Auto-Air Conditioning ... OFF doesn't mean OFF

[BT1]

When I switch auto air-con off, air continues to come through all the vents in the top of the dashboard at whatever the last temperature the system was set at. The speed of the air coming through the vents depends on the speed of the car, but instead of getting fresh air I get heated air. This happens even if I haven't had the air-con switched on, it seems to pick up the temperature setting from the last time I drove the car and had it switched on. So I end up having to turn the air-con back on so at least the air temperature is regulated, otherwise I just keep getting warm air. On my previous car that had climate control, switching the system off closed all vents. How do others find the auto air-con works?

[StevePSB]

I like how you can actually turn the system back on with the OFF button.

[dietcokeplease]

They must have taken inspiration from Bill Gates - click Start to turn your computer off.

[MiniOnd]

Auto AC, its a must have, but a pain in the ass! I use it on the manual settings now!

[jerij]

Manual, yes, most definitely.

jerij

[FLiPSiDE]

yeah found that to be a little bit of a neusence but discovered the trick to stopping the (usualy warm and annoying) air comming through the vents when its "off"
you have to set the thing to recirculating and then turn the fan speed down till it stop.. nothing comes through then.. a little bit of a hassle.. but it does the job

[laver]

I had just noticed this little character trait the other day.

I thought it was because the air was getting warmed up from the engine bay but i guess it could be that the air is still being allowed to pass through the heat exchanger on its way into the cabin.

To be honest i never turn my system off, if anything i drive mostly with the airconditioner (little frost button) off and leave the system to keep the temp steady. If i want to make it quiet, as when the system is set to auto in cold climates it funnels the air into the footwells to warm up the cold air, i tell it to route the air through the dashboard vents and that shuts it up.

[Root Ginger]

Is this really true? I noticed it got hot inside the cabin when I was racing at the Rock with Auto off but thought it was the engine too.

Doesn't get hot when it's off driving normally though.

I guess the best way to tell is drive the car from cold with Auto off and see if it warms up.

[MINI-stir]

Quote: Originally Posted by BT1

When I switch auto air-con off, air continues to come through all the vents in the top of the dashboard at whatever the last temperature the system was set at. The speed of the air coming through the vents depends on the speed of the car, but instead of getting fresh air I get heated air. This happens even if I haven't had the air-con switched on, it seems to pick up the temperature setting from the last time I drove the car and had it switched on. So I end up having to turn the air-con back on so at least the air temperature is regulated, otherwise I just keep getting warm air. On my previous car that had climate control, switching the system off closed all vents. How do others find the auto air-con works?

Maybe I'm hallucinating, but if you set your Auto A/C to (a)the (colder)coldest air setting before you turn it "off," the air that blows through won't be (as) warm. That is, provided that the outside air temp is low (i.e. winter time). I like the "breeze" that occurs even when the system is "off," but I sometimes prefer a colder breeze, and I think this seems to work. Try it?

[RDMac]

Yeah it seems to be set at whatever you last had it on!

IE.

set it to cold and warm air does not blow through when off

set it to hot and warm air flows into the cabin even when you have turned it off