[dave7933]

I bought my 2009 335i Coupe last September and it really is a great ride. I know others have complained in the past about the Air Conditioning, and the Auto Climate Control could really use some improvement moving forward. While there is a way with iDrive to change the level of fan speed--it really should work better as far as automatically controlling the fan speed and cooling process.

Now that we are starting to get the hot weather here in S. Florida I thought I would share a tip that I have found in cooling the vehicle more efficiently. I turn off the Auto Climate Control and manually adjust the fan speed while pressing the front dash vents on. In hot weather it makes a huge difference in cooling the interior both from a temperature standpoint and a forced air standpoint.

The overall engineering of the car is fantastic. They need to bring the quality of the Auto control up to what many other cars deliver. I drove a Vette before the Bimmer and the Auto Climate worked great. It brought the fan up to full speed as needed and brought it down when the car was cool enough. The BMW Auto control seems to work well in all but hot weather.

[wrickem]

Did you try the "Max" button?

[dreamingat30fps]

I find the AC in BMW, VW, Audi to suck in general. My father in laws Hyundai is ice cold right off the bat while mine take forever to start cooling.

[chromisdesigns]

The hvac system has never been one of the high points of BMW engineering.

[Michael Schott]

Originally Posted by chromisdesigns

The hvac system has never been one of the high points of BMW engineering.

I guess I'm in the minority but I just let the system do its job and it works fine. I think way too many here are like my 82 year old father who can't let the thermostatically controlled system run like it should and feel they need to have manual control. Set the temperature where you want it and the interior of the car will be cooled or heated to that temp.

The heater is particularly good. In 30 degree weather I can have heat in 4 minutes. I haven't owned another car that can do that.

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by chromisdesigns

The hvac system has never been one of the high points of BMW engineering.

+1.

Originally Posted by Michael Schott

I guess I'm in the minority but I just let the system do its job and it works fine. I think way too many here are like my 82 year old father who can't let the thermostatically controlled system run like it should and feel they need to have manual control. Set the temperature where you want it and the interior of the car will be cooled or heated to that temp.

The heater is particularly good. In 30 degree weather I can have heat in 4 minutes. I haven't owned another car that can do that.

Also +1.


Many have historically believed American cars had the best AC systems. Not living in a particularly hot climate, I really don't know if that holds any merit. The BMW does take a little longer to get cold air pumping and get cooling the cabin, but it does the job on the hot summer days here - even with a black car and black interior. The car warms up quickly in the winter and is heating the cabin in no time.

[Dan in PA]

Originally Posted by dreamingat30fps

I find the AC in BMW, VW, Audi to suck in general. My father in laws Hyundai is ice cold right off the bat while mine take forever to start cooling.

Originally Posted by chromisdesigns

The hvac system has never been one of the high points of BMW engineering.

My AC is amazing. Freezing right away, car goes from blazing to perfect in like 5 minutes. Love auto mode.

[dave7933]

I have used the Max button and that function works great. And the Auto Climate works fine except in very hot and humid weather where it is not smart enough to effectively cool when set at 72 degrees or so. You should not have to set the temp at 65 or lower and then raise it up. The Auto function should work to cool the car to 72 if it is set there. That is my point. And I wanted to raise the point that the Manual function works much better in very hot humid weather (even when set at 72 or 74) with only the front vents turned on via the button. This will help those having problems with the AC not cooling well enough for their comfort level.

[Oulixes]

Originally Posted by Michael Schott

I guess I'm in the minority but I just let the system do its job and it works fine. ... Set the temperature where you want it and the interior of the car will be cooled or heated to that temp.

The heater is particularly good. In 30 degree weather I can have heat in 4 minutes. I haven't owned another car that can do that.

+1, I like both the heater and the AC.

[///Mik3]

i too must be of the minority. Coming from a 16yr old car in to my '09 e91, i've actually said to myself "man, it's great to have automatic climate control that actually works like it should!"

i have mine set to auto at ~66-69* pretty much all the time. If i ever come back to a hot car, i hit the max button to start off for about 2min or so, then push the auto button, and let it do it's thing. It seems to keep me so comfortable and i don't have to think about modulating it myself ever really.

[Dan in PA]

Mine stays at 70 in the winter and 68 in the summer, no problems so far.

[dave7933]

Maybe I will try it at 68 or 70. Auto may very well work better at that setting. I guess I grew so used to keeping it at 74 in the Vette for so long as that was all that was needed for a true comfort level. And my thinking was backing it down to 68 on a regular basis would impact mpg performance.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by chromisdesigns

The hvac system has never been one of the high points of BMW engineering.

You've obviously never owned an E21, E28 or an E30. The old 3-lever BMW HVAC system was fantastic. You could manually adjust the volume of air between defrost, dash, and footwell. It also was able to provide warm air in the footwell and cool air from the dash vents.

I think the E90 system works pretty well in auto mode; it's not perfect though.

[wizardsway]

I have a 2006 and my A/C works awesome i to live in Florida and when leaving work the inside temp gets very hot car sits in sun all day and i use the MAX A/C for a few minutes and it cools off very fast. and after putting it back on auto keeps me very comfortable the whole time i am driving. my girl has a 2007 Hyundai and it is not near as fast at cooling and you are always adjusting the controls.

I guess every car is different and not all A/C systems operate the same. as for American cars i owned Chevy Ford Dodge and Jeep and the A/C systems never lasted past the 4 or 5 year mark before needing recharged or fixing because of leaks.

[dave7933]

I did try it today on Auto at about 70 degrees and it did work better. I guess I just thought it would be similar to my past Vette which I set at 74. After all, 74 degrees inside the car is 74 degrees in any car--or at least should be!

[jaybird124]

I live in FL and while my Jeep HVAC was better, I think these are decent. What your doing manually is basically what the MAX button does automatically.

[06mb325]

The AC system is different for pre-LCI vs LCI models. The LCI has a "manual" automatic function i.e you can have different "auto" settings along with manually setting the fan speed. I think that is what the OP is talking about. Pre-LCI worked either in auto or manual for the fan speed.

[JayKay335i]

I leave my car set to auto and 68 degrees. Its been 90 all week. 35% ceramic tint all around and 60% on the windshield. The airs blowing cold in well under a minute and I'm usually comfortable and ready to rock within a minute. Works like a charm.

[VTECaddict]

Originally Posted by 06mb325

The AC system is different for pre-LCI vs LCI models. The LCI has a "manual" automatic function i.e you can have different "auto" settings along with manually setting the fan speed. I think that is what the OP is talking about. Pre-LCI worked either in auto or manual for the fan speed.

There are 3 different "auto" intensities in my pre-LCI, at least in my car with iDrive. And each of the 3 auto profiles have customizable vent settings.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by dave7933

I did try it today on Auto at about 70 degrees and it did work better. I guess I just thought it would be similar to my past Vette which I set at 74. After all, 74 degrees inside the car is 74 degrees in any car--or at least should be!

In the BMW technical blurb there is comment on giving the driver/passengers a 'controlled' comfort. (Both for heating and cooling). This translates in my understanding and experience, to more gentle settings and flows as the setting temperature is approached. Hence if you have a higher temperature setting, the HVAC won't necessarily go into full chilling mode, but for a lower setting it does. It is all based on the 'logic' in the electronics.

But as already said, you have a 'max' button which overrides the softer approach and gives full chilling capacity, for as long as you engage it.

I personally don't see the function as a weakness, but the best of choice. Particularly if you have I-Drive and can fine tune it to your personal requirements.

HighlandPete

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by dave7933

I bought my 2009 335i Coupe last September and it really is a great ride. I know others have complained in the past about the Air Conditioning, and the Auto Climate Control could really use some improvement moving forward. While there is a way with iDrive to change the level of fan speed--it really should work better as far as automatically controlling the fan speed and cooling process.

Now that we are starting to get the hot weather here in S. Florida I thought I would share a tip that I have found in cooling the vehicle more efficiently. I turn off the Auto Climate Control and manually adjust the fan speed while pressing the front dash vents on. In hot weather it makes a huge difference in cooling the interior both from a temperature standpoint and a forced air standpoint.

The overall engineering of the car is fantastic. They need to bring the quality of the Auto control up to what many other cars deliver. I drove a Vette before the Bimmer and the Auto Climate worked great. It brought the fan up to full speed as needed and brought it down when the car was cool enough. The BMW Auto control seems to work well in all but hot weather.

Ya know it wasn't always like this. My 06 E90 would increase decrease fan speed as appropriate. Now the system just increases and decreases the temp with the fan speed being constant. I'm not a fan.

[dreamingat30fps]

Originally Posted by Socom

Ya know it wasn't always like this. My 06 E90 would increase decrease fan speed as appropriate. Now the system just increases and decreases the temp with the fan speed being constant. I'm not a fan.

Mine is set on auto and when I get in and it's really hot the fan is on full blast. As it cools off the fan slows down.