I don't know what days the good Lady E is talking about, but my A levels were in 1962 [yeah, we used quill pens and candle light!!].

BTW Re the "fuel remaining" trip thingy - I leave mine on the setting showing "miles left in tank" but it changes anyway, all the time you're driving, as your journey changes.

So say one minute it might show you have 370 miles in the tank, then after you have an uninterrupted cruise for a bit, it shows you now have 400 miles in the tank! It is obviously trying to average out your driving economy and tell you how many miles you have left if still driving just like that.

I use a strange object on the dash - it's called the fuel gauge. When it gets anywhere between half full and nearly red, I fill up again.

IIRR econ switches off the compressor. The CC Lady Elanore mentioned which switches off the compressor automatically at about 4c is a single zone system and has I think been superseded. I had this system in a 1995 Audi A4 and my wife's 2000 Audi A3 has it. My experience of both these cars is (unsurprisingly) the system is not very effective at demisting once the compressor has been disabled.

My 2000 Audi A6 has a dual zone CC which does not AFAIAW automatically switch off the compressor (it does have econ mode) at low temperature and has a far superior demisting performance at low temperatures in a car with a bigger glass area. So a 2005 system should perform at least as well as that unless Hutber's law applies.

As to economy, well the CC is always on in my car and econ is rarely used. Temp is set at 20c for both zones unless SWMBO is passengering which case her side is set to 18c. Consumption for the 1.9 TDI 110 over 62K miles is 45-46 mpg. The trip computer has never been reset and agrees with my brim to brim records within less than 1mpg and shows an average speed of 42 mph over all types of roads. I drive up to speed limits whenever appropriate and beyond, but not excessively so on the open road. So I see no reason to turn the CC off or run econ mode on economy grounds.

The climate control in the Mk1 octy (and superb I assume) switches off the aircon pump when the temperature drops below 5'

It's very easy to spot when it starts up again as the temperature rise.

I'd expect the system in the Mk2 octy to do the same

i

Now that we have some cold weather conditions can someone point out the best settings for the Climatronic Heating System. The manual' date=' in my opinion, is none too clear, and indicates that heating and ventilation can be regulated automatically in the "Econ" mode but only touches on the subject, without any real clarity. At the moment i tend to use the manual settings for conforts sake.

Would welcome other peoples views and experiences[/quote']

My Mk2 1.9tdi is still too new to be sure but with my last Mk1 octavia I usually ran the climatronic in economy mode when the outdoor temp was a few degrees below the required indoor temp (didn't require the compressor to rubn to cool the air) - I always check teh trip computer at the end of my daily comute (17mls rural roads) and MPG was always about 5mpg better when in eco mode.

My 2000 Audi A6 has a dual zone CC which does not AFAIAW automatically switch off the compressor (it does have econ mode) at low temperature and has a far superior demisting performance at low temperatures in a car with a bigger glass area. So a 2005 system should perform at least as well as that unless Hutber's law applies.

As to economy, well the CC is always on in my car and econ is rarely used. Temp is set at 20c for both zones unless SWMBO is passengering which case her side is set to 18c. Consumption for the 1.9 TDI 110 over 62K miles is 45-46 mpg. The trip computer has never been reset and agrees with my brim to brim records within less than 1mpg and shows an average speed of 42 mph over all types of roads. I drive up to speed limits whenever appropriate and beyond, but not excessively so on the open road. So I see no reason to turn the CC off or run econ mode on economy grounds.

Blimey gamichea, had to go and look up Hutbers Law in my old school books. Sadly they seem to be full of drawings of trees and for some strange reason, rather cute penguins. Now you know why I failed my Physics exam. Is it the law that states things get worse as they get better, or something along those lines?

Also, your second question for 5 points is, what does AFAIAW refer too?

I agree with about never turning the CC off. I think having specified it in the first place it seems a shame not to use it.

Life's too short folks. Get out in your motors, get the climate control cranked up and go for a nice run on cruise control. You feel great, I promise and just remember that none of us will be able to afford to run petrol or diesel cars in 10 years anyway.

I don't think econ turns off the CC, it just limits it to going no cooler than the outside, so I guess it is really a "climate controlled" heater, in effect.

So if it is brass monkeys outside, you aren't likely to want to get cooler than that so econ works fine [except, as noted before, for demisting when needed - auto works best for that.]

The econ mode I'm referring to is when both the lights are lit [i.e. the auto bit and the econ bit].

Life's too short folks. Get out in your motors, get the climate control cranked up and go for a nice run on cruise control. You feel great, I promise and just remember that none of us will be able to afford to run petrol or diesel cars in 10 years anyway.

Ten years time? I won't be able to get my zimmer round the gearstick. [Or is it the other way around - I forget.]

Also' date=' your second question for 5 points is, what does AFAIAW refer too?

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As Far As I am AWare - just a guess but don't think i'm to far off !!

Grateful for your replies.

JohnnyC - Are you actually saying that whilst driving in urban conditions with 30/40 MPH speed limits you always stay in 3rd gear and unlike myself and ednmra move through the gear box 1' date='2,3,6 occasionally, and if so by driving this way you get better MPG in urban trafic conditions?

Not too sure if when using the Climatronic system, unlike ednmra, who appears to use the "econ" mode in winter, you say you never move from "auto" in both summer and winter? Would this not also have an adverse effect on MPG?

I am not nit-picking, just trying to find the best sensible solution to getting the best from my new Octavia.[/quote']

I only use the method I mentioned if i'm staying at a certain speed for a certain length of time. For example, because the car accelerates more quickly in 3rd than 4th, when you accelerate from say 30 to 40 mph in 3rd, you will probably use more fuel in increasing your speed than you would in 4th gear. But 'at' 40 mph the car is getting better economy in 3rd which provided you are driving a reasonable distance will make up for the loss of economy when you accelerated to 40 in 3rd.

With start/stop town driving though this approach is less convincing as you don't get many oportunities to keep your engine around the 2000rpm mark in traffic so you are unlikely to recoup your losses.

I keep my Climate on Auto purely for comfort reasons. As far as i'm aware the advice from Skoda is to run climate year round anyway as it keeps the compressor in good working order instead of having it sieze up over the winter because you didn't remember to give it a run now and then. It may well have an adverse effect on MPG but with my mileage it's hardly likely that the money I would save on fuel by not running it would cover the cost of repair if the compressor suffered as a consequence. Ok it's under warranty but I really don'y want anyone pulling my new car apart when it could have been avoided.

Lady Elanore - I don't think you'll find Hutber's Law in school books. It was coined by Patrick Hutber a late city editor of the Daily and/or Sunday Telegraph. These days it is usually stated to mean "improvement means deterioration" which IIRR loses something of the breadth of the original. Hutber was forever finding examples of his law in the actions of government/civil service and the financial services industry where so-called improvements are often nothing of the sort when considered in the round with other changes made at the same time. AFAIAW = typo for AFAIAA - as far as I am aware

ednmara - I didn't say econ turns off the CC, I said it turns of the compressor i.e. the chilling capability which is the bit that is supposed to sap power and thus economy.

Lady Elanore - I don't think you'll find Hutber's Law in school books. It was coined by Patrick Hutber a late city editor of the Daily and/or Sunday Telegraph.

I feel suitably enlightened and humbled.:orb_readi Another advantage of leaving your CC on' date=' is stopping mildew forming on it’s inner workings. Mind you, I used to have a Fiat Strada 130TC [b']([/b]remember those? Truly awful ride and impossible to get out of the racing buckets wearing a mini-skirt with any decorum) that just simply smelt of mildew!:orb_blah_

Going everywhere in 5th and 6th in 30mph traffic gets me no better MPG than driving normally (3rd in 30mph). Can't budge it from 50mpg.

My audi gets 17.5 from the same driving, so i'm not going to nitpick about how to get the last 0.1mpg out of a 2.0 tdi.

Lady Elanore - I don't think you'll find Hutber's Law in school books. It was coined by Patrick Hutber a late city editor of the Daily and/or Sunday Telegraph. These days it is usually stated to mean "improvement means deterioration" which IIRR loses something of the breadth of the original. Hutber was forever finding examples of his law in the actions of government/civil service and the financial services industry where so-called improvements are often nothing of the sort when considered in the round with other changes made at the same time. AFAIAW = typo for AFAIAA - as far as I am aware

ednmara - I didn't say econ turns off the CC' date=' I said it turns of the compressor i.e. the chilling capability which is the bit that is supposed to sap power and thus economy.[/quote']

Ah, right. That Hutber law sounds spot on - having worked for the NHS [mostly] I can confirm that nearly all government progress is backwards [like one forward gear and 6 reverse??]

Going everywhere in 5th and 6th in 30mph traffic gets me no better MPG than driving normally (3rd in 30mph). Can't budge it from 50mpg.

My audi gets 17.5 from the same driving' date=' so i'm not going to nitpick about how to get the last 0.1mpg out of a 2.0 tdi.[/quote']

I don't do it for economy - I do it for laziness. And pottering along in 6th at 35 mph does mean that you have almost zero get-up-and-go till you change down again! [Not being a torquey diesel.]

But then again, around this town I have rarely found a chance to use get-up-and-go. Not in the car, anyway!

Lady Elanore - I don't think you'll find Hutber's Law in school books. It was coined by Patrick Hutber a late city editor of the Daily and/or Sunday Telegraph.

I feel suitably enlightened and humbled.:orb_readi Another advantage of leaving your CC on, is stopping mildew forming on it

Lady Elanore - I don't think you'll find Hutber's Law in school books. It was coined by Patrick Hutber a late city editor of the Daily and/or Sunday Telegraph.

I feel suitably enlightened and humbled.:orb_readi

Pleased you feel enlightened, but there's no reason to feel humbled. I'm sure you know lots of things I don't know. IMO we all contribute to these forums to learn from each other.

I don't think econ turns off the CC' date=' it just limits it to going no cooler than the outside, so I guess it is really a "climate controlled" heater, in effect.

The econ mode I'm referring to is when both the lights are lit [i.e. the auto bit and the econ bit'].

Some people appear to favour having the Auto on all year round; some prefer to use econ in the cold season but now i am totally confused when you state that you have both auto and econ lights on at the same time??? :eek:

Some people appear to favour having the Auto on all year round; some prefer to use econ in the cold season but now i am totally confused when you state that you have both auto and econ lights on at the same time??? :eek:

I THINK what happens here is that the compressor is switch off (econ) but the system still automatically buts teh air where it's needed and does it's best to contol the temp with the heater as it doesn't need to cool teh air if the desired inside temp is above the outside temp.:confused:

I think that is about it. If I have my auto light on [on its own] then press 'econ', both stay on.

If econ is on, on its own, I think it is just acting as a heater, but with auto on as well, it is setting the dialled temperature, possibly by using part heated air and part outside air.

Notice that if you muck about with the fan speed while on auto, the auto light often goes out, as if to say "if you're going to alter my fan speed, I'm not playing!"

I THINK what happens here is that the compressor is switch off (econ) but the system still automatically buts the air where it's needed and does it's best to contol the temp with the heater as it doesn't need to cool teh air if the desired inside temp is above the outside temp.:confused:

Same here. Normally if i'm on auto and then press Econ, auto turns off. However, below about 6 degrees if i press Econ, the auto light remains on even though by pressing Econ i'm turning off the compressor.

I think the reason is that below about 6 degrees the compressor isn't required as the outside air is so cold. It's not that the compressor can't work at this temperature.

For example:

If you press Econ above 6 degrees you are turning off the compresor and restricting the CC's ability to cool the cabin if it gets too warm so it goes out of auto mode. However, below 6 degrees auto remains on if you press Econ as the air outside is sufficiently cold to provide the cool air the CC requires to cool the cabin if it gets too warm without using the compressor.

What i'm not sure about is whether the compressor is automatically turned off below a certain temperature by the CC in auto mode as it is not needed. It would make sense for this to be the case and would mean that the econ button doesn't really do anything at these low temperatures. Alternatively maybe CC in auto keeps the compressor running at any temperature until you press econ.

I'll have to experiment with that. There will be plenty of cold weather for that this winter by the sound of it

My understanding is that the compressor should not be used at temperatures lower than 5 deg C as the water can freeze and damage the system. At least that's what I've always been told by air con specialists.

I'm pretty sure auto cycles the compressor on and off as needed so it's not necessarily always on, whereas econ specifically tells it not to use the A/C ... it still regulates the temperature in the cabin but may not be as effective in warmer weather where it's just using the available outside air to cool down the cabin

Chris

My understanding is that the compressor should not be used at temperatures lower than 5 deg C as the water can freeze and damage the system. At least that's what I've always been told by air con specialists.

I'm pretty sure auto cycles the compressor on and off as needed so it's not necessarily always on' date=' whereas econ specifically tells it not to use the A/C ... it still regulates the temperature in the cabin but may not be as effective in warmer weather where it's just using the available outside air to cool down the cabin

Chris[/quote']

I suppose that is true. The A/C basically transfers the heat from the car to the outside and it de-humidifies the cabin in the process. In winter time the condensation in the car is geater and the effect of the additional condensate water freezing is that damage is more likely. Condensation is the only water in the system though as the system is sealed and pressurised with refridgerant.

The dual zone cliamtronic system in the the Octy 2 will use the air conditioning compressor to dry/cool the air when the temp outside is anything up to 16 degrees below the required temp in the cabin (i.e. what setting you have on the dial). If the temp is below that it will assume that the air outside is cool enough to do the job.

e.g. I drive with it set at 20deg normally. The air conditioning will be on unless the air temp read by the sensor outside is less than 4deg.

Of course all this is well and good until your outside air temp sensor goes faulty like mine and then it goes potty.

This morning in the sunshine driving to work I had to turn the temp on the dial down to 16 before I would blow any cool air out as it thought the outside temp was minus 11 deg!

Just don't let the revs drop too low; low revs in a high gear is the worst thing for your dual-mass flywheel according to the manufacturer.