[Angel1403]

Hi folks,


Everytime I start her the air con switches on, even though I turn it off before I park and stop the engine???


How can I stop the air con switching on....Its not in auto made.....its off when I park??


Cheers

 

[palgt1]

Good question - was going to ask the same one myself !!

 

[TheScotsman]

I am unsure how it works in a Mini, but with my Golf the Air Con switches itself on when I start the car due to the level of the cold air knob. So if the knob is turned right down the Air Con will switch on automatically when the car is started to maintain that cold air.

It might be that your climate control temperature is low when the car starts, so it is turning the Air Con on automatically. I would try setting the temperate higher and see if that does anything. As far as I am aware it should remember the temperature setting each time you switch the engine off and back on again.

 

[dragons1988]

I have the same problem with my Mini, I think its set like this by default. The good news is that it can be disabled, the bad news is that you will need to Code your car to do so..
Seems like a rather silly option not to enable at the factory..

 

[MintMark]

Can you explain some more dragons? What do you mean code your car?
Why doesn't switching it to manual work?

Confused...:|

 

[GoKart7]

If Mark is confused then trust me the rest of are doomed!

 

[dragons1988]

Can you explain some more dragons? What do you mean code your car?
Why doesn't switching it to manual work?

Confused...:|

Basically put, there are several computers that are in the car, called ECU's. What you have to do is connect your car to a computer and "Code" the ECU responsible for the air-conditioning and tell it to remain in the previous state when you switch your car oon. That way, if you have it off before you turn the car off, it will remain off when you turn the car back on..


I've had limited success, and haven't been able to get it to 100% off when you start the car, sometimes it off, other times it wants to turn on.. which is rather annoying in winter.

 

[pjsjr13]

Basically put, there are several computers that are in the car, called ECU's. What you have to do is connect your car to a computer and "Code" the ECU responsible for the air-conditioning and tell it to remain in the previous state when you switch your car oon. That way, if you have it off before you turn the car off, it will remain off when you turn the car back on..


I've had limited success, and haven't been able to get it to 100% off when you start the car, sometimes it off, other times it wants to turn on.. which is rather annoying in winter.

OK so I can plug into the diagnostic port and adjust this setting?:|

 

[Hat]

My guess is that it is coded this way to enable the 'parked car ventilation' system that can be set to cool the car interior via a preset programme even when parked and locked

 

[kenl]

I just leave AC on all the time. Modern systems don't eat fuel or power like they used to.

 

[Angib]

Modern systems don't eat fuel or power like they used to.

Any evidence to back up that claim? Sounds like wishful thinking - or possibly a mis-remembering of a Mythbusters episode where they demonstrated that driving at motorway speeds with the windows open gave higher fuel consumption than driving with windows closed and aircon on.

Data I've read says fuel economy penalty of using aircon is:
Urban 10%
Suburban 3%
Motorway 1% (so opening windows causes more drag than aircon at this speed)

 

[MintMark]

Plus, mini's own green driving mode will turn down the air con flow rate and take longer to reach the selected temperature...

 

[Kiwi]

If I have a choice I always go for a manual aircon system as I only use aircon in winter when it's cold and raining to clear the windows. Fresh air is the only way to drive. I do get frustrated with auto aircon having to turn it off each time I start.

 

[kenl]

Any evidence to back up that claim? Sounds like wishful thinking - or possibly a mis-remembering of a Mythbusters episode where they demonstrated that driving at motorway speeds with the windows open gave higher fuel consumption than driving with windows closed and aircon on.

Data I've read says fuel economy penalty of using aircon is:
Urban 10%
Suburban 3%
Motorway 1% (so opening windows causes more drag than aircon at this speed)

No, I don't have any ratified evidence but when you switch a modern system on there is less obvious loss of power and drag on the power than you used to get. I am talking 90s or early 2000s here.

Why would the effect be ten times worse at speed than round town? Just stopping and starting?

 

[kenl]

If I have a choice I always go for a manual aircon system as I only use aircon in winter when it's cold and raining to clear the windows. Fresh air is the only way to drive. I do get frustrated with auto aircon having to turn it off each time I start.

I have always thought it a necessity to run ac on a regular basis to keep the seals lubricated. If you don't the gas can leak, this happened to a pal of mine on a brand new car after six months.

 

[Lawnmower3000]

Ehhhhh..... if the system lost its refrigerant in six months there was something wrong. The business about running it to lubricate seals is mostly a holdover from the bad old days of R-12 systems. The materials and lubricants in R-134A systems aren't nearly as fussy. As long as they're to spec and assembled properly, that is. I've seen plenty of R-134A systems go 10 years without losing charge and without running at all during winter months.

 

[MaskedAnkle]

Glad I saw this thread... thought I was going crazy.

On my MCS - the aircon definitely comes on, of it's own accord, on a hot day after start up. But the green light does not show.

It's kind of "aircon stealth mode".

 

[QMark]

Glad I saw this thread... thought I was going crazy.

On my MCS - the aircon definitely comes on, of it's own accord, on a hot day after start up. But the green light does not show.

It's kind of "aircon stealth mode".

Stealth mode: I like that! I noticed the same thing whilst out driving yesterday. I came off the motorway, and turned off the air con, as I was going to open sunroof & windows whilst crawling in non-motorway traffic, but it was still producing very cold air from the vents 25 minutes later. The green A/C light was definitely off (it was about 25 degrees C outside at the time) so I thought it might be residual...but stealth mode is way better...although I guess the extra 10% cost in economy loss, referred to here, is not so great.