Can We Get Some Regulations on Climate Control?!!

"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind) 07/29/2016 at 18:57 • Filed to: Climate Control

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I was fine with the old “blue-red” dial because it denoted a self-comparative range of air temperature coming from the vents, nothing specific. I was annoyed when they used the exact same dials but with some arbitrary degree settings added on because it was obvious that they were simply approximations. But these digitally displayed temperatures with automatic climate controls do nothing but broadcast the total volume of bullsh*t they are pumping into the cabin!

What is 64°F exactly? Is it supposed to be the temperature of the air coming out of the vent, you know, like all the climate controls we grew up with in our econoboxes? No, because then the automatic climate control wouldn’t mean anything! If there isn’t a temperature sensor in the cabin, then those automatic settings are completely false! Having your “automatic” temperature controls on timers is just as aggravating and misleading as the settings on toasters. If we are going to display and temperatures then they need to be ACTUAL temperatures being measured for the front compartment or the entire cabin!

I don’t want to get into a huge rant over this because I’m all jacked up on Mountain Dew and don’t want to accidentally come at someone like a spider monkey. All I want, in regards to digitally displayed climate controls w/ an automated option, is for the cabin temperature to be presented next to the desired temperature that the driver/passenger has set. You know,the same expectation as every thermostat in the world! Otherwise, this is nothing but a bunch of misleading messes leaving people frustrated because their A/C never feels cold enough.

I’ll also say this, if you can turn down the temperature without the A/C turning on automatically, then your display is faking it. If you can turn down the temperature and your A/C automatically turns on when you hit 66°F regardless of the time of year but doesn’t automatically turn off when you increase the temperature, then it’s probably faking those numbers too.

If you’re going to do this in every vehicle, let’s do it correctly please.

Also, when are we going to get separate fan speeds for the driver and passenger?! There’s nothing more awkward than when your passenger closes their vents. What’s the point of having dual zone climate controls then?!!

RallyWrench > Wobbles the Mind 07/29/2016 at 18:59

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There was never anything wrong with this.

CRider > Wobbles the Mind 07/29/2016 at 19:01

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FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Wobbles the Mind 07/29/2016 at 19:11

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I’m pretty sure I’ve been in a W-body Impala that had manual climate control with separate red-blue blenders and fan settings for driver and passenger. Also my old Lexus had a neat trick on the true auto climate control: the light sensor on the dash that was used to control the headlights also controlled the blend of dash and floor vents when set to auto. If the sun came out from behind the clouds it directed more cold air out through the dash vents. On cloudy days or at night it tended to mix more in from the floor.

vicali > Wobbles the Mind 07/29/2016 at 19:11

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I miss the vent controls from the westy;

RyanFrew > Wobbles the Mind 07/29/2016 at 19:29

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What cars are you driving with “fake” climate control? It has long been the case that any car with climate control brings the temperature in the car down (or up) to the one you set, and then maintains that temp.

Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud > Wobbles the Mind 07/29/2016 at 20:45

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I like my knobs and physical buttons... i like not having to look at what i want to change... muscle memory>touch screen climate controls for the safety and win....

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 07/29/2016 at 21:40

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That’s exactly how my ‘97 Riviera and ‘00 LeSabre work.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Wobbles the Mind 07/29/2016 at 21:41

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Uh, what? Both my Riviera and the Murdersofa have automatic thermostats where you set a temperature and it brings the temperature in the cabin to that number and holds it there. Super nice because after a few minutes of gale-force freezing air it settles down into something approximating an asthmatic kitten coughing through a coffee straw to maintain that temperature, at which point I can aim all forty seven of the Rivieras vents at my balls.

Tekamul > Wobbles the Mind 07/29/2016 at 22:02

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wut.

There are sensors all over the cabin for auto climate control.

Ambient temp sensors, vent temp sensors, and light sensors to meter how strong the sunshine is to optimize the vent blend.

Have you possibly stumbled into a Chinese knockoff beemer without noticing?

Wobbles the Mind > RyanFrew 07/29/2016 at 22:06

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I heard that some vehicles will simply use a combination of a timer, the outside temperature reading, and the range of your input to generate an automated experience without needing a cabin sensor. It made sense and sounded very plausible. I’m going to investigate more, but if vehicles displayed a real time interior temperature then I wouldn’t need to check this out!

Wobbles the Mind > Tekamul 07/29/2016 at 22:09

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Someone mentioned a technique with a timer, exterior temperature sensor, and user input that could sum up the experience without using any interior sensors. I thought it sounded like a great idea for cost cutting and now I’m investigating it. Thought I’d raise the point so that others that know if this is true could chime in before I make this a project.

Tekamul > Wobbles the Mind 07/29/2016 at 22:13

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I think you’re going to face too many variables to make it a good replacement.

Car cabins are small, leaky, poorly insulated metal and glass boxes. A fixed temp requires constant correction.

Wobbles the Mind > Tekamul 07/29/2016 at 22:17

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Most people don’t spend much over 40 minutes at a time in their vehicles and will just change the temperature because they’ll assume the setting wasn’t low/high enough. All of which pretty much covers that timer-based system. I thought it was clever so I’m checking out some low end cars that offer that option.