If you have the seat heaters on auto then they switch on/off with the cabin temperature setting. You can have manual control over them if you wish, independent of the HVAC system.
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Climate - Auto or Manual
- Thread starter Bootneckshuffl
- Start date
HenryT
Active Member
Jason71
Well-Known Member
I think you are misunderstanding the status of 'active member'
M1tch
2021 M3P with EAP
Normally leave it on 20 degrees and auto. Occasionally I have to put the front demister on as a light mist starts to form after 90 mins or so of driving. Apart from that it does the trick.
Also found out today, I have aircon! Obvs I know it had it but not yet been warm enough to use it! Was interesting feeling cold air being blown at me.
Also found out today, I have aircon! Obvs I know it had it but not yet been warm enough to use it! Was interesting feeling cold air being blown at me.
Leaving the aircon on will stop the misting up of the windows (and freshen the air a bit better in my experience). If you have the climate set to auto it balances out the temperature.
You have just discovered why people do use AC even during the colder months ... perfect for avoiding the misting that you get on cold damp days, even with the heating on. It may seem counterintuitive to have heating and AC on but try it!
MrBadger
Badger out
Dryer air from aircon is easier to heat too. I don’t find that use of aircon makes any noticeable difference in efficiency but fan speed and especially heater does.
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M1tch
2021 M3P with EAP
I assumed it would be on due to using auto but after a while I start to get a light haze. 10 seconds with the window fan on and it’s clear
Only for the older M3s though. If you have a heat pump fitted M3 then you don't have AC and heating at the same time, but heating the air will naturally dry out the air (just not as effectively).
HenryT
Active Member
Another argument in favour of leaving the AC permanently on is that switching it off and on allows bacteria (and hence bad smells) to form in the filters as moisture isn’t being fully removed.
(It may of course be a redundant argument these days given the technology now in use).
Indeed. Here in Colorado it's dry much of the time but last month we had snow and I needed the defogger. Suddenly in front of me I spotted a pickup truck spewing diesel exhaust, so I hit the recirculate button. In seconds my windscreen fogged up, so I hit the AC button, but then the recirculate button turned off and the system was sucking in diesel fumes. I fiddled with this a few times as the windscreen became almost impossible to see through. I haven't sworn at a car in like 20 years, but I was swearing like a sailor at this massive fail. Obviously the Tesla software developers didn't think of this scenario in their misguided quest to automate everything.
I forgot to mention that when I hit the AC button and the recirculate button turned off, I then hit the recirculate button and then the AC button turned off. That cause the windscreen to fog up in seconds. It was like whack-a-mole. That's when I started swearing. In the latest software update that I have (2022.4.5.17), I was able to hit the buttons in a sequence that kept both the AC AND recirculate on, but now I'm not sure what the sequence was. I need to have someone video what I'm doing to document the insanity.
When I get out of the Car and come back in a few minutes, the Car has been remembering that I had the heated seats on. That's a good thing because most probably the temperature is the same, so I'll need the heated seats when I get back in.
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