A/C Memory

ss2nv

Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2013
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
2014 Passat SELP
This has probably been asked before, but is there any way that I can get my 2014 TDISEL to remember the last A/C settings when restarted? We are in TX and need the A/C to be on Max Cool / high speed fan most of the time when we first get into the car. What I want is to be able to set the A/C up so that the wife can remote start the car and cool it down before leaving work in the afternoon.
 

rustycat

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Location
seattle
TDI
2015 passat sel
This has probably been asked before, but is there any way that I can get my 2014 TDISEL to remember the last A/C settings when restarted? We are in TX and need the A/C to be on Max Cool / high speed fan most of the time when we first get into the car. What I want is to be able to set the A/C up so that the wife can remote start the car and cool it down before leaving work in the afternoon.
I doubt the car would run long enough with the remote start to take advantage of much max AC.
 

tadawson

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2013
Location
Lewisville, TX
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL, 2015 Passat TDI SEL
If the thermostats are set say at 72, you get full cooling anyhow . . . about the only change you could make would be to add recirc, which actually can slow cooling if it's supid hot inside - you want to blow that hot air *OUT* ASAP! A lot of folks mistakenly think the settings set outlet temp, which is incorrect . . . full cooling is available whenever interior temp is above the setting, no matter what it is . . . so, my suggestion would be to leave it on 'auto' . . . And, as others have noted, between limited remote start run time, and low engine RPM, you won't get cold that way on any setting, but it will help.
 
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VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
Correct answer! ^

Also, there is no way to get it to default to MAX A/C.
 

New Mickey

The user formerly known as mickey
Joined
Jun 6, 2017
Location
Utah
TDI
2015 Passat
I concur with ^ and ^^. This has been an ongoing source of tension between my wife and I forever. We had auto climate control in our Sprinter and in Katy the Mercedes and I absolutely could not convince her that THE CAR WILL TRY TO GET TO YOUR PRESET TEMP AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE! Fiddling with it does not help. And in the case of the old Mercedes the electro-mechanical climate control did NOT respond well to fiddling. You'd end up replacing the control unit.

Just set it and forget it.

-mickey
 

New Mickey

The user formerly known as mickey
Joined
Jun 6, 2017
Location
Utah
TDI
2015 Passat
By the way, "Max Cool" is the same thing as "A/C plus Recirculate." American cars have either called it "Max Cool" or "Economy" depending on who they were trying to impress. You'll get the best cooling when you recirculate the air rather than trying to cool the Earth's atmosphere. And it's cheaper that way too.
It seems logical that when the interior is REALLY hot it would be quicker to run with the "Recirculate" OFF so you force the hotter air out of the car's interior, but in practice that doesn't seem to work. "Recirculate" works best. Just treat that button as a "Fart Evacuation System" in the summer.
-mickey
 

VernK

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Location
Kelowna
TDI
2012 Passat 2.5L Gas
I've actually tested this, and the fastest way to cool in our Passat when the interior is superheated is start with about 2 minutes of Auto without recirculate, then Max AC.

Next fastest way was Max AC but roll the all windows down for the first minute.

All this in roughly 38 C temperatures.

Yours
Vern
 

tdiatlast

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
TDI
2009 Sportwagen (boughtback); 2014 Passat TDI SEL (boughtback)
^^^agreed. 130f interior air needs to be evacuated, allowing coooler (95f+...haha!) air to be cooled as it enters the car.

New Mickey: perhaps your drier air requires a different procedure.
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
By the way, "Max Cool" is the same thing as "A/C plus Recirculate." American cars have either called it "Max Cool" or "Economy" depending on who they were trying to impress. You'll get the best cooling when you recirculate the air rather than trying to cool the Earth's atmosphere. And it's cheaper that way too.
It seems logical that when the interior is REALLY hot it would be quicker to run with the "Recirculate" OFF so you force the hotter air out of the car's interior, but in practice that doesn't seem to work. "Recirculate" works best. Just treat that button as a "Fart Evacuation System" in the summer.
-mickey
Climatronic will automatically turn on the recirculate when it's in automatic mode based on conditions. On a hot day, I believe it runs fresh for a minute or two to evacuate the hot air, followed by recirculate until it gets close to the temperature set point. There really is no need to tinker with it in most situations.
 

tadawson

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2013
Location
Lewisville, TX
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL, 2015 Passat TDI SEL
I concur with ^ and ^^. This has been an ongoing source of tension between my wife and I forever. We had auto climate control in our Sprinter and in Katy the Mercedes and I absolutely could not convince her that THE CAR WILL TRY TO GET TO YOUR PRESET TEMP AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE! Fiddling with it does not help. And in the case of the old Mercedes the electro-mechanical climate control did NOT respond well to fiddling. You'd end up replacing the control unit.

Just set it and forget it.

-mickey
Yeah, my wife killed the control head in her Crossfire (Merc rebadge . . ) that was as well. Some idiot convinced her some time in the past that you should turn the system off whenever you shutdown the car . . . . Another very expensive learning experience . . . . i think they wanted $1200 for a new control head (found used instead, fwiw . . .).
 
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New Mickey

The user formerly known as mickey
Joined
Jun 6, 2017
Location
Utah
TDI
2015 Passat
Climatronic will automatically turn on the recirculate when it's in automatic mode based on conditions. On a hot day, I believe it runs fresh for a minute or two to evacuate the hot air, followed by recirculate until it gets close to the temperature set point. There really is no need to tinker with it in most situations.
I'll experiment with that and see what it does.
One thing I do is switch off the A/C if the outside temperature is comfortable. It does seem to make a difference in fuel economy. I'd rather run the fan a little higher than run the compressor for no reason.
-mickey
 

tadawson

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2013
Location
Lewisville, TX
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL, 2015 Passat TDI SEL
On our 2013 SEL, at least, there are three modes of the recirc button . . . Off, On, and Auto, and it will only do auto if you tap it until the light with the "A" near it is on, and yes, that will be remembered . . .
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
On our 2013 SEL, at least, there are three modes of the recirc button . . . Off, On, and Auto, and it will only do auto if you tap it until the light with the "A" near it is on, and yes, that will be remembered . . .
I believe the auto recirculate switch is for the air quality sensor and that the system will still do recirculate to maximize cooling performance. I could be wrong ... it's been a while since I've watched the HVAC controller in VCDS.
 

tadawson

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2013
Location
Lewisville, TX
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL, 2015 Passat TDI SEL
Not sure . . . I had forgotten it was there, and played with it yesterday after being reminded of it here. No time to check the book, though . . .
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
By the way, "Max Cool" is the same thing as "A/C plus Recirculate."
Actually, on climatronic this isn't the case. "MAX AC" makes the compressor run to keep the evaporator just above freezing, in addition to closing the recirc door completely.

When the system is in a normal mode the compressor is regulated such that a warmer evaporator temprature achieved, in order to keep the cabin at the setpoint without having to add heat. The recirc door is also regulated - it can be partially closed giving a mix of inside and outside air. This keeps the cabin fresher, while reducing load on the compressor.

Using the max defrost setting also runs the compressor such that the evaporator is keep just above freezing. This provides maximum dehumidification. To reach the temprature setpoint hot air is mixed in.

The "Auto Recirc" mode does use the air quality sensor. For 2016 the auto button was eliminated, I don't know if the quality sensor is still there and the system is just always in auto.. or what. I also don't know if turning off the Auto Recirc function will stop Climatronic from using recirculate when it thinks temperature conditions call for it...

-J
 
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