Automatic Climate Control Bashing

[Eggman]

Auto HVAC (even tho Mark and 7MO dont consider that a plus ), etc.

Auto HVAC (in the Mirage) is definitely a minus!

If the automatic climate controls were prone to failures, this might be a valid point. But I don't recall any widespread (or even individual) failures being reported here, and this platform is a decade old now.

The time has come to stop bashing the automatic climate control system. It works, and it works good. Everyone should have one!

[7milesout]

I don't bash the performance of it, only the controls.

[Eggman]

I don't bash the performance of it, only the controls.

But that’s the beauty of it - you set your temperature and the controls do the rest, allowing the driver to focus more on the road.

The only change I made from the default factory settings was to turn off the automatic air conditioning to prevent excessive wear on the compressor and improve fuel economy. Whenever I needed the AC it was a easy button press.

I argue that there’s much more fiddling with manual controls than the automatic. Why is that somehow desirable?

[BigMW]

But that’s the beauty of it - you set your temperature and the controls do the rest, allowing the driver to focus more on the road.

The only change I made from the default factory settings was to turn off the automatic air conditioning to prevent excessive wear on the compressor and improve fuel economy. Whenever I needed the AC it was a easy button press.

I argue that there’s much more fiddling with manual controls than the automatic. Why is that somehow desirable?

How did you change the default AC on to off?

[Eggman]

How did you change the default AC on to off?

See this post:

Fret Not! Try this - it's one of the first things I did as I didn't want the compressor running all the time. You can do it too†.

Click on the little blue box with the two arrows pointing to the right, it'll take you to the post & discussion.

[Grumpy Bear]

Good to hear. My experience with Automatic HVAC systems is mixed. Don't think I've changed the set point in my 2009 Buick LaCrosse more than once or twice since I found her happy place. The 2015 GMC Terrain's is useless. It has a sharp divide. One degree up is hot one degree down is cold. More course than manual. The 2015 Silverado WT is manual, and it has solar glass and solar tint. Sleeps in the winter and only on days over 80F is it required. Works well when needed and at the lowest settings.

So... if no one is complaining then I guess this system is a pretty good one.

FYI...UVA/UVB IR blocking tints do wonders for the HVAC system.

[7milesout]

FYI...UVA/UVB IR blocking tints do wonders for the HVAC system.

Just for clarification ... your remark is in regards to performance. I have no complaints about the system's ability to provide heated air, or cooled air. It's the controls to get it to do what I want that I have complaints about.

It seems to me it is somewhat like how you describe your Terrain's system (controls). In my opinion, it's generally too hot, except on really cold days maybe 72° (setting) won't roast me out. Maybe. But if 72° setting is a bit too warm, if I drop it to 71° setting (for example), it becomes too cold very quickly.

However on more moderate days (not cold), it's generally too warm at anything above a 62° setting. So I have to keep it down on 62° setting. Which is not the coolest available "setting." Why can't I put it on 61° setting? Because the POS then turns on the A/C, and switches into RECIRC mode. And I want neither.

Let's put it like this. Here's how often I WANT to run the A/C compressor: FRIGGIN NEVER! But I will when it is needed. When it is very warm or hot, or when it is cold and the windows are fogging. That's it. Otherwise I just want cool air moving, or I want both left side windows down, and both right side windows up. The windows like that are the most comfortable way to ride ... TO ME. There is no, just set it at 1 temperature and it does the rest ... for me. Because, in the winter, if I leave it at 62° setting, it is too cold. Any other temperature tends to roast me out. And it seems, every single time I push the AUTO button, the A/C becomes active all the time. I don't want that.

Most of the time, my system stays set on 62° setting, Fresh air mode, vent location on face, and NO A/C. I don't like to change it any more than I have to. Most of the time, that's the setting.

I find it annoying that if I put it down on 61° setting, the A/C is triggered and it changes to recirc. I can't stop the A/C from running on that setting, so I have to bump it back up to 62° setting in order to deactivate the A/C. Then a few minutes later, I'm feeling stuffy, and I look down and the sumbich is running recirc because I forgot that the friggin thing changed automagically to recirc when I had it down on 61° (momentarily). So I click it back to Fresh mode. It just drives me infrigginsane. And those numbers! Guaranteed the numbers are never accurate. 61° setting will likely never actually hit 61°F. And 89° setting will never be 89°F. But on a manual temp dial, that just shows blue (cold) and red (warm) and a blend in between will ALWAYS be relevant.

If it were a manual system, I would leave the temp all the way on cool. If I wanted A/C I'd press 1 button ... THE ONE THAT SAYS A/C! Because that's what I want. That's logical. If I want it warmer, a 0.5 second twist of the temp knob gets me where I want it. On the automagic one, if I want it warmer, I have to find the right button and push it 44 times. Then when I'm too warm, I have to push it 22 times the other way. Still too warm? 11 more pushes down, oh crap, the temp just bottomed out and is too cold again ... 8 more pushes back up.

As I've mentioned in other threads, IT'S THE CONTROLS that I do not like. And for a few years at Hyundai-Kia, I was the Hyundai plant Task Force Team Leader for "Features and Controls." Over the course of a few years, we must have analyzed 100 different competitor vehicles. And we disected each and every feature, and the control of said features. We disected the logic of those controls and compared our findings to JD Power Survey results on the same. From those efforts we made recommendations to the our Namyang design center how they may improve the design of our features and controls (for future vehicles primarily, but on current vehicles where possible) in order to increase our JD Power survey results. These efforts were comprehensive, and generated positive results. It is based on that experience, that if we had done this survey on the Mirage manual controls, it probably would have given mostly good or great satisfaction results. If we had studied the logic of the automatic controls, our powerpoints would have shown huge piles of cow dung, because the results would have been pure pooh. That's just how it is.

Now, that said. Everyone on here can LIKE the automatic system, and everyone on here can LOVE the automatic system, and the controls thereof. I don't think anything negative about you, or your opinion if you do. Absolutely different strokes for different folks. As well as, you can believe me or not about my experience above, but it is the truth. Perhaps if I had not done all the research that was done on "Features and Controls," maybe the controls of our automagic system would not be so annoying to me.

Lastly - Even though I think the automagic hvac controls are pooh, I think overall the car is INCREDIBLE. It's an amazing car, for the money. I'm tickled beyond belief at just how fabulous the car is, and how much I love the little beast. The auto hvac controls are only a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of the whole car.

[Fummins]

The two things I don't like about the automagic controls are the automagic setting doesn't work great in the cold. It functions how it thinks it should but it's dumb and dumps air out the floor when the windshield is fogged up. So it's often a useless feature 6 months out of the year.
And since you have to manually select where the air comes out, you have to hit the mode button a handful of times to get air where you want it while staring at the tiny display. Not a big deal if you have it memorized but after 3 years or so I still pass the setting I want(usually floor/defrost) and have to go through it again. Whereas with manual controls you turn a dial without even looking.

Minor thing to whine about really. I replaced a heater motor in a Mazda 5 on the weekend. What a pita, I've never seen a car where you have to unbolt the brake booster, remove brake pedal and bracket, gas pedal, glove box, and a bunch of other crap just to remove a heater motor...I hear a Kia soul might be similar?

[Grumpy Bear]

It's another thing I like about solar film. Almost never fogs over.

Wife is an impatient sort. The GMC acts as you describe. Floor on warmup and at a low fan setting. But it does this for a reason. Temperature sensor needs to see a preset setpoint before redirecting the air to the windshield and side vents. There is no heat until the water is about 150F/65C. Then it redirects and increases fan speed.

She cranks up the temp thinking it makes it get there faster. Actually, I think there is something amiss with the blend door. But like you, I do it in manual and just be patient.

[Fummins]

It's another thing I like about solar film. Almost never fogs over.

Wife is an impatient sort. The GMC acts as you describe. Floor on warmup and at a low fan setting. But it does this for a reason. Temperature sensor needs to see a preset setpoint before redirecting the air to the windshield and side vents. There is no heat until the water is about 150F/65C. Then it redirects and increases fan speed.

She cranks up the temp thinking it makes it get there faster. Actually, I think there is something amiss with the blend door. But like you, I do it in manual and just be patient.

Yeah, my Delica acts the same way but I don't know if it redirects air as needed. I've never been patient enough to see.

One handy feature with the Mirage is they have a little ptc heater that seems to help speed up window defrosting time.
Front window tint isn't legal here though tons of people have it. I'm sure it'd help keep temps down in the summer, especially in my little black turd.