E46 climate control operation
Discussion
Hello,
I recently bought an 05 E46 M3 convertible. I'm having trouble getting the climate control to work properly. When I set a temp (eg 21 degrees) and set it to fully auto (for the fan speed) and do NOT have any of the 3 directional buttons illuminated, the car always seems to be hotter than what the temp is set to. Also, it always blows hot air in the footwell so my feet are hot. If it has an "AUTO" setting where the fan speeds up/slows down until the set temp is reached, why does the centre air vent have a dial to alter the temp hot to cold? If I leave it set in the middle, it blows relatively cool air. However, if I alter the dial the temp it blows changes accordingly. What is the point of this seperate heating dial if the climate control has an AUTO function? They seem to work against each other.
I have now given up using the AUTO function and instead press all three direction LEDs on the climate control panel and leave the AUTO function off, I change the fan speed manually. This stops the footwell from blowing hot air, but I still have to play with the temp dial on the centre vents to get it to blow the right temp out of those specific vents. I thought with climate control you just pick a temp and thats it, this system is s
te, the centre vent temp is the most annoying problem I've got as I have to alter the temp dial independantly of the climate control setting.
What am I doing wrong? Any help much appreciated.
P.S. Happy New Year!
I recently bought an 05 E46 M3 convertible. I'm having trouble getting the climate control to work properly. When I set a temp (eg 21 degrees) and set it to fully auto (for the fan speed) and do NOT have any of the 3 directional buttons illuminated, the car always seems to be hotter than what the temp is set to. Also, it always blows hot air in the footwell so my feet are hot. If it has an "AUTO" setting where the fan speeds up/slows down until the set temp is reached, why does the centre air vent have a dial to alter the temp hot to cold? If I leave it set in the middle, it blows relatively cool air. However, if I alter the dial the temp it blows changes accordingly. What is the point of this seperate heating dial if the climate control has an AUTO function? They seem to work against each other.
I have now given up using the AUTO function and instead press all three direction LEDs on the climate control panel and leave the AUTO function off, I change the fan speed manually. This stops the footwell from blowing hot air, but I still have to play with the temp dial on the centre vents to get it to blow the right temp out of those specific vents. I thought with climate control you just pick a temp and thats it, this system is s
te, the centre vent temp is the most annoying problem I've got as I have to alter the temp dial independantly of the climate control setting.What am I doing wrong? Any help much appreciated.
P.S. Happy New Year!
If you've got it on Auto leave the dial on the vents in the middle and it'll regulate the temp accordingly. However, the Auto function doesn't turn on or off the AC and I think you need this on for the climate to work properly.
The point of the extra dial on the vents is to give you a bit more manula flexibility - for example you might want heated footwells but cool air on your face.
It's not the greatest system out there but give it a couple of months and you'll get used to it - I did.
The point of the extra dial on the vents is to give you a bit more manula flexibility - for example you might want heated footwells but cool air on your face.
It's not the greatest system out there but give it a couple of months and you'll get used to it - I did.
The dil on the centre vents is to mix the air temp. so that you have the flexibility of having cool air to your face and warm air to your feet. Leave it on the hottest setting and the temperature from these vents will be dependant on the climate control setting (which sounds like what you are looking for).
Michael325 said:
If you've got it on Auto leave the dial on the vents in the middle and it'll regulate the temp accordingly. However, the Auto function doesn't turn on or off the AC and I think you need this on for the climate to work properly.
The point of the extra dial on the vents is to give you a bit more manula flexibility - for example you might want heated footwells but cool air on your face.
It's not the greatest system out there but give it a couple of months and you'll get used to it - I did.
Cheers for the reply. I leave the aircon button on permanently regardless of temp set as it stops the windows steaming up etc. Its just I'm forever manually adjuster the centre vent dial, it seems to either be too hot if I set the climate control to a low temp, or too cold if I set the climate control to a high temp. Leaving it in the middle setting still does not match what the climate control temp is set too. I've found that the best solution is to not use the "AUTO" setting, this has the added bonus of stopping my feet from getting cooked.The point of the extra dial on the vents is to give you a bit more manula flexibility - for example you might want heated footwells but cool air on your face.
It's not the greatest system out there but give it a couple of months and you'll get used to it - I did.
JimexPL said:
The dil on the centre vents is to mix the air temp. so that you have the flexibility of having cool air to your face and warm air to your feet.
But I thought the centre vent temp should just follow whatever temp you set the climate control to when its in "AUTO" mode, otherwise you haven't really got climate control as you've got to fiddle with the centre vent dial all the time and can't rely on the digital temp setting? JimexPL said:
Leave it on the hottest setting and the temperature from these vents will be dependant on the climate control setting (which sounds like what you are looking for).
But then it will be too hot if I set the climate control to a lower temp setting when its warm outside, especially when summer gets here. I'm not trying to be awkward, but it just doesn't seem to make sense how this set up works?!Edited by Toilet Duck on Wednesday 31st December 18:31
Edited by Toilet Duck on Wednesday 31st December 18:32
Just set the centre vent to whatever you want - ambient temp outside air or climate controlled air. The CC then does the rest. BMW gives you the choice to have cool air blown at your face which helps keep you awake and alert. Most other systems just blow the same temp air out of all vents.
It's taken me a while to get my head round the climate control in mine too. I now tend to just leave it on auto and about 21-23 degrees (air-con off) with the centre vent set to middle temperature.
It does seem a bit over complex to be honest. I much prefer the current shape 3 series with an 'old fashioned' dial you can turn to set the temp
It does seem a bit over complex to be honest. I much prefer the current shape 3 series with an 'old fashioned' dial you can turn to set the temp
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