My wife has had two Audrey's with auto air. Neither one worked worth a darn. My Forester XT has it & it's a bit better, but when I bought my MCS I was gun shy of a HAL 9000 climate control so I went with manual controls. I'm very happy with it.

 

Thanks for all your replies! I think I'll prob stick with what I have (auto), esp. if the above is the case since i'm getting CR/B w/ black leathrette in Houston! (I'm getting what I WANT as opposed to making it based on where I live... I don't PLAN on living here for the length of time I will own this car!)

I felt like an idiot reading some of the posts since I didn't even think that of course, when you drive and the temp changes outside, the auto AC moves with you (duh... it's called climate control, haha )... That is just too cool and sold me all the way!! I hate having to manually find the right balance and then having to switch between cold and hot when the weather changes...

 

I read somewhere on the MINI USA site that it achieves the programmed temperature in the fastest amount of time... or something like that, and it has upgraded air filtration... (VERY useful on our lovely ozone warning days in Houston..ick..)

 

I'm too much of a control freak to go for the automatic unit. We went for the manual. When I want the AC on, I'll turn it on myself.

--
Mitch & Sherry (waiting for our MCS delivery late August, 2006)

 

Hmmm.. sounds like marketing BS to me... Same filter used for both systems... according to the part number manual...

 

I had an 04 forester XT and it was either too cold or too hot with the automatic system. They had issues with the thermostat... fan was always on high or too low...
But the air was real cold...

 

Wrong.. Cable operated system. You can hear and feel it.. without any power to the system. It is very basic... Only the vent/rec button is motor driven.. very simple and basic..

 

until you put you fat butt in the car... no difference.

 

Its the little things that make a difference... it all adds up... just depends on what your priorities are...

 

Get the manual, paint it red, and put a JCW logo on it....it adds like 20HP

 

auto a/c all the way!! I hate continuously adjusting the air. First you get in the car, and it's too hot. So you crank up the a/c. Then you get too cold, so then you turn it down. But then you start getting warm, so you have to turn it up a little... and it's a continuous game like this until you are satisfied.

unlike with the auto a/c, just set it to the temp you like and forget about it. You just get to enjoy your motoring.

 

I've had both: manual a/c in my '02 Cooper and auto a/c in Wanda, my '03 MCS. I prefer the auto a/c because it has many more options and I like the way it mimics the MINI wings logo in its layout, too! I think it is worth every penny of the extra dough! *grin*

 

ooooooh - I'll have to try that out! Thanks for the tip!

 

I have the auto system, but I can't figure out how to use it in the manual or automatic mode.

 

the filtration, one is just a filter, the auto A/C has a activated charcoal filter... not that its the end of the world... do what you think is right in your heart....

 

I have the manual (not my choice since I bought off the lot).
I know my wife would prefer the auto AC.
I usually leave the AC off. End of story.

If I'm hot I lower the windows and listen to my engine and exhaust.
Most of the time it's about 70-75 degrees.

If I could have bought manual windows I would have- much less complex, less cost, less weight, less things to go wrong and less to fix.

I also have no trip computer, no cruise control, no MFSW, no chrono gauges, no NAV, no sunroof, etc...

 

That may work nicely in Hawaii, Brad, but in the deserts, where it gets up to 115F, not such a good technique! LMAO!

 

Been thinking about this very subject. Last car had climate and it went south and was an expensive fix. If it's auto and it's on all the time, that means that it is taking HP from the engine most of the time. I hate that. There are times when you want to decide if you get the full monty from the engine or or not rather than having the air con decide for you.
Manual all the way.

 

LOL, I used to live in Hawaii (for four years - went to Uni of Hawaii) and I can relate... I loved not having to use the AC...

Oh well, now I'm in hot and humid Houston

 

Redvaliant, while people refer to it as 'Auto AC', it's really 'Automatic Climate Control' - If you don't want the AC on, you turn it off. The system does not override your desire not to use AC, it just gets the temp as close as it can to the desired temp with fresh air. Unless it gets really hot, I choose to drive with the AC off (but run it 5 minutes a month regardless, just to keep the seals lubed.)

 

Don't count on that. I absolutely hated the auto climate control on my '03. I could never get it do what I wanted without holding buttons down for multiple seconds which is not something I want to do while driving. My new MC has the manual dials, and they're great!

 

I had auto air in my Infinity J-30, it works great but I still found myself
running it in manual a good portion of the time. My mini has manual air, and
as an added bonus, it has a special auto cooling function.... a convertible top ! So the faster I drive, the more air I get ;-)

Hey Bamatt,I LOVE the chili red cabrio badge. I just sent an email to the CROC for membership number 169, but I'd love to use your Cabrio graphic.
Where can I find it ?

 

Auto AC simply looks incredible when lit up at night, and it can easily be used like a manual system- I never use the auto function. The elegance of the arrangement made it a no brainer for me. As far as cooling is concerned, the MINI simply doesn't cool as well as many (most?) other vehicles out there, IMO, but it's still no contest on what looks and works the best. Auto AC all the way.

 

It's actually very simple (no need to hold buttons down). Just set the fan speed to the desired level, select which vents you want to use, and if you don't want the system to ever use AC, press the AC button to turn it off. That's it! Granted, it's not a true manual mode as the system will still vary the heater to reach the desired temperature you set. I find it does this perfectly, which is why I use the system in this mode. If I want to redirect the air or speed, I just press a few buttons.

To switch it back, just press the Auto button!

After reading this thread, it appears that the Auto AC system is almost as misunderstood as DSC.

 

I don't think it is,the wife & I just ordered her COOPER last sunday & the $300.00 will go towards floor mats & other such do-dads