Climate Control System

[bmwidd]

I'm a relatively new owner of a 1998 328iS and I'm just trying to figure out the exact workings of the automatic climate control system. I've read the manual a few times and still seem to struggle with exactly what the Auto option does.

Does anyone know exactly what this option does and how it's supposed to work? If you have it engaged, does it sense the interior temperature of the cabin and automatically adjust it to whatever you set the system at or does it just automatically adjust the temperature of the heater to whatever temperature you've selected?

These are very similar, but slightly different ways that it could work in my opinion. If it was the first option, then I would expect the fan to automatically adjust up and down to maintain the appropriate cabin temperature (which is doesn't seem to do). For example, when you first get in the car on a cold morning and you set the temperature to 22 degrees C, I would expect that the fan would blow on the highest setting until the cabin temperature reached 22 degrees and then the heater would need to cycle on and off to maintain that temperature (kinda like a furnace in the house). If it was the second option, then I would expect that it would just set the heater temperature to whatever you select and then leave the fan setting (high, medium, low, etc) up to the driver.

I've also noticed that when you change the fan setting, the word "AUTO" on the display turns off, but the light on the AUTO button stays on. Is this some variation of the Auto setting?

Also, it seems very strange that you could set the temperature at say 25 degrees C, but the system still blows cold air (in the winter) unless you move the dial that's above the center vents to one of the red dot settings. Doesn't this defeat the purpose of what AUTO should be?

And finally, in the summer time (which I have not experienced in this car yet), if you set the system to Auto and the temperature to some comfortable level (ie: 18 degrees C), does the A/C automatically come on for you to bring the cabin temperature down or do you have to manually turn that on.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Wadula]

well first of all welcome to this bimmer world

to your questions:

the auto function controls three things, if needed independently from each other. fan, temperature and distribution of air.

the unit measures the temp inside the cabin, you can see the measuring unit behind the little grid in the control unit. when you set up a certain temp, the unit autonmatically adjusts fan and heat or cold to reach that level. at the bginning and depending how big the gap between wished and real temp is the fan blows harder or less.

when you adjust the fan speed manually the auto buytton stays on to show that the distribution is controlled automatically.

the little wheel on top is your manual way to quickly adjust the airstream coming towards you. that has nothing to do with the auto function or the way the control works. that is installed as convenience for you. in winter set it to heat (red dots) in summer to cold (blue dots). that's at least how i do it.

no, A/c needs to be switched on when you want it. it does not come up automatically.

 

[bmwidd]

Thanks Wadula.

I payed closer attention to the fan speed when the word AUTO is displayed and it does moderate the speed as you suggested.

Thanks very much for your help!

 

[Wadula]

you´re welcome!

 

[jtofalli]

Wadula,
Do you know how to change the display from C to F?

 

[Wadula]

at the climate control unit no i don´t sorry. only thing is the OBC that has the simple button to change between both.

 

[VANCE]

i would like to know also...since i put my climate control unit in last summer it has been in celcius...how warm is 32 degrees celcius anyway?

 

[Wadula]

32 C is sweat weather my friend it is about 94 F

 

[VANCE]

thats what i've had it on all winter...the damn blower doesnt blow hard enough though.

 

[Wadula]

maybe you should close the windows?