby, but can someone confirm this? Anyone ask a tech? My girlfriend drives around in her BMW with the A/C lit all the time. I always thought that meant that the compressor was on and that she was killing her mileage even when she was blowing hot air out the vents.
#21
If the A/C light is illuminated in auto mode, does it require more fuel consumption? Regular A/C in hot weather obviously eats up gas so do you think it would have some effect in Auto mode in cold weather?
#22
Lexus Champion
besides the a/c being on to remove moisture, the a/c light being on doesn't mean that the compressor is actually running the entire time. the ecu will turn it on when it deems necessary, like when the humidity increases inside.
when you have your temp set on a warm temp, warm air will blow out compared to outside air, whether the a/c is on or not. it's just like the thermostat in your house, except the a/c has to be available to dehumidify the interior the car.
when you have your temp set on a warm temp, warm air will blow out compared to outside air, whether the a/c is on or not. it's just like the thermostat in your house, except the a/c has to be available to dehumidify the interior the car.
#23
besides the a/c being on to remove moisture, the a/c light being on doesn't mean that the compressor is actually running the entire time. the ecu will turn it on when it deems necessary, like when the humidity increases inside.
when you have your temp set on a warm temp, warm air will blow out compared to outside air, whether the a/c is on or not. it's just like the thermostat in your house, except the a/c has to be available to dehumidify the interior the car.
when you have your temp set on a warm temp, warm air will blow out compared to outside air, whether the a/c is on or not. it's just like the thermostat in your house, except the a/c has to be available to dehumidify the interior the car.
#24
Koz
#26
Yeah but honestly it only works great sometimes. Most of the time even when the car warms up the fan speed stays in between low to medium or just medium and here in NJ it gets very cold (especially today with all the snow/sleet). Also, the computer doesn't really a good job directing the flow of air as it mostly goes pointing the legs.
Koz
#28
Not that I don't trust Gernby, but can someone confirm this? Anyone ask a tech? My girlfriend drives around in her BMW with the A/C lit all the time. I always thought that meant that the compressor was on and that she was killing her mileage even when she was blowing hot air out the vents.
Koz
#30
Super Moderator
The compressor in our car is not simply "engaged" or "disengaged". Rather than cycling on and off, we have a variable displacement compressor that is able to vary it's capacity depending on load, engine demand, etc. In cool weather, the compressor will run with a very small displacement, dehumidifying without exacting a large fuel mileage penalty.