Automatic Climate Control Bashing

[Mark]

I just dont understand this issue... if you dont want the AC and recirc to kick on then dont take your finger and POOOOSH the button from 62 to 61. You are literally causing your own frustration...

A/C coming on automatically at any setting is annoying! Is the sky falling? No!

I had manual climate controls that would even do that, & it was annoying. I'm so thankful my Mirage & Forester manual controls don't do that.

[7milesout]

I just dont understand this issue... if you dont want the AC and recirc to kick on then dont take your finger and POOOOSH the button from 62 to 61. You are literally causing your own frustration...

Chuckle, chuckle at the POOOOOSH.

And you are right. Some of it I bring on myself. Maybe a touch of OCD. However, it does defy logic. When I'm overly warm and going down to as cool as it can be with no A/C ... I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT, to not go to 61. And I think, "62 ... right? Yeah, wait, OK, was 62 where it kills on the A/C and recirc? No, that's 61 I think." And even if what I "think" when turning it down, is not that much or that complex, I still have to recognize that I only want the 62 setting.

If I want max heat, I can pooooosh the up button 47 times and eventually I hear the double-beep ... ALL WHILE I DRIVE, and know I've hit max. I cannot do that going down to min. I have to remember, 62. It's just not logical. And oh, if I'm driving and pooooosh it one too many times cause I'm focused on driving, I'll feel the power pulse of the compressor kick on, and realize I have to pooooosh it back up to 62. Not a big deal, until I'm feeling stuffy, and look down and the sumbich switched to RECIRC (and I had forgot about that pesky trick) and is why I'm feeling stuffy.

And, if I recall, there's one other thing this system does that throws me for a loop from time to time. In the hottest of days, I will pooooosh it down to 61 knowing it will turn on the A/C (which is what I want when it's that hot). It turns on the A/C and poots it in RECIRC. I don't want RECIRC so I pooooosh the button back to FRESH. Then within less than 30 seconds I'm sweating. Only to look down and realize that when I poooooshed the RECIRC button back to FRESH, the sumbich TURNED OFF THE A/C when I did that! It irks me.

In any event, this doesn't make me dislike the car one bit. I would never in a million years NOT own the car for these piddly complaints. It is annoying at the most. I still think the car is an absolute beast, can't believe how much I like the thing.

[Eggman]

Maybe a touch of OCD.

I can relate to this as I can get fixated on stuff and overthink it.

Maybe it's related, but I spent some time lurking here, reading up about the Mirage before making an account and then buying one. This is at a point when owners and forum members were still learning and sharing their findings about these cars that were just a year on the market. I was able to learn about how the automatic climate controls work.

Once I got my Speck I had the opportunity to learn firsthand how they work, to observe how it operates in various conditions. Like so many other things, there is a learning curve. Soon, I found the temperature setting that worked for me - 68℉ - and watched to see how the controls performed. Shortly after startup on a cool humid morning with a foggy windshield the controls did what they could to clear the fog. It took some time but would eventually clear the windshield on its own with no intervention. It worked best when the coolant temperature warmed up enough to effectively clear the fog. But that's outside of the auto climate system's control and will work the same whether it's the manual or automatic controls.

I understand that Georgia climate is different than Northeast Ohio in many ways. My experience will surely be different, like comparing apples to oranges. Same with a more Northern climate such as Alberta. On the other hand, we might not be that far off.

A/C coming on automatically at any setting is annoying! Is the sky falling? No!

I had manual climate controls that would even do that, & it was annoying. I'm so thankful my Mirage & Forester manual controls don't do that.

Quick question for you Mark. Do you have any experience using the automatic climate controls on the Mirage? I'm not talking about a test drive. I'm just curious to know what you base your opinion on since you don't have the automatic climate controls in your Mirage.

It's not unusual these days for manual climate controls to activate the A/C compressor automatically, particularly when selecting the Defrost or activating recirculation mode when choosing max A/C. And it makes sense, because the design assumption is the operator wants it - making those features work saves the driver/operator the manual intervention of switching these features on.

And that's the whole point of the automatic climate controls - to save the driver from all the manual work of tweaking the fan speed, adjusting the heat, switching the air conditioning on & off, dealing with recirculation, and selecting where the airflow is directed.

Now I don't know your firsthand experience with the automatic climate controls on our favorite little car, but in my experience it worked fine. It's one thing to have it and dislike it from experience, but if you don't even have it, why bash it? Just wanting to voice your opinion?

No offense intended, none taken.

[7milesout]

Hey Eggman - I'm not so sure our climates are all that different. Your is just colder, with winter accumulations. We generally NEVER get winter accumulations.

I have a question about the AUTO function, how it works. Last night I turned the car off while in the AUTO setting. Seems I left it at 68° and AUTO (fresh mode, no A/C, face vent position). This morning it was 32° and light frost on the outside of the windshield. When I cranked the car, the temp setting was still 68°, but it changed to (windshield) defrost position. Only windshield defrost, not foot and windshield.

Question: Since it automagically switched to defrost "mode," does that mean that the A/C compressor would also automagically be activated?

I assumed it did mean that, so I changed mode to face and it kilt the AUTO function. I didn't have fog (inside) and didn't need the A/C to clear with windshield. One wiper stroke and the windshield was clear.

[Fummins]

We generally NEVER get winter accumulations. .

[Eggman]

Hey Eggman - I'm not so sure our climates are all that different. Your is just colder, with winter accumulations. We generally NEVER get winter accumulations.

I have a question about the AUTO function, how it works. Last night I turned the car off while in the AUTO setting. Seems I left it at 68° and AUTO (fresh mode, no A/C, face vent position). This morning it was 32° and light frost on the outside of the windshield. When I cranked the car, the temp setting was still 68°, but it changed to (windshield) defrost position. Only windshield defrost, not foot and windshield.

Question: Since it automagically switched to defrost "mode," does that mean that the A/C compressor would also automagically be activated?

I assumed it did mean that, so I changed mode to face and it kilt the AUTO function. I didn't have fog (inside) and didn't need the A/C to clear with windshield. One wiper stroke and the windshield was clear.

Well, it’s been two years since I’ve used the automatic climate controls in the Mirage so my memory is limited here.

In order to directly address your question we probably ought to refer to the Owner’s Manual at this point to learn about and better understand how the system is designed to work. You understand as well as anyone that learning how any machine works is best before use. But like most everyone else, I sure didn’t read it all cover to cover.

The controls don’t know if the windshield is covered with frozen frost or a fog of condensation that can be wiped away. And I’m not sure if the freezing point is a reliable indicator. It’s not unusual to have morning frost in temperatures above 32℉ - after a cold night it takes some time to warm things up.

But either condition can be addressed by warming the windshield. Once it has blown warm air over the windshield for whatever conditions that the system is designed for it changes airflow to other ports whether it’s the floor or out the dashboard vents. At least that’s my recollection of how it operates.

If the driver/operator selects another setting it’s no longer operating in full automatic mode and further adjustments must be done manually by the operator. The assumption being that the operator wants to control things. At least that’s how I took it.

Edit: One thing I found particularly useful here was the engine block heater. It helped the engine warm up sooner and in turn helped the automatic climate controls to clear the windshield more quickly & effectively and led to quicker cabin comfort. That and a grill block in freezing temperatures.

[Mark]

Quick question for you Mark. Do you have any experience using the automatic climate controls on the Mirage? I'm not talking about a test drive. I'm just curious to know what you base your opinion on since you don't have the automatic climate controls in your Mirage.

It's not unusual these days for manual climate controls to activate the A/C compressor automatically, particularly when selecting the Defrost or activating recirculation mode when choosing max A/C. And it makes sense, because the design assumption is the operator wants it - making those features work saves the driver/operator the manual intervention of switching these features on.

And that's the whole point of the automatic climate controls - to save the driver from all the manual work of tweaking the fan speed, adjusting the heat, switching the air conditioning on & off, dealing with recirculation, and selecting where the airflow is directed.

Now I don't know your firsthand experience with the automatic climate controls on our favorite little car, but in my experience it worked fine. It's one thing to have it and dislike it from experience, but if you don't even have it, why bash it? Just wanting to voice your opinion?

No offense intended, none taken.

You're entitled to your opinion on auto climate controls. I don't really appreciate your attempt to discredit my opinion of them. If I'm not worthy to have my opinion, so be it. I've been driving vehicles for a long time. I know what I like & don't like quite well. Why should I care about what you think if you don't want to respect what I think?

All I have to do is look at my owner's manual and thank God I don't have the auto climate controls. Your entire discussion related to auto climate controls in this thread alone confirms my disdain for them.

Is auto climate controls a deal breaker on a Mirage? No!

Would I pay extra for manual climate controls on a Mirage? Yes!

Eggman, however, has determined my opinion on this is not worthy of this forum apparently. Let's move on please!

Next topic?

[Eggman]

You're entitled to your opinion on auto climate controls. I don't really appreciate your attempt to discredit my opinion of them. If I'm not worthy to have my opinion, so be it. I've been driving vehicles for a long time. I know what I like & don't like quite well. Why should I care about what you think if you don't want to respect what I think?

All I have to do is look at my owner's manual and thank God I don't have the auto climate controls. Your entire discussion related to auto climate controls in this thread alone confirms my disdain for them.

Is auto climate controls a deal breaker on a Mirage? No!

Would I pay extra for manual climate controls on a Mirage? Yes!

Eggman, however, has determined my opinion on this is not worthy of this forum apparently. Let's move on please!

Next topic?

Whoa! Sorry, didn’t mean to offend you.

We live in that type of society these days!

I guess you’re right, it’s just the world we live in today.

On the other hand, maybe you ought to try it before knocking it. Just a thought.

[Mark]

Whoa! Sorry, didn’t mean to offend you.

I guess you’re right, it’s just the world we live in today.

On the other hand, maybe you ought to try it before knocking it. Just a thought.

I get it! I'm not worthy of having an opinion on this topic.

I don't have to buy something I hate to prove I hate it. I feel like I'm having a discussion with a 7th grader here, & I taught 7th graders for over 3 decades.

How's life on the Telsa forum?

[Dookaughs]

I have a question about the AUTO function, how it works. Last night I turned the car off while in the AUTO setting. Seems I left it at 68° and AUTO (fresh mode, no A/C, face vent position). This morning it was 32° and light frost on the outside of the windshield. When I cranked the car, the temp setting was still 68°, but it changed to (windshield) defrost position. Only windshield defrost, not foot and windshield.

If it's cold, I push the auto button and disable the A/C when I first start the car. I'm the guy who doesn't drive until the oil temp light shuts off. I typically turn the car on and come back 5 minutes later to drive it. During the warm up cycles, the auto temp increases along side the fan speed in correlation to the vehicles operating temperature. Settings are also preserved while the vehicle is parked and keyed off for the night.

However, I don't recall if the foot/window position also becomes selected as operating temp reaches optimal. I think it does - as in on start up, automatic climate control prioritizes window defrost until proper engine temperature; then it splits windows and foot-well.

TLDR, Auto Climate Control is good.