I am wondering if anyone else has this annoying problem with their recirc button. i have a 2007 with auto AC. I use the system in manual, by adjusting the fan speed and temperature with the dials on the sides. Occasionally, i will be behind a smoker and want to quickly push the recirc button to keep the disgusting smell out.
i expect the button to work the FIRST time i push it. for some reason it does not. I have to push it several times before it will listen to me. the same thing goes with turning it off. its the most annoying thing to look down, find the button, look back up to the road, push the button, look down to see the display (unchanged), then repeat until it decides to work.
Perhaps i have a faulty button or i am not pushing hard enough....

 

I leave mine in auto recirculate mode...it works great. It keeps the fresh air open unless it detects a smoker.

 

I wouldn't bet on it. The function and capability of the "auto" pollution detector has never really been explained, and no one seems to know which pollutants cause it to go off. I've never seen it working, not on my MINI, and not on my old BMW, which claimed a similar feature. Does it go off because of high levels of CO? NO2? SO2? Particulates? Skunks? Who knows?
Anyone out there who's had the "auto recirculate" feature activated? Anyone know what triggers it?

 

The whole point is that you don't know when it is activated because it is automatic. There have been many times when I expected to get a smell in the car (large diesel exhaust clouds, oil burning 82 impala, etc.), and instead barely caught a whiff of the fumes.

The real question is why is the OP using the auto AC in manual mode? If it isn't working you should take it in for warranty repair. My auto AC works perfectly. The only thing I wish is that it had a setting for 73 because I switch back and forth between 72 and 74 a few times a week.

 

i use auto AC in manual mode because i just want it to act like all the other HVAC systems ive used in cars. i control the fan and the temp setting. If it gets a little warm, i'll roll the window down a bit. i dont need the AC cranking on.
98% of the time, i have the venting open to the outside. its just when i want to close it, that this button pushing annoys me.
In fact, i do it so infrequently that i have not bothered to go out there and play with it while i am not driving so i can figure out what is going on. I guess i should have been doing that instead of writing about it. lol

 

I think the auto recirc on the auto a/c has three different positions: on, off, and auto. you may be going from off to auto when pressing just once which is way another press is necessary. I'd have to experiment though as I always leave mine on auto, it's just easier that way.

 

I've had great luck with the automatic circulation too- I've also had one day where I was surprised it didn't work, only to discover that I'd accidentally turned it off. I can understand them using manual mode though- when we first got the car, my wife didn't think the heater was on unless it was pounding out enough heat to burn the edges of your shoes. She's since gotten used to the auto mode, but we still turn go back to manual mode if she's wearing a skirt or something.

 

I agree. I tried the AUTO Recirc a few times in places where I know I would get a smell and I just got the smell for a second...the sensor must have caught it and switched automagically to OFF. However, since I suffer from bad allergies and leave in AZ, I have to turn the AUTO Recirc off because I need the microfilter to filter as much as possible.

...AND I also totally agree on the 72 to 74 debacle.....why in this world would you MINI not allow me to put it to 73? Uh? How about 71?