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Thread: Question on Auto Climate Control Reliability and Accuracy

  1. #11
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    Yeah, I noticed that the auto climate controls appeared to be exactly the same from 2014 to the present, and I agree that that bodes well for the reliability.

    But I thought I'd just check with the forum because, as I mentioned above, the Grand Caravans used the same system for 12 years and that didn't imply at all that it was a reliable system-- it sucked all 12 years!

    But many here are saying that the Mirage system is not problematic, so I'm far less worried about this issue now.

    Thanks!



  2. #12
    Senior Member Wallythacker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fummins View Post
    There’s many unreliable things about a grand caravan. My sisters both have one. Ones a 2011 the other a 2012 I believe. And my brother in law has a 2019ish. The two older vans have had just about every blend door replaced, they have the non-auto temp controls but are 3 zone, or at least have rear heat and ac. They’re junk, every deal and gasket leaks under the hood, trans lines leak, struts leak. One had the harmonic balancer replaced cause it was separating. One way bearing in the alternator crapped out too. The things barely have 70,000 miles on them and they’re completely clapped out.
    As for Caravan the 2010 I had with the ex was fine climate wise but the key would jam and did so 3 times and it was expensive to fix. The other major issue was tires. Constant flats but no punctures. No idea why.

    As for Mirage climate controls, my '14 with 300KM has never had a problem. I have the plugged right side heater core.
    My '17 manual climate controls work fine but I'm really unhappy with only 4 fan speeds. It would have Mits peanuts to put in 5/6 fan speeds.

    My '14 is amazing, it heats/cools much faster than my '17, the set/forget on the '14 is so convenient. The rear seat of my '14 is much more comfortable. I prefer the auto climate system, hands down.
    Zero, 2014 ES Plus 5MT, written off but not forgotten.
    Zero II, 2014 SE, 5MT, climate She's HOME now!
    Shelby AKA "Cute", 2017 ES 5MT, A/C.

    Mirage owners look at the world differently than everyone else, but in a better way
    We're driving the Beetle of the 21st century, the greatest small car now available!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage ES PLus 1.2 manual: 39.0 mpg (US) ... 16.6 km/L ... 6.0 L/100 km ... 46.8 mpg (Imp)


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    Dirk Diggler (11-17-2022)

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    Thanks for the input. As I said above, I was skeptical about the auto climate control in my wife's Honda, but, like you, I've actually come to prefer it as it works very well.

    So, as long as it's reliable in the Mirage (and it sounds like it is!), I'm going to scratch "auto climate control" off my concern list.

    Thanks so much for everyone's input on this!

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    Senior Member Dirk Diggler's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Rogers View Post
    Thanks for the input. As I said above, I was skeptical about the auto climate control in my wife's Honda, but, like you, I've actually come to prefer it as it works very well.

    So, as long as it's reliable in the Mirage (and it sounds like it is!), I'm going to scratch "auto climate control" off my concern list.

    Thanks so much for everyone's input on this!
    Don't overlook the Mirage G4 sedan either if you're expecting grandkids riding in the back. The G4 has more rear passenger legroom than an Altima, a sedan 2 class sizes up from the Mirage!

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    No way on the sedan for me! I'm a big fan of hatchbacks and station wagons and am one of those who just doesn't get the American preference for sedans.

    Although I'm American (and from the heartland of America), this is one area where I am in agreement with Europe (and most of the world) and think Americans are nuts.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Rogers View Post
    No way on the sedan for me! I'm a big fan of hatchbacks and station wagons and am one of those who just doesn't get the American preference for sedans.

    Although I'm American (and from the heartland of America), this is one area where I am in agreement with Europe (and most of the world) and think Americans are nuts.
    I have never been a fan of sedans. Outside of the Malibu, Chevy has dropped all their sedans. Likewise, Ford only has the Mustang now.

    I really miss the small wagon options like the Civic Wagon. I would embrace a Mirage wagon with the same manual 78 horsepower powertrain, too. My first car was a 1978 Honda Civic Wagaon with 63 horsepower.

    A redesigned Mitsubishi Expo LRV would be cool. I really think there would be a market for this type of vehicle, too. Baby boomers like sitting a little higher up, and it's very practical for its size. Although I am not a big fan of the merger with Nissan/Renault, a Mitsubishi Expo LRV or Nissan Stanza Wagon would fill a niche others are overlooking. I really like the Stanza Wagon design with dual sliding rear doors better.

    It would be the KIA Soul of the Alliance with a little more room for passengers & cargo.

    Expo LRV clip -
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu3QNo5MYXM&t=160s

    Stanza Wagon clip-
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imBwhYnxXyM

    Unlike some of the crap vehicles marketed today, you had great visibility out of these vehicles. I can't believe how horrible some vehicles are in this department. It almost makes backup cameras necessary, because you can't see crap out the windows around you.

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    Dirk Diggler (11-17-2022)

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    I remember the Expo well and wish I had bought one back in the day!

    Like you, I really appreciate those old low-powered, tall wagons.

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    Senior Member Wallythacker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Rogers View Post
    No way on the sedan for me! I'm a big fan of hatchbacks and station wagons and am one of those who just doesn't get the American preference for sedans.

    Although I'm American (and from the heartland of America), this is one area where I am in agreement with Europe (and most of the world) and think Americans are nuts.
    Even though I grew up using sedan trunks to smuggle 8-10 friends into the drive-in, or to help friends move (sometimes bodies, lol) or giant items a 300 or Galaxie or Impala could not be matched, much less beaten.

    That all changed with my first hatch, a 1972 Vega GT. I could put a mattress in that car. So I did and lived happily in it for a summer. The sheer convenience of allowing the passenger access to anything in the back while driving was insanely useful. There was no turning back for me from that point on. I only broke my hatch only rule for exceptional reasons like when Ford sold fully loaded Tempo Sport GT V6 for $9998 in 1987-8, or when I bought vans. But there was usually a HB as the second vehicle.

    Back to Mirage, I ended up as a rear seat passenger one day for a 500 mile trip @-30C and could not believe how comfortable the trip was. Mind, the driver was 5'2" so being behind her with her seat forward was really roomy! The other back seater was 5'7" or so and in front of her was a 6'5" person!

    it astounds me how much stuff I can cram into our little cars and still feel completely safe and cozy. I've seriously considered doing the cargo van conversion on my '14 found on the site here. Maybe one day.....
    Zero, 2014 ES Plus 5MT, written off but not forgotten.
    Zero II, 2014 SE, 5MT, climate She's HOME now!
    Shelby AKA "Cute", 2017 ES 5MT, A/C.

    Mirage owners look at the world differently than everyone else, but in a better way
    We're driving the Beetle of the 21st century, the greatest small car now available!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage ES PLus 1.2 manual: 39.0 mpg (US) ... 16.6 km/L ... 6.0 L/100 km ... 46.8 mpg (Imp)


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    Agree-- it's absolutely amazing how much a small hatchback vehicle can hold, passenger or cargo.

    They really are the best of all worlds!

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    Jim - I skipped the rest of the posts on here just to put my feedback. I can't stand the auto-climate. Not due to the hvac performance, I think the A/C and the heat performance is just fine.

    It's the controls of it that annoy the living hell out me. The aggravation is particularly focused on the 61°F - 62°F fiasco. I've owned this vehicle 2 years and 25k miles, and still get cornfused about what and why it FMO when I'm in that zone.

    First of all, if you go from 62 to 61, it automagically turns on the A/C (compressor). And I *think* it also changes it from Fresh to Recirc. I say *think* because sometimes I don't know if it changes from Fresh to Recirc (after 2 years!). And when you change it from 61 to 62, sometimes it leaves the A/C (compressor) ON, and sometimes it turns the A/C (compressor) OFF. And sometimes it changes it back from Recirc to Fresh, and sometimes it doesn't.

    In my case, until it is damn hot out, I don't prefer to run the A/C. I prefer to put the windows down. And sometimes when it is warm out, but the sun is down (like 80°F nights), I sometimes want the windows closed, but still no A/C. And this cornfusion between the setting of 61 and 62 just confounds me and pisses me off. Because I'll look down at the controls and it is inevitably operating differently than I wanted. And I have to futz with it too much. In my opinion, if I want the A/C compressor to be ON, I'll press the * button. That's why the * ("snowflake")button is there. Why would I want the controls to suddenly change logic between 62 and 61? I don't. It's just dumb. To solve this, I just need to get to the point where I don't go lower than 62° on the controls.

    And, what's up with the numbers? Where in the car is it 61°F when I select 61°F? Certainly not in the vents, they're colder than that. Where in the car is it 72°F when I set it for 72°F? I contest that it is likely NOT 72°F ANYWHERE in the cabin when I set it there. That's why the manual temp knob is so much more logical, when it has a blue color for cold, a white color for more like ambient, and a red zone for warm temperatures. That makes sense. It's a simple representation for what to expect from the temp of the air exiting the vents. Simple, logical, not wrong. Whereas the numbers are ALWAYS inaccurate.

    On the other end of the spectrum, if I get in and it's cold in the car and I want to change to hot, I have to change the temp 1 friggin "degree" at a time to take it to the max temp setting. Friggin beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep. With manual controls, it's a quick 'n easy turn of the rotary knob to go to max heat. Or vice versa to go from max highest temp to max lowest temp, a quick and easy turn of the knob. All the friggin beeping is only slightly annoying. It's the 61-62 fiasco that sets me off.

    And if I want defrosting, I know to put the mode in defrost mode, and then click the A/C button. But yet, the A/C function is automated to tie in with the defrost vent setting. What if I want to blow air in the defrost vent setting, but not operate the compressor? I can't have that at all, that's not even possible with the automatic controls. They're just plain illogical to me. Give me the good ole manual controls.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2020 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.4 mpg (US) ... 18.0 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.9 mpg (Imp)


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