cvroom

Is there a reason why the AC comes on automatically when you turn on auto climate control? it does this even in cold weather. i have been turning the ac off but if you turn off the climate control and turn it back on the ac comes on again. i recently read the thread about the smelly car and maybe the condensation from the ac running non stop causes that.

snackpatch

I'm the guy who bought the "smelly car" lol. It's absolutely the condensation from the A/C. I've been running the air with no A/C on, and there's no smell. It's just the after effects of running the condenser (in my car at least). As for the A/C running when you hit Auto - that's how it is in every car. My last two cars (honda and acura) had climate control and they did the same thing, even if it's hot air you want. You just have to turn it off manually every time. It's programmed to use the condenser, no matter what temp you want, to regulate the car's atmosphere.

TinsleyC

The A/C (compressor) will run some of the time even when the heat is on. This is normal as it extracts moisture from the air. You can turn it off as you have been.

sniper27

iTrader: (2)

smelly car.

JohnEnglish

Mold from condensation occurs if you frequently turn the car off with moisture on the condenser. I usually turn off the AC a few minutes before I park to give it a chance to dry out before the car is turned off. I've never had a smelly car.

Also, I hate it when I see people driving around, especially in the winter, with all their windows fogged up. How hard is it to turn on the AC?

cvroom

^ haha shouldnt the ac automatically come on when they use the front defroster.

my ac never comes on when i hit auto climate control in my 2000 accord so im not used to that.

SM_Shadowman

The A/C light is for dehumidifying, and can be used for heating or cooling. I think once it gets below a certain temp it won't come on but otherwise it doesn't hurt anything. You can turn it off or leave it on if you wish.

devil2k

What kind of smell is it? I just drove my car for about good 30 minutes with the climate control set to Auto. When I parked the car and opened the door, I could smell this burning smell and it seems to be coming from the engine bay. My car only has 600 km on it.

snackpatch

It's definitely not a burning smell that was coming out of my vents. Mine was a musty smell, from condensation sitting in a closed/confined space without air. Prior to smelling the burning, were you driving your car aggressively? Just asking since it's new, and the engine is still breaking-in.

JohnEnglish

That's the point, they don't use the HVAC system at all.

zhaofl

The very first few times I drove my car, it had the same burning smell from the engine bay. It was like burning oil or fresh paint. Now that I have over 800 miles on my car, the burning smell is gone.

As for the climate control, I will just manually turn off the AC when I just need the heat. However, AC will always automatically turn back on when you use recirculate instead of fresh air flow. I guess it makes sense in that way so you don't get foggy inside the car. However, I do like to have the option at least temporally to use recirculate air w/o AC to heat up the inside quickly.

devil2k

No, I wasn't driving it aggressively. I kept it under 4000 rpm all the time since it's still breaking-in. The smell definitely wasn't the musty smell you guys are talking about. Hopefully it'll go way after a while.

sniper27

iTrader: (2)

the burning smell is from this sealant thing on the body burning off. i think it's called cosmoline or something like that. all new cars have that to protect from corrosion.

maxfinity

Yeah. Its the same way in my 06 maxima, A/C always on even in cold weather. I was reading the manual and it stated when using heat to turn the A/C off. But in auto Mode it will always come on.

MaluG37

This morning I used the windshield defroster and pressed the button for it on the climate control unit. The A/C turned on...I eventually turned the A/C off (it did have a musty smell). When I parked the car I switched from defroster to the normal vents using the "mode" button, then pressed the "off" button. When I returned to the car I pressed the mode button and only the fan turned on without the A/C. That method has worked so far. About the musty smell, is there anything that can be done? I hope its not mold, my car only has 2500 miles on it.