SteveRX330

I have a 2005 RX330 w/Navigation and am dismayed that the only way to adjust climate fan speed is via a three step procedure using the navigation screen: Climate | Fan Speed, followed by pressing another button to return the screen to its prior state. This necessitates taking your eyes off the road for several seconds while executing the sequence of screen commands; this annoying and dangerous. I think this awkward procedure is at odds with Lexus' other purported safety implementations: a crude block that prohibits entering navigation commands while the car is in motion and a complete block of phone dialing while the car is in motion. In pains me to think that Lexus forgot to include a simple fan speed **** in a $40K automobile!

Steve

spwolf

no offense, but why dont you use auto air? I dont notice the "problem" in my prius at all although I usually keep it at auto air... Screen buttons are very large and easy to use.

JZA80MHU38

spwolf, you really need to sit in one of these RX to feel the "hurricane". Wind blows like crazy no matter what temperature you set the auto-climate control at, especially when the outside temperature get extreme.

I usually will just adjust the slot flip to the side so it's not going to blow air into my face, till the other passengers complain about it. Yes I appreciate the reliable A/C on Japanese cars but the RX is just way too strong in blowing winds.

SteveRX330

This is a bit of a stretch, but what does the Prius have to do with the RX330 and its dashboard design?

If you're suggesting that I always run the AUTO mode and rely on the programmed defaults for fan speed, that is not acceptable. There are many times when I choose not to drive in AUTO and run the A/C, e.g., like the cool, dry days we had the past six weeks before the rains hit.

Steve

SteveRX330

Okay, now I'm really confused about where this thread is going. I raised an issue about the lack of a fan speed knobl that results in you having to navigate through a three step screen procedure to simply raise/lower your fan speed. What does this have to do with hurricanes???

Steve

JZA80MHU38

Just an analogy, the air con blows out winds like crazy in auto mode in my RX400h.

lexuslover

funny thread.

here are two suggestions:

(1) Auto setting, as spwolf mentioned. if it's 90 degrees outside, and you want less air, just adjust the air temp upwards. it sounds counter-intuitive, but it works. we do this in the RX and GS because we don't want to use the nav screen all the time. even though it may be 90 outside and the thing initially blasts in your face, turn it up to high 70's and the fan speed goes WAY down (all the way to low) - the air is still cold (it's all relative anyway) A/C and cools down the cabin. if the cabin temp later becomes too warm, turn the auto temp up a bit and the fan will go faster... i think it works pretty well, no complaints here. the other thing, if you have voice recog nav (our GS does, but not RX), you can tell the thing what temp, making the auto setting even better and truly hands free. so i get in the car and say "78 degrees" and the fan speed goes way down; and Yes, the air is still plenty cold and comfortable.

(2) decide what screen setting you want and adjust the auto-transition accordingly. if you adjust the temp alot, then turn off the auto transition and keep it on Climate while you drive. if you like watching your little nav arrow move along the roads most of the time, turn on the auto-transition and that saves you one step to get back to your map.

SteveRX330

I'm not familiar with this setting. Is this something I can set as a default or does the dealer need to do this with his handheld? Thanks.

I must admit, all this monkey business shouldn't be necessary when a simple dash-mounted control would be more intuitive and work fine.

lexuslover

dealer is not necessary. it's in the MENU button functions. you can select On or Off on your own. when auto transition is off, it will stay on climate until you select otherwise. when you turn off the car, however, it will revert back to "i agree", although the auto transition is still Off, you do not have to reset it each time. it stays that way until you change it. (1 exception - if you are on Info screen, it will stay there even after car is restarted)

spwolf

they have similar/same nav screens and same fan speed options, which is why I pointed out my experience.

I have to say that I much preffer it to Prado/GX interface which has fan speed on the buttons as well however it has soo many buttons that it is quite hard to use whenever I drive it. I preffer simplicity of RX setup which is quite similar to my Prius.

of course, you have to adjust to it as lexuslover said but I i found it intuitive rather than distracting...

SteveRX330

Lexuslover:

I don't see the "Adjust Auto Transition" under the Menu screen. Perhaps your navi is slightly different than mine (I have a 2005 RX330).

But let's not lose sight of my principal issue: I would like the capability to adjust my fan speed without having to a) run my AUTO A/C, and b) without having to press multiple navi screen buttons. Lexus has gone to great lengths to preclude drivers from using the navigation and telephone features while the car is in motion; why, then would they force you to press multipe navi commands to change something as basic as fan speed??? Shame.

Steve

lexuslover

sorry, my fault! it's in the INFO button, screen transition settings. your version is probably different from mine (04 RX's have the Gen 3 nav system, '05 and up got the Gen 4 w/ Bluetooth). i double checked in the 06 GS, which has Gen 4 nav, and it's in the INFO button also.

try it out, you will like it much better. you are right, an individual button would be nicer, but i think once you turn off auto transition, you will be much happier. you get so used to where the buttons are after a while that it becomes 2nd nature anyway. enjoy!

SteveRX330

After pulling into the garage tonight I found the Auto Transition setting under INFO | DISPLAY SETTINGS. I turned it ON and will test it tomorrow.

I stopped by my dealer today to check on my Title and Registration. In conversation I asked if anyone has ever commented on the lack of a fan switch. He said no, and asked why I didn't run the AUTO setting and forget about fan speed. I explained that there are times I don't want to run the A/C, mostly in an attempt to conserve fuel. He replied: running the A/C has minimal effect on gas mileage during the fall, winter and spring seasons when the outside temps aren't very high.

Two thoughts come to mind. First, I'm having a little trouble believing that running the A/C during the non-peak summer season has minimal effect on fuel consumption. I would appreciate hearing comments from others on this one.

Second, given the above, am I just being thick headed not wanting to run the A/C all the time???

Steve

lexuslover

wait, you want to turn the transition OFF to get your desired effect.

ON - display goes back to nav map after a few seconds of being on climate screen (factory default)

OFF - display stays on climate screen until another screen is selected


i agree w/ the dealer re: a/c. most people think a/c is for cold air, but it's really not. it takes the humidity out of the air, and i pretty much have it running all the time, just at different temps. for instance, tonight we were out and about and had it at 77 degrees a/c. if i just turn a/c off, pretty soon my windshield and windows will fog up. that's why AUTO works well, because i keep the a/c on all the time to keep the "mugginess" out of the cabin.

also, i hardly notice a change in MPG throughout seasons. even though blasting AC in the summer seems like it should use up more gas, i don't notice a real change in mpg. mpg is mostly affected by driving style and traffic conditions, in my experience.

RHODY401

The dodge neon loaner I recently had required adjusting a speed dial all the time, and it made me appreciate the luxury features of my RX-330. On the other side of the coin, adjusting a dial can be just as distracting

AUTO is designed to keep the air flow at a minimum amount and will only increase the fan speed when deemed necessary. (if the temperature is about 10(?) degrees off from the desired setting/set point, such as when you first start the engine). Unless you have all the windows open, I doubt the fan will ever increase in speed once the temperature range has been achieved. It quickly recovers and then gently goes to LOW, and you dont have to touch a thing for the rest of your journey. Having a dial would defeat this excellent feature.

As far as it being like a hurricane when it's trying to recover (initial startup on a hot day), it does have a powerful fan. One thing I have noticed is that if you open both the left and right dampers, it won't be so bad. If you close these, it's liable to blow you into the back seat! j/k

If you like AUTO and don't want it to automatically change the fan speed (based on conditions), why not lock it in to a particular low speed? Hit AUTO, then CLIMATE and pick the desired speed. It will remember this, even after you turn the vehicle off and on again. The auto light goes off, but it still remembers the other settings.

If you like AUTO and don't want to run the a/c pump, why not turn it off? Hit AUTO, then CLIMATE and touch the A/C button. It will go off and the vehicle will remember the other settings, even if you turn it off and on again. Everything else will still be auto.

At least that is my understanding of how it works. It's very flexible and efficient.

Best regards
Mike