What should 'climate control' do?
I think it should mean I set it to a temperature I want, and it makes the interior that temperature. I would expect it to do this regardless of the outside temperature, the time of year and the length of the journey.
I belive a previous Renault Safrane I had did exactly this.
My current Volvo Needs to be turned up high in Winter, and low in summer. I have 'mentioned' this twice to the Volvo dealer, but it passes all of their tests. They suggest that I turn the temperature up at the begining of a journey to warm up the interior, and then turn it down when the desired temperature is acheived. In the Summer it will need to be lower than in the winter. The outside temperature obviously has an effect, if it's cold outside it will be cooler inside for any given temperature.
This seems to completly ignore the concept of a thermostat let alone climate control.
My temperature dial only goes up to 27, and I'm having it on 26 permantly at the moment. Where as in the Summer it's on between 18 and 22. In previous cars (and in my house) I set it to 20 and never touch it.
What do you think?
cheers
Durelli - son of a famous Italian tyre maker
|
|
It should work just as you say (my assumption). However, I have a 406 and 22C in that is much warmer than 25C in the Mondeo I have on hire. Perhaps the key to this is where the temp sensor/regulator/monitor (whatever it might be) is located in each car.
|
Either way, you find a temp that is confortable and leave it there. The 'car' should do the rest.
Any other Volvo owners have similar experiences?
cheers
Durelli - son of a famous Italian tyre maker
|
|
|
|
You're right that it should indeed "sort itself out" with regard to temperature. But it's not quite as simple as that.
I have a Saab with climate control, and I assume that most cars have a similar system. It works like this. You set the temperature you want. The ACC (automatic climate control) will sense the cabin temerature and automatically provide the right amount of warm air to maintain the cabin at the set temperature. However, it's a bit more clever than that, as it uses the concept of "perceived" temperature. This means that, on a sunny day with the sun streaming into the car, the body will feel warmer, and therefore it adjusts the actual cabin temperature to a temperature that "feels" like the set value. So a thermometer would register a different temperature to the set value but you would feel OK. This can give slightly odd effects - on a sunny winters day, when the outside temperature might be just above freezing, it may overcool the car so you need to turn the temperature up. Thre will probably be a small domed sensor in the middle of the dashboard just back from the windscreen.
This is a simplified description, as under "normal" outside temperatures it will first of all pass the air through the aircon condenser to dehumidify it, then reheat it to the right temperature. Once again, there will be a sensor to cut out the air conditioning below about 6 degrees to avoid icing up. The ECON button will do the sam - i.e. cut out the aircon to improve economy.
Most systems allow a certain amount of programming, for example I can adjust mine so that the aircon only cuts in by default above 13 degrees.
It will also automatically distribute air to the right place (e.g. screen or floor), and move it around between the two as the car warms up, and on request by ounching the right button on the control panel.
Hope this clarifies!
|
Only thing I can add to this is that I've driven as rental cars S/V40, S60, S/V70, S80 and all behaved as I expected, set the temperature and forget it.
Not had to alter the direction settings except on odd circumstances, eg too cold for the aircon to work, but wet clothes result in steaming up so preferential hot air needed to clear screen and side windows. Not had to alter the temperature setting though.
Mondeo works exactly the same way.
|
|
|
|
Durelli,
I have exactly the same issue with my X-Trail (going next week anyway) and wonder what the point of 'automatic' climate control is when I have to constantly change the settings anyway ?
It takes an age to warm up unless I set the control to 27 deg. Then it has to be turned down again with the nett result it takes far more input than having a simple heater....
JD
|
Hmm. Nissan QX climate works very well. I set the temp. on digital display and it seems to settle after a mile or two (i.e. once engine is warm).
Works the same, summer or winter.
|
My V70 control lives at 21 degrees, seems to work OK, Though it is garaged so the interior never gets really cold. If it did I'm sure I'd have to set it higher at first, but I see your point.
Stu.
|
If you're unsure if it's keeping the internal temperature, have you tried using a thermometer?
You may well find that you want a warmer temperature inside when it's cold outside, and vice versa. I know I do. I have it set at 25 in the winter, and 22 in the summer. I checked mine out with a thermometer behind the headrest, and sure enough it maintained it. Of course, the fact that it slows the rate of change the closer it gets to its set temp doesn't help, as you want it a hot as possible as soon as possible. It's also a well known fact that your ideal temp varies the longer the journey.
|
There are three factors to perceived environmental temperature...
air temperature
thermal radiation
air movement
Even though the air temperature is the same, you may perceive it to be hotter or colder by one of the other two factors...
eg, wind chill factor, or the use of a fan to move air, may make the air appear cooler, when fact it is probably the same temperature.
sitting under a patio heater on a cool evening, the warm infra red radiation on your skin and clothes makes you feel warm, but it does not heat the air, only objects which absorb the radiation.
These principals can be applied to the inside of a car, the power of the sun can make it feel hotter than it really is, air movement can make it feel cooler, most CC systems incorporate a sensor to measure the thermal loading of the sun, these are usually on the dashboard under the windscreen, they often can even tell the direction of the sun. There may be a design problem, maybe this feature is missing or poorly designed. Maybe the temp sensor/s is/are poorly located whereby they are influenced by heat sources within the vehicle.
Try finding where these sensors are and see if this could be the case?
|
|
I would say something is wrong here. My climate is set on 21deg and is never moved. It keeps the car at a nice temp throughout the year.
|
|
|
Anyone any idea where the sensor is in a V70?
There is a red LED n a black mount in the middle of the dash, I assume this to be for the alarm. Not sure if it includes a sensor though.
cheers
Durelli - son of a famous Italian tyre maker
|
|
Yes, in a current generation V70, this unit is indeed also the 'sunlight' sensor for the climate control.
|
|
|
|
|
What happens over a long journey then?
Do you cool down and what more hot air coming out? Or vice versa?
Surely with everything being done by computer these days this could be included? ie. Have a computer that slowly adjusts the temperature as the journey goes on.
cheers
Durelli - son of a famous Italian tyre maker
|
|
|
|
|
|
Durelli, my Mondeo is the same and I have a thermometer in the cabin and the temperature in the cabin is lower than the set temperature when the air coming through the vents starts to cool down. The recommended setting of 22 deg C by Ford is OK for summer, but in winter I have to have it at 27 or more to get the cabin warm. I don't know where the sun load sensor is on mine, has anybody any idea ?. I know where the cabin temperature sensor is, i.e. right next to my left knee, taking samples of air in together with my body heat.
|
|
I have the exact same problem with my car. The manual says leave it at 22 degrees but it's absolutely freezing in this weather! I think it may have other issues as well though because even when I set it to the max it never get's really hot. It may just be a rubbish system but I never had a problem with normal heating controls and regular air conditioning anyway.
|
|
|
I drive a 2003 V70 2.4T with climate control.
Climate Control is normally set at 21 degrees, and forgotten.
The His and Hers switches are rarely moved.
I like 21 deg C, she 22.
When the settings are changed, it is normally because we have been outside in extreme weather, and are either cold to the core, or sweating buckets. Once warmed up or cooled down, that's the way it stays for the journey.
The only exception I have known is in the extreme of last summer, I was getting a lot of heat through the sunny side of the car, whilst my wife was cold on the other side.
Volvo recommend in the handbook that you don't set a high temperature at the start of the journey, because the engine won't have enough heat to deliver, and once it starts to deliver, will take longer to warm up if you're sucking it all away.
|
Mmmm.
Reading back, needs improvement.
Take II...
I drive a 2003 V70 2.4T with climate control.
Climate Control is normally set at 21 degrees, and forgotten.
The His and Hers switches are rarely moved. I like 21 deg C, she 22. Once warmed up or cooled down, that's the way it stays for the journey.
When the settings are changed, it is normally because we have been outside in extreme weather, and are either cold to the core, or sweating buckets. The only exception I have known is in the extreme of last summer, I was getting a lot of heat through the sunny side of the car one day, whilst my wife was cold on the other side. Not really the fault of the Climate Control when such a temperature gradient applies, even with a left and right zone (given that there is no 'wall' between the two to keep them apart!)
Volvo recommend in the handbook that you don't set a high temperature at the start of the journey, because the engine won't have enough heat to deliver, and once it starts to deliver, will take longer to warm up if you're sucking it all away. The climate control therefore doesn't start pumping heat anyway until it's there to be delivered. Result? Set 24 deg C if you like, but you won't get to 21 any quicker than if you actually set 21.
|
So my dealer telling me to turn it up goes against the handbook?
cheers
Durelli - son of a famous Italian tyre maker
|
I drive a 2003 V70 D5 with CC. This is set to 21 on both controls and left at that. It only gets changed when other people use the car.
The temp in the car always feels the same (surely this is the point of these systems)regardless of what is going on outside.
Do you ensure that all of your vents are open and that the Auto button is engaged?
|
|
In my - unreliable ;) - Alfa 156, I just set it to 21 degrees and never touch it. Unless I set the distribution to rapid demist, it doesn't cut in until the engine is at about 70 degrees anyway, to make sure it doesn't draw heart from the engine while it is warming up.
|
|
|
Yes,
all vents open with Auto engaged.
cheers
Durelli - son of a famous Italian tyre maker
|
|
|
|
So my dealer telling me to turn it up goes against the handbook? cheers Durelli - son of a famous Italian tyre maker
Durelli
It seems you definitely have a fault - probably one of the temperature sensors failed or an air-flap not moving.
The whole point of climate control is that you *don't* have to do what your dealer is telling you.
Maybe you could try another dealer?
|
Don't forget on a V70, you not only have the usual air vents in the facia for the air con, but also a separate one which is for fresh air only. Make sure this is closed.
Stu.
|
On the latest V70? I'm not aware of this, all the face vents blow Hot, there is no other dash mounted vents.
Where is it? Or are you referring to the older V70?
cheers
Durelli - son of a famous Italian tyre maker
|
OK didn't realise you were talking about the latest model, mine is the previous shape. Check in the manual re. fresh air vent just in case.
Also go to the forum within the Volvo Owners' Club,
www.volvoclub.co.uk/
Stu.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
