Having now got climate instead of air con, is it necessary to turn the temp down to activate the air con?, or does it come on anyway when on Auto. I'm asking this dumb question as I'm not sure and want to keep the system in shape, used to turn the air con on every week in my previous car to keep the system circulating. :confused:

Having now got climate instead of air con, is it necessary to turn the temp down to activate the air con?, or does it come on anyway when on Auto. I'm asking this dumb question as I'm not sure and want to keep the system in shape, used to turn the air con on every week in my previous car to keep the system circulating. :confused:

If you keep it on Auto it will Automatically keep the temperature at what ever you select.

What I meant was does the air con come on anyway to circulate the gases, or does it manually have to be provoked? I know how the system works, just not sure if the air con is operational all the time or not :confused:

If it's on auto it's on all the time - the fan is alway on at least one bar so it must be circulating.

Yep, AC is on all the time except when the temp is below 4c then the system is disabled to protect it against the lower temps.

Air con is on if the display shows AUTO or is blank where AUTO or ECON would otherwise be displayed. It's off when ECON is displayed or the fan speed is set to 0.

so when on ECON the aircon/climate system/fan is not used ??

so the system basically runs like a normal heater matrix ?

so when on ECON the aircon/climate system/fan is not used ??

so the system basically runs like a normal heater matrix ?

Thats it, except the temperature is still maintaned to what you set with the temp settings, just it uses the ambient air temp so it will not be possible to get the car interior cooler than that.

Aircon in the damp has added advantages with regard to window misting because it removes the moisture from the air. During winter I use the aircon in the mondeo, I just increase the heater control (no cc here) to counteract the effect of the ac.

yeah i'd noticed that the last few months with the rain etc, the windows steam up really quickly using ECON but clear almost instantly with is set to AUTO or blank once i've turned the fans down.

also is it normal to see a small drain of water on the drive after having the climate on ?

i was under the impression it was either an overflow of some sort or the condonsation on the pipes ??

Its a drain for the condensation that is formed off the evaporator in the heater box, perfectly ok.

The fan has to be running when ECON is selected otherwise the Climatronic system switches off.

Thanks for the info, wasnt sure.

Which heats up quicker in the mornings AUTO or ECON?

Which heats up quicker in the mornings AUTO or ECON?

The heat source is the same for both, ie coolant. But both cooling fans run when aircon is selected on so so I would guess that the engine will then take longer to get up to temperature.

Flick recirc on.

Leave it on Auto all the time. This will prevent nasty things growing in the air con system and producing horrible smells! On ordinary air con it's essential to run it at least once a week to prevent this problem. I never managed to get rid of bad smells from an Octavia I had with air con some years ago. Climate Control means what it says - it controls humidity as well as temperature. There is always the debate about saving a few mpg's but IMO the added convenience and comfort outweighs any possible saving. My Passat is now 3 years old and the climate control has always been on Auto at 21 deg.C. Similarly, my wife's Fabia has never had its air con switched off since she bought it last January.

Leave it on Auto all the time.

I was under the impression that this was a bad idea and that it was better to turn the air con off a few miles before you reached your destination otherwise bacteria will grow in the condensor and cause that horrible smell.

My aircon lives on ECON 98% of the time. I prefer to save the 2mpg or so and I can't see what added comfort is gained by cooling air with an aircon system and then heating it up again before pumping it into the cabin, at this time of year. The "added convenience" I presume amounts to not having to switch between auto and econ once a month or so to run the aircon. I'll look upon it as valuable exercise, pushing that button, to keep my heart healthy :P

I have never had any bad smells either, and my aircon still works when I need it. I try to turn it on for a few miles every so often as recommended to keeps the seals from drying out.

I prefer to save the 2mpg

and the car is meant to be quicker with it on ECON.

Got to take the Octy in to have the climate looked at as it only blows out really hot air even turned right down to low.

and the car is meant to be quicker with it on ECON.

Yep - you can feel it sort of "releasing" when you switch from AUTO to ECON. It's not much, but every little helps I guess.

Yep - you can feel it sort of "releasing" when you switch from AUTO to ECON. It's not much, but every little helps I guess.

That is because the compressor will be running when the climate is in Auto and as a result this will put extra drain on the engine.