Auto = Awful, a Climate Complant

[Art84]

For me, "Auto" works just fine.
I set in a range 71-74 degrees in auto mode in summer and winter and the car manages a comfortable temperature.
I never set the temperature to like "LO" or "HI". For some reason, people think if they set "LO" that car will cool down faster or if put "HI" it warms up faster. It's not. Set your comfortable temperature and let the climate control automatically do the rest.

And as mentioned, "Auto" heated sets are separate from "Auto" climate control. If you don't like how auto-heated setas works, you can disable this individually for each front seat. For me, "Auto" heated seat also doing well.

 

[Art84]

Mine does engage auto seat heating... Weird indeed. Are you sure it doesn't on yours?

When you select "Auto" mode, it will select "Auto" for everything, but then you just deselect "auto" only for seats, and the rest of the climate control system will remain in "Auto" mode, except the selected seat.

 

[jkdman123]

When I purchased my M3 two years ago, the climate controls were the bee's knees. Being able to start both heating and cooling from the phone and having the interior temperature heat or cool so quickly meant never getting into an oven or icebox again.

Fast-forward two years and it's all hogwash. "Auto" has ruined the experience. In every case, "auto" tends to imply that I'll have to fidget with the controls very frequently while driving. What a hassle.

I'm not really following. What does Auto have to do with starting the climate control remotely?? I never use the Auto setting and have no problems starting the AC on a hot day or vice versa.

 

[cappo3]

When you select "Auto" mode, it will select "Auto" for everything, but then you just deselect "auto" only for seats, and the rest of the climate control system will remain in "Auto" mode, except the selected seat.

Yes, that's what I meant. If I turn on Auto, I have to then tap two more times to deactivate the auto functionality for the heating on both front seats.

 

[3sr+buyer]

In most cars I've owned, there are 3 climate dials - one for where the air comes from, one for the temp (red to blue gradient), and one for intensity (e.g. 1-5). Since these are tactile, it's easy to do without taking your eyes of the road... and rather quickly too.

Yes, the three dial controls are the easiest to use for manual control of the HVAC. Some newer cars have switch to buttons that are less easy to use by feel. Touch buttons or touch screens are a bit worse in this respect.

It does seem like Tesla HVAC control is designed for people who just leave it in auto, but not everyone likes it that way.

 

[father_of_6]

I'm not really following. What does Auto have to do with starting the climate control remotely?? I never use the Auto setting and have no problems starting the AC on a hot day or vice versa.

Remotely controlling climate and auto aren't directly related. I was telling the story... remote climate was so great that climate controls in general were in my list of top reasons the car is fantastic.

Now, 2 years and many software updates later and climate controls have become one of my biggest complaints (my A/C also has a very bad mildew smell right now, so pile it on). It worked very well upon purchase, but seems to get continually worse with each update.

 

[father_of_6]

For me, "Auto" works just fine.
I set in a range 71-74 degrees in auto mode in summer and winter and the car manages a comfortable temperature.
I never set the temperature to like "LO" or "HI". For some reason, people think if they set "LO" that car will cool down faster or if put "HI" it warms up faster. It's not. Set your comfortable temperature and let the climate control automatically do the rest.

This may be highly dependent on regional climates. In 20°F frigid winter, if "auto" blows the warm air at the windshield and not at the face or feet (which it often seems to), then the cabin will continue to feel cold for those sitting in the front seat.

If "auto" works well for a given driver, then it's probably magical. But as soon as it doesn't, touching one control disables auto and causes a cascade of other required interactions. Primarily that one must manually control fan speed, but upon re-enabling the seat heaters are then set to auto which changes the settings in a seemingly unpredictable pattern for the user. Essentially "auto" seat heaters operates as "random" seat heaters for me, the user.

The biggest problem (IMO) with Tesla's climate controls is simply that "auto" would ever try to choose something that's subjective for the driver... namely seat heaters settings and direction of airflow. Those things should have never been controlled by "auto", and they weren't under v10.

Perfect climate controls, in my opinion, would simply tie fan speed to the selected temperature. An occasional blast of heat to the windshield when the car detects fogginess (via front facing camera or diff between inside and outside temps) might be amazing if it could reliably work.

In summary, my experience is that "auto" climate controls seems like the software changes vent direction plus heated seats based on a random number generator instead of any actual comfort/safety needs of the driver... and cycling auto on/off each come with consequences.

 

[jkdman123]

Remotely controlling climate and auto aren't directly related. I was telling the story... remote climate was so great that climate controls in general were in my list of top reasons the car is fantastic.

Now, 2 years and many software updates later and climate controls have become one of my biggest complaints (my A/C also has a very bad mildew smell right now, so pile it on). It worked very well upon purchase, but seems to get continually worse with each update.

I see. Yes, I agree that they've monkeyed with the controls way too much and 99% of the time it has made it worse. Someone said they think Elon is pushing everyone towards using voice commands and that's why he's buried controls farther down in the interface. Really stupid idea if true. Like FSD, voice commands just aren't up to where they need to be to make it a seamless user interface, and they won't be for YEARS, most likely.

I feel like he's adopted more of an Apple design philosophy of 'we'll tell you what you want'. The problem is this type of design is very difficult at best to do correctly, and even if you do it correctly it can be very off-putting to some people, and if you don't do it correctly, you piss off *most* people. This is why most companies don't do design this way, and even Apple screws it up now and then.

 

[father_of_6]

I never set the temperature to like "LO" or "HI". For some reason, people think if they set "LO" that car will cool down faster or if put "HI" it warms up faster. It's not.

How can this be? I'm not sure how the actual hearing or cooling sources work... perhaps those are "boolean" in that they are either on or off (without any varying degrees of heat or cool in between)... but if that's true, why does the car even provide a temperature control (e.g. 72°)?

As for the fan speed, I can't provide empirical data proving that a higher fan speed will get the cabin to desired temperature faster, but it definitely makes a difference in user comfortable. Setting the climate to HI definitely produces more warmth on a cold day than setting it to 72°.

 

[stopcrazypp]

How can this be? I'm not sure how the actual hearing or cooling sources work... perhaps those are "boolean" in that they are either on or off (without any varying degrees of heat or cool in between)... but if that's true, why does the car even provide a temperature control (e.g. 72°)?

Isn't that how almost all standard single stage cooling/heating systems work? The temperature is only the set point at which the system will turn off at that set point (+/- some buffer), it is not necessarily the temperature of the air coming out of the vent.

As for the fan speed, I can't provide empirical data proving that a higher fan speed will get the cabin to desired temperature faster, but it definitely makes a difference in user comfortable. Setting the climate to HI definitely produces more warmth on a cold day than setting it to 72°.

Even in a single stage system, HI produces more total warmth because it runs longer (forever?), not necessarily because the air coming out is hotter. If it was a multistage or variable stage system, then the air coming out might actually be hotter, but Tesla may not necessarily be running that.

 

[Art84]

How can this be? I'm not sure how the actual hearing or cooling sources work... perhaps those are "boolean" in that they are either on or off (without any varying degrees of heat or cool in between)... but if that's true, why does the car even provide a temperature control (e.g. 72°)?

As for the fan speed, I can't provide empirical data proving that a higher fan speed will get the cabin to desired temperature faster, but it definitely makes a difference in user comfortable. Setting the climate to HI definitely produces more warmth on a cold day than setting it to 72°.

This temperature control (e.g.72) is your desired temperature inside of the cabin. It's not how hot or cold the air should blow out of the vent.
Let's say it's 30 outside. You sit down into a car, the climate is set to 72. So your car will begin blowing as hot as possible air out of vents, to increase cabin temperature to 72. Once the temperature in the cabin gets to that point, the climate system begins to blend cooler air into the flow, so it will maintain the 72 degrees in the cabin.
The same thing happens with cooling. Your AC will not produce colder air if you set it to LO, compared to 72, if it's 90 in the cabin. AC will blow the coldest air it can, to reduce the internal temperature in the cabin to 72, then starts blending warmer air just to maintain 72.

The fan speed definitely makes a difference only about how fast the air will circulate in the car and as result, warm up/cool down the car faster. But fan speed has nothing to do with the temperature of the air blowing out of the vent. That's why usually when the climate is in "Auto", the fan speed works faster until the desired cabin temperature is reached and then the speed slowly goes down just to maintain the desired interior temperature.

 

[Art84]

Perfect climate controls, in my opinion, would simply tie fan speed to the selected temperature. An occasional blast of heat to the windshield when the car detects fogginess (via front facing camera or diff between inside and outside temps) might be amazing if it could reliably work.

This is not perfect climate control... it's a climate control from 80s
Modern climate control, controls everything: fan speed, the temperature of airflow, recirculation, and flow direction.

With the first three - tesla works just fine. With an automatic flow direction - I agree, there is room to improve

 

[davewill]

Yes, that's what I meant. If I turn on Auto, I have to then tap two more times to deactivate the auto functionality for the heating on both front seats.

I tested it this afternoon. Turning auto climate off then on did NOT engage auto seat heaters.

 

[father_of_6]

I tested it this afternoon. Turning auto climate off then on did NOT engage auto seat heaters.

Hmmm... strange. I'm on an older software version (pre radar disablement), so maybe that's why. Also... maybe it doesn't do it with a quick toggle off/on of auto. Maybe you have to wait a bit, then turn auto on.

 

[Ther0ck]

Remotely controlling climate and auto aren't directly related. I was telling the story... remote climate was so great that climate controls in general were in my list of top reasons the car is fantastic.

Now, 2 years and many software updates later and climate controls have become one of my biggest complaints (my A/C also has a very bad mildew smell right now, so pile it on). It worked very well upon purchase, but seems to get continually worse with each update.

Change your filter and clean your coil. Problem solved.

 

[father_of_6]

Change your filter and clean your coil. Problem solved.

I just received new filters and the cleaner from scamazon, so I'll be doing that job soon. I don't expect you're saying that'll also fix the crappy software... are you?

 

[Ther0ck]

I just received new filters and the cleaner from scamazon, so I'll be doing that job soon. I don't expect you're saying that'll also fix the crappy software... are you?

You can sell the car and move on from Tesla. Problem solved.

 

[Art84]

@father_of_6
By the way, for convenience, you can add the "heated seats" icon to a quick access bar on the main screen to quickly change the heat mode manually.

 

[refusedmd]

love auto climate in the tesla, best in any car i've had (mainly audis).

 

[father_of_6]

Proposed solution:

Each individual part of the climate controls should have it's own "auto" toggle on the climate screen. The main "auto" toggle should either be removed, or override all other auto toggles when enabled, and return them to their previous state when disabled.

This would allow those than want "full auto" to have it, but those that only want a given element to be on auto to also have it (e.g. fan speed auto, everything else manual).

Elon of Twitterville, please make it so!!