I heard that the "Led" in the center of teh dash is infact an infrared sensor to help the Auto-Ac determine if direct sunlight is shining on the car.

I did notice my Auto-Ac sudenly power itself down a notch or two when I went from Sun into Cloud. (that can make a real difference in the heat in FL)!

So, to confirm this theory, can you guys post with whether you have Auto-AC or not and if you have The "Led" in the center of your dash or just a circular cap?

Thanks!

Pebble
:smile:

 

Yeah, I have the Climate Control / Auto-AC , and my MC has the led in the center of the dash too...

Someone here indicated that the led/sensor does double-duty as the alarm-"blinking" led if you get the dealer installed alarm system.

 

I was told at my dealer that the auto A/C was slower in cooling down the MINI's cockpit and the standard manual A/C. I taught it was just the opposite. Anyhow, I have the standard A/C in my car and so far so good. Any taughts on the performance of the Auto A/C vs the manual A/C systems?

 

I really like mine. And it's been hot here. The auto AC will make decisions on fan speed and weather to re-circulate the air or not if it's really hot. I used to fiddle with the AC in my old car all the time and could never seem to get it right. One of the other reasons I got AUTO is that ther is an extra polen filter or somthing (I think) and I have allergies. I tend not to fiddle with it at-all now, just set it to 70 and leave it alone.

You can always run the AC yourself, it dosn't have to be AUTO, the one feature I do like Is that you can leave it on auto, but hit the air-recirculate button. This is good during florida mornings where you can get a sulphery-swampy smell come in from outside.

Pebble.
:smile:

 

I have the "auto" AC and I have to admit I hardly ever user the automatic setting. I tried it for a while, and it did not seem to get the car as cold as I wanted..

FYI, I was told by my service person that you should not use the automatic or Recycle settings too much or you could end up with mildew in the system.. and the mildewy smell! -- She also said that if this happens, it is NOT covered under the warranty!

 

I am not a mechanic (IANAM) but after a little digging around with a google search it looks like any car can get mildew in the AC.

One Thing to check regulaly:
The AC codensation tube is not blocked.
With the AC on you should get a steady flow of water running off from the AC underneath the car. This is the run off as the air is de-humidified. I guess if you live in Vegas, you might get the odd drip-drip, here In Orlando it positivly piddles out. :smile:. That's why they recomend not recirculating for more than 1/2 an hour in the manual.

Pebble.
:smile:

Yeah, i'm a little bored at work at the mo.

 

It's funny that you should mention your AC condensation, because here in N.Fla I have noticed that there is a lot of runoff from mine!

 

A good way to combat the mildew is to run the heater for a minute when you get done motoring. This will dry up the passage ways and prevent the mildew. I had to do it in my, ahem, VW before I sold it. Now I'm waiting for my Cooper S, all black. So in the mean time I'm spending a lot of time here, wishing and waiting. December can't come fast enough!

cr

 

Thanks for the Hint Cooper44, and welcome to the board! :smile:

Pebble
:smile:.