AC has a mind of its own

[Ready2plugin]

Just got back from the shop to pick up the ICE loaner. Looks like my car will be there until next week sometime. They did let me peek at my LEAF to get my insurance card out. They had the dash pretty much taken apart where the glove box use to be. They are cutting out the hoses and keeping the A/C unit and coils together in order to ship to Nissan. They want to find out why the coils leaked and cased the unit to fail. I'm wondering if it had anything to do with the rattle that they could never find in that same area? Sorry, just thinking out loud. Bummed that I loosing so much time with my LEAF...you just don't know what you got until it's gone....

 

[DeaneG]

That A/C button should really, really be a Heat-A/C-Off three-mode button, or at least a Heat-Off two mode button instead of A/C-Off two mode. The reasons behind the traditional AC/Off button are not very valid in a fully electric vehicle. In an ICE car, heating is practically free and A/C costs money and power. Almost the other way around in an electric car with resistive heater.

I mentioned it to a Nissan technical guy who came by to interview me. I don't think he quite followed what I was trying to say, but it's evident that many Leaf owners agree.

 

[garypq]

Could it be the inside cabin scent sensor went into an alarm state, due to a rapid rise in methane, and was attempting to ventilate to avoid battery damage.

The LEAF has a scent sensor that redirects air from the outside when there is something outside worth smelling, perhaps you were near a flower garden. You can set some favorite smells in the NAV or choose from categories like, fast food, cut grass, etc.

In that case, my car is malfunctioning. It doesn't respond to gas build up in the passenger compartment as fast as my wife!

 

[ecoobsessive]

I love the A/C too, I just don't like the heater coming on when I didn't want it to. So now, thanks to some other posters and other threads, I have learned do this: instead to touching the small "on/off" button to turn on what I think is A/C (but what is really "auto") I have learned to just turn on the A/C by turning up the +fan button. And I can get just fan air by touching the large A/C button to turn it off. Lesson learned: stay away from the small "on/off" button, or you might end up getting the heater. I still use it to turn everything off, but I'm not using it to turn anything on. This way you don't have to mess with changing the temp. setting when it is a little cooler outside.

Note: On my old ICE cars I always thought it was good practice to turn the A/C off when I turned the car off. I'm thinking maybe it doesn't really make any difference to this car at all. Any thoughts?

 

[gbarry42]

S. California also, and yes, I do have to turn it down in the morning and up in the evening. But I usually let it run, mostly because out here it doesn't consume more than 1 or 2 miles on a trip. It's not really annoying, just unfortunate. But, there aren't that many things to play with on this car while driving.

Handy tip: If you keep lowering the volume on the radio, and it's still loud, but it's getting colder, look and see which button you are pushing :lol: And don't ask where I got this tip!

 

[palmermd]

Handy tip: If you keep lowering the volume on the radio, and it's still loud, but it's getting colder, look and see which button you are pushing :lol: And don't ask where I got this tip!

I've had the same problem. Wish the radio was a knob I stead or something. The whole user interface on the center conse needs to be tossed. Nothing is intuitive or "normal". The center console ergonomics is my biggest gripe about the car so it's not too bad.

 

[garygid]

There should be a way to add a switch on some heater-control sensor so that the heater thinks it is "warm enough" and never turns on.

 

[aqn]

That A/C button should really, really be a Heat-A/C-Off three-mode button, or at least a Heat-Off two mode button instead of A/C-Off two mode. The reasons behind the traditional AC/Off button are not very valid in a fully electric vehicle. In an ICE car, heating is practically free and A/C costs money and power. Almost the other way around in an electric car with resistive heater.

Nissan needs to get rid of the temperature control.

In a car where raising the interior's temperature is not trivial, a temperature dial is more trouble than it's worth. ("Letting warm outside air in" to raise the interior's temperature is trivial, but it's not an answer, in my book. I don't want or need the car making the fresh air/recirculation decision for me.)

"Feeling hot" or "feeling cold" are physiological as well as psychological states. It'd be tough indeed to devise a climate control that can make me "feel comfortable" and has its only control be a temperature dial. How would the car know if my feet are cold, my hands are cold, I'm wearing too many layers, I'm not wearing enough layers, etc.? I have not yet driven a car where, automatic climate control or not, I don't have to jack with the climate control knobs and dials.