Dual Zone AirCon Operation

[Esseff]

I’ve had my 2017 BRZ for a couple of months now, and for the life of me, I can’t make any sense of the AC controls and the user manual is all but useless.

You can turn the whole system off with the Off button but you can’t turn it On with the same button? Huh? Obviously it must be the AC button that turns it On, but no that does nothing either. WTF!


So I discovered you turn it On with the Fan dial, but that doesn’t just turn on the fan but also the AC? I often just want the fan, and wouldn’t you use the dedicated AC button if you wanted the AC on??

When I do get it turned On and then turn off the AC just to use the fan, I notice that it is in Auto mode? For the life of me, I can’t work out how to turn Off, Auto mode? The obvious Auto button just puts it into Super Auto mode?? WTF! Today, somehow I got Auto to turn off but I have no idea how I did it and can’t do it again.

The user manual has 2 pages about the Recycle button and no other useful info??? WTF!

Does anyone have a link to proper instructions or can anyone explain it to me? How do I just turn on the fan? How do I turn off the Auto mode? What is the difference between Auto and Super Auto modes?

[extrashaky]

Is the 2017 the same as the earlier years?

The way the automatic control works in my 2014 is that it's in full auto with A/C when you first turn it on with the "Auto" button. To get it out of auto, just adjust the fan control knob, and it switches to manual. To turn off the A/C and just run the fan, hit the A/C button to make the green light go off.

I rent a lot of cars in my job, and as A/C systems go, this one is not particularly complicated. I don't even recall reading that part of the manual. I think I figured out how to use it in the first mile of the trip home from the dealership.

I get the sense that you understand how it works. You just don't like it.

Oh, and this:

Originally Posted by Esseff

You can turn the whole system off with the Off button but you can’t turn it On with the same button? Huh? Obviously it must be the AC button that turns it On, but no that does nothing either. WTF!

It's clearly labeled as the "OFF" button. Why the hell would you expect the "OFF" button to turn it on? Do you walk up to the "OUT" door and beat your fists against it because it won't let you in?

[PandaSPUR]

Hit the fan button (to change which vents are getting air) and that takes it off auto completely.

I don't think I've had the issue of it going back to auto on its own. I know some other actions will also trigger the AC to go on though, like the front defogger.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by PandaSPUR

I don't think I've had the issue of it going back to auto on its own. I know some other actions will also trigger the AC to go on though, like the front defogger.

Or if you start hitting buttons at random out of frustration because it's so complicated that you just can't even.

[HKz]

...shoulda got the 86 with the archaic climate control

[paulca]

It's best to just hit AUTO and let it do it's thing. It's quite smart at knowing how to achieve what you probably need done, if that makes sense. Here's a few things it does in AUTO.

Get into the car when it's cold and set a temp higher than ambient, it will stop the fan and wait until there is hot air to give you. It will select "Feet" or "Feet and Window" depending on humidity and temperature. When the coolant is warm enough to provide hot air the fan will rise. The bigger the temperature difference between selected and actually the faster it will run the fan, blowing more hot air. When the temperature in the car rises it will lower the fan speed until it's just enough for airflow and maintaining temp. When the temp matches it will switch to feet and dash vents. If the temp rises above the selected temp it will switch to the dash vents only and introduce the AC for cold air.

Similarly if you get into the car on a hot day and select a cool temp it will stop the fan and wait until the AC can actually deliver cold air. It will switch to dash vents. Then the fan will rise to a setting reflecting the difference in selected temp and actual temp.

The AC will show a green light when it is "made available" to the climate control system. If you press it, it will go off and (mostly) stay off, unless you select the defog mode which forces it on again.

The AC is used for two things. Cooling and drying. So even on a cold day when the car is producing hot air for you the AC will cycle in for 5 seconds once or twice a minute to dry the air. I hear a lot of people complaining about the car steaming up, these people are usually the ones who turn the AC off. Leave it on and the car never steams up.

The other thing under AUTO control is the recirculation valve. If there is a large difference between the selected temp and the actual temp it will sometimes close the recirc until things improve, then it turns it off again. I haven't quite figured out the exact conditions that triggers this but it does it.

My advice is to select AUTO, set a temp you want and leave it alone, let it do it's thing.

If you DO want to override it, it allows you to override any setting, as soon as you change the fan speed or air vents in use, the AUTO mode disengages and only maintains the air temperature. Just hit AUTO to get back to full auto.

AC and Recirc do not disengage AUTO, but will hamper it's operation if changed from what AUTO choose.

Tips: If you suddenly want full hot and full fan, just spin the temp dial to "HI" and it will go flat out heat. If you suddenly want full cold, spin the dial to "LO" and it's flat out cold air.

[Chimera]

Originally Posted by HKz

...shoulda got the 86 with the archaic climate control

so.. not gonna lie, one of the things that brought me to the FRS over the BRZ originally was the simple air controls...

[HKz]

Originally Posted by Chimera

so.. not gonna lie, one of the things that brought me to the FRS over the BRZ originally was the simple air controls...

lol indeed..while I don't care about having dual zone for a small coupe, I do prefer the looks and feel of the dual zone's switchgear but I also appreciate how simplistic they are in the FRS

[Summerwolf]

This is the one of the easiest climate control systems I have seen in a car. So nice too, and easy for the passenger to figure out as well for the dual climate.


If you're having issues with it, you can read the large notations on the knobs / switches.

[mrderp]

Press AUTO, set the wanted car temperature on the dial. Enjoy. It's pretty smart.

If you want to override anything from the AUTO mode, press the button for it or turn the knob to change the fan speed.

Turning on the defogger starts the AC.
Auto will enable the recirc if the delta between inside and outside is significant. It will return to normal once the inside temp is close to the desired temperature.

[Tcoat]

They just need to bring over the system from the 17 Impreza.
Push button on steering wheel.
Say "set driver's temperature to X degrees", "Fan on low" or whatever else you want it to do.
It repeats what you told it and changes the settings for you.
Not sure I know where the actual controls even are on the wife's car.

[8RZ]

Use your windows for climate control, UP and DOWN are less complicated.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by 8RZ

Use your windows for climate control, UP and DOWN are less complicated.

LOL.
Maybe fine where you are but sucks when it is -20 out!
Actually anything over about 75 is too hot for me and I have to put the air on so I only have a very narrow margin where windows do the job.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by paulca

It's best to just hit AUTO and let it do it's thing.

No it isn't.

I prefer to set the temp colder than I actually want the car to be, then adjust the fan to where it's comfortable. That allows me to have different parts of my body experiencing different air temps to maximize comfort.

If you like the auto function, that's great for you. That's not necessarily best for everyone else.

Originally Posted by Tcoat

They just need to bring over the system from the 17 Impreza.
Push button on steering wheel.

Gah. No. I hate buttons on the steering wheel, especially when the vehicle gets to be ten years old and the failing clockspring starts causing random weird electrical gremlins. By putting controls on the steering wheel, you are ensuring that those buttons and/or functions will fail at some point if the rest of the car lasts long enough.