Automatic Climate Control

[Deer Killer]

Summer=auto

Inbetween=AC? Why???? It's fricking 60F out.

Winter=35F and fresh and with AC????? I think my car wants to turn me into some sort of raisin.. Even in 0F weather I have recirc on until I start getting fog, so it's like 30min on recirc and 2 min of fresh, repeat for long trips. The ACC really needs a humidity monitor so it knows when to defrost, and when to not turn you into beef jerky.

[AWDFan]

As somebody complating the purchase of a GT Limited wagon, all these gripes about the auto climate control make me a bit nervous. If you set it to manual does that give you the same level of control that the non-auto system (in the 2.5i non-Limited) gives you? In other words, do you lose anything having the auto climate system instead of the manual system?

[PGT]

As somebody complating the purchase of a GT Limited wagon, all these gripes about the auto climate control make me a bit nervous. If you set it to manual does that give you the same level of control that the non-auto system (in the 2.5i non-Limited) gives you? In other words, do you lose anything having the auto climate system instead of the manual system?

 

Answers are yes and no.

[bemani]

I hate it.

You cannot do anything to restrict certain modes. Such as only use recirc.

And then there's the dual climiate with the 2 knobs that won't link together.

And the AC itself is noisy as hell when on full force.

[fan42025]

You also gain some benefits with the auto. The gribes are just that - gripes. There's really nothing major wrong with the auto climate control. Sure could be better but so can a lot of things (audio, auto, throttle control, steering wheel controls, front leg room, etc, etc.). Not a perfect car but sure is good value for money and fun to drive.

 

Answers are yes and no.

[kenzo]

Of the 6-7 cars I've had with ACC over the last 20 years, this one is the worst. It overcools in the summer and overheats in the winter (using the same 68 deg. auto setting).

 

It doesn't seem to be able to mix incoming and heated/cooled air; it just switches between them to approximate the temperature setting over time - kind of like filling the bathtub by using the hot or the cold tap alternately, but never at the same time. Eventually the accumulated water gets to the right temperature, but not before you've been burnt and frozen.

 

IMHO the most poorly-implemented feature in the car; I like the car overall but the ACC wouldn't be worthy of a Kia.

[sduford]

Of the 6-7 cars I've had with ACC over the last 20 years, this one is the worst. It overcools in the summer and overheats in the winter (using the same 68 deg. auto setting).

 

It doesn't seem to be able to mix incoming and heated/cooled air; it just switches between them to approximate the temperature setting over time - kind of like filling the bathtub by using the hot or the cold tap alternately, but never at the same time. Eventually the accumulated water gets to the right temperature, but not before you've been burnt and frozen.

 

IMHO the most poorly-implemented feature in the car; I like the car overall but the ACC wouldn't be worthy of a Kia.

Well said!

 

I'm glad to hear I'm not crazy! I think anybody who has known a half-decent ACC before will feel pretty much the same.

[AWDFan]

I hate it.

You cannot do anything to restrict certain modes. Such as only use recirc.

What about the recirc? Does it not work well, or are you complaining about how it works with other functions?

 

Having good recirc is important to me as I use it most of the time I'm in the car (regardless of time of year). I live in a metropolitan area and have a lot of stop-and-go traffic during my commute. If the Legacy's ACC system is sucking in other cars' exhaust all the time, I'll be wishing I'd bought a different car every time I drive it.

[Deer Killer]

Of the 6-7 cars I've had with ACC over the last 20 years, this one is the worst. It overcools in the summer and overheats in the winter (using the same 68 deg. auto setting).

 

It doesn't seem to be able to mix incoming and heated/cooled air; it just switches between them to approximate the temperature setting over time - kind of like filling the bathtub by using the hot or the cold tap alternately, but never at the same time. Eventually the accumulated water gets to the right temperature, but not before you've been burnt and frozen.

 

IMHO the most poorly-implemented feature in the car; I like the car overall but the ACC wouldn't be worthy of a Kia.

 

It's annoying but mine definately does not do this, infact if you look at the manual pages it's obvious it can mix air at any temp. Take it to your dealer.

[Limeydriver]

Of the 6-7 cars I've had with ACC over the last 20 years, this one is the worst. It overcools in the summer and overheats in the winter (using the same 68 deg. auto setting).

 

It doesn't seem to be able to mix incoming and heated/cooled air; it just switches between them to approximate the temperature setting over time - kind of like filling the bathtub by using the hot or the cold tap alternately, but never at the same time. Eventually the accumulated water gets to the right temperature, but not before you've been burnt and frozen.

 

IMHO the most poorly-implemented feature in the car; I like the car overall but the ACC wouldn't be worthy of a Kia.

I agree completely - Mine does that to. Along with the fact that the AC turns off on WOT makes the interior heating/cooling experience somewhat irritating.

[DAP]

There is nothing wrong with the automatic ACC that could not be fixed with a firmware upgrade (assuming that is possible). My pet peeve is that one can not set the AC temperature separately from the heat temperature. I've turned off the AC, but it still cranks up the fan when the temperature is slightly above the set point. Perhaps a cool only setting and a heat only setting would be sufficient.

 

So how do we convince subaru to offer a firmware upgrade?

[AWDFan]

So how do we convince subaru to offer a firmware upgrade?

Call Subaru's customer service line, or ask your local dealer if Subaru has any upcoming ACC fixes. If the dealer asks why, tell them all of your complaints. If the dealer gets enough complaints, maybe they'll pass it on to SOA. When you talk to SOA or the dealer, I suppose it might not hurt to mention that Subaru needs to get this sort of stuff right if they want to move upscale and compete with the Euro brands. Maybe that will get their attention.

 

I already sent SOA an email using the contact form on www.subaru.com complaining about not being able to use an MP3 player with the stereo. I suggested they either offer an aux in or go back to a double-DIN style opening (so the HU could be easily replaced). Perhaps if they get enough of these comments they will make changes.

 

When my wife was getting ready to buy her current car (2002 Saturn LW300), Saturn was just starting to offer ACC. Between the time we test drove and then placed an order, they had stoppned taking orders for ACC because they were getting too many problem reports for it. About two months later, shortly after we got ours (with manual controls), Saturn came out for a firmware fix for it and starting offering ACC again. The people with early buggy firmware got theirs fixed, but I still wonder to this day if we're better off having gotten the manual system.

[sduford]

Yep, perrsonally I think I would be better off with a plain old "3-dial" manual system.

 

The only thing I like about this ACC, is that it waits for the engine to warm up before starting to crank-up the fan. That is pretty much the only time I use the AUTO. Other than that, I think this ACC actually gets in the way.

 

I'm hoping it will be more useful in A/C mode next summer.