[iamdgw]

So, I've done some searches on the forum, and found a few threads from people that have the manual climate controls system asking how to upgrade to the automatic system. It sounds like a rather involved process due to the missing sensors installed throughout the interior of the cabin, etc etc.

I have a 2016 3 sgt hatch with the dual zone automatic climate control system - and I HATE IT. I would much rather have the manual system - but that was not an option for the gt.
Has anyone discussed if there is a way to down grade the system to a manually controlled one?

Reasons I do not like it: I like to have the air blowing on my hands on the wheel. On a hot day or even a warm day, the interior of the car can get rather toasty esp. if it is in the sun.
It is unpleasant to have ice cold a/c blowing on my hands as the car attempts to cool the cabin to the set temperature. I have to turn the controls up to 80+ to get cool air.

Now that the temperatures are changing to cooler, the reverse is happening.

I wish I could set the temperature of the air coming out of the vents - not set the temperature of the cabin with no control over how it thinks it is best to get there. I am constantly adjusting the "auto"

Anyone else feel this way?

(and please do not tell me the "fix" is to just not have it pointing at my hands :wink

 

[hansboomer]

I hate the climate controls as well. It blows uncomfortably hot air as soon as the car warms up whether you are in auto mode or not. It's hard to switch from outside air to recirculated air when you get behind a smoky diesel. I need to make frequent adjustments every time a drive the car, and every adjustment required taking your eyes off the road because the controls have no tactile feedback. My 2000 Miata has mechanical controls that work far better, and never require me to take my eyes off the road more than to glance at it. It'd amazing to me that a perfect solution was replaced by a distracting kluge. The people who design these things never drove a car.

There should be a software fix. The temperature is set by a PID controller, and theoretically you could change the constants constants to make it behave better. Maybe just setting the P and I constants to zero would make the output temperature equal to the thermostat set point. Good luck trying to hack that.

If you figure out how to revert to a manual system, let us know. And don't get me started on the infotainment system.

 

[iamdgw]

So again I had the opportunity to drive the car on an little bit longer of a trip than I usually do. Right now it's only about 15 minutes to work but I had to go up to Lansing for work and it was a little more than an hour each way. That gave enough time for the cabin to get to the desired temperature from the cool morning. What I found was that I was constantly clicking the temperature back and forth one degree. Too hot... too cold. Too hot... too cold.

I guess what I need to do is get one of those digital instant read thermometers and see if there really IS that much different or if I should see about loaning my services to the scientific community as a highly sensitive test instrument.

Anyone else?

 

[Studum]

You know you can manually control the system by overriding the auto functions right?

Any setting that you modify is manually controlled from that point on until you push the auto button again.

Adjust the fan speed, it won't move again until put back in auto, or you move it
Adjust the vent distribution, it won't move again until put back in auto, or you move it
Adjust the fresh air vs recirc, it won't move again until put back in auto, or you move it
Temp is what it is, just with numbers in manual mode vs a hot / cold dial.

Try manually controlling it if you're mainly doing short trips. I happen to really enjoy the system myself, no complaints with it in our Mazda 3 or CX-5.

 

[iamdgw]

I respectfully disagree

I agree with all of what you said except this:

Temp is what it is, just with numbers in manual mode vs a hot / cold dial.

It's not, actually.
When it's cold out, I get HOT air blowing until I turn the temp down below 70.
When it's hot out, I get COLD air blowing until I turn it up past 80.

The same temperature air does not come from the system set to the same settings based on what it senses the air temperature to be.
or in other words - set to 72, when it's hot out blows much colder air, than when set to 72 and it's cold out.

The blend door actuator I feel is still tied to the cabin temperature sensors instead of being directly variable with the position of the knob.

 

[indredcold]

i enjoy the climate control quite a bit