E46 M3 Tips and Tricks Vol. 2: Auto Climate Control
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- In this video we explore the E46 M3 Automatic Climate Control option, and how to set this up. Don't fight the system, embrace it. Most of these settings and system abilities are universal for most cars, so even if you drive an Audi, or a Fiat... You might learn something.
special thanks to Obioban from M3forum for the information and direction on this topic. I figured I would make an easy to watch and understand video of his instructional article on the system. Hope I did your info justice Ian.
Many don't understand the hot/cold dial. It has nothing to do with fresh air. All it does is open/close a flap for bypassing the heater core. It only affects the face vents. When set to full blue, all air is bypassing the heater radiators inside the heater core. This is how you can get hot air coming from footwells/defog vents, and cold from the face vents.
Turning it all the way to the red, closes the bypass channel and all incoming air is passed through the heater radiators and will be heated (of the water valves are open and coolant is warm/hot obviously).
Also what the manual doesn't tell, is that there is a half-auto mode. Full auto mode is when you press it once and fan speed and outlet vents are being controlled automatically.
In auto mode, you can do two things: 1. hit the fan speed switch. Now the fan speed is in manual mode, while the vent outlets are still being chosen by the system.
2. Hit on of the outlet buttons. Now the outlet choice is in manual mode, while fan speed is still being regulated automatically. (I use this feature all the time).
And as mentioned, the indicated temp is a reference value and not the actual temp. For example, the warmer the ambient temp is, the higher the temp must be set to have the water valves to open (one in case of the E46). When it's very cold, just going up one/two pressed in temp increase will open the heater valve(s) while on a hot day, it will take a much higher temp setting before the valves open. Of course this is very logical as the warmer it is outside, the less heat you need from the coolant to get to the set temp.
And there's other intelligence built into the system as well. If you select all output vents to be open, the defog flaps will always open more and also receive more hot air. If the face vents are selected, this is when the hot/cold dial comes into play and you can "steal" some hot air from the defog vents for the face/upper body.
Never thought to use the Ac in my E46 in the winter to remove the moisture. Excellent recommendation! Thanks for the thorough post.
I have an e46 330i and the climate control is one of my most favorite features on the car. It works flawlessly in auto mode. Basically, I touch the AC panel twice a year. First, when I raise the temperature for summer to 23°C and second, when I lower it back to 19°C for winter. It's absolutely awesome and reaches the requested temperature as quickly and effectively as possible. I really don't understand why anybody needs to interfere with this system.
Great tutorial. After seeing this, I keep my E46 M3 on auto, set it at 75 and that's all I have to do. The system is underrated. I love it.
Serious tip - DO NOT use the auto function :) why? Because every BMW from the production era using the same air control panel (and variations of it) have different outputs. Meaning that if you put 2, 3 identical cars next to each other they probably will not behave the same way. Why do I know that? I owned a few ones, drove a lot of others and I did and still do all my repairs and I still have one to drive with.
The good setup is to keep a manual fan speed within 2-6 stripes (low output) and don`t worry about using a high temperature if it is cold. Keep the center and bottom flow always on, switch the top flow as you wish (if your eyes are sensitive to direct conditioned air or some other reason). The scroll wheel is something each owner has to test out for himself. In some cars it works perfectly in others it won`t for various reasons (and in some it will change according to the way you drive). And if for no other reason there is a piece called the "hedgehog" which is located below the carpet next to the passenger left foot which will modify your air systems behavior (if your vent is doing the "who who who who whoooo whooo whoooooo who who" kinda sound then that part is on its way out. Easy fix - take it out, solder all connections again and put it back in (just heat up the soldering and sort of repair/restore the connections that way).
Also keep the snow flake button ALWAYS on as it will use and cicle the liquid from the air condition tank. If you keep it off too long the system may need a complete liquid flush after that. It does not need to happen nescessarily but it certainly can. If you need to have warm air then just set the temp high enough (it won`t mix with cool air but the already mentioned dehumidifying feature will work). The crap about having a better mileage is invalid. BMW is not a low consumption car, it never was and never will be. So if anyone really believes he`ll save a load of money in the long run - no. What you save over a year is gone when you stop a few times too much to let somebody cross the street. If you want to look at the consumption get a Honda or any other small engine car. Or walk. Having a better mileage is better achieved by looking out for traffic situations and act way before they affect you. For example - cars way ahead are braking then let off the gas and maybe brake a little too so when you approach the blockage you won`t have to stop and move the whole car from point blank again. Overtaking - keep a larger distance to the car you want to overtake and watch out for an opening. As soon as you see a chance to overtake start accelerating slowly so the time it will take you to overtake the car will be like two or three seconds at most. A lot of people drive too close to the vehicle in front then quickly strafe out and slamming the gas pedal while being affected by the sudden force of the wind what wasn`t there before :) smooth movements. But not too smooth so you don`t piss off others around you :D
But lets get back. The circulation function... well... if you really wish to use it, use it. But in most cases you`ll have to quickly open windows once a bad smell reaches you inside your car so why bother. I keep it off constantly.
Also a good tip during cold nights - when you get home after a drive (short or long) do not close the car after you exit. Leave all doors open (or windows at least) so you get fresh air inside the car. Next morning you`ll start up the windows won`t fog that fast. If you clean them from time to time that is. The human body emmits not only heat and humidity but also a bit of sweat or "oily fat" if I may say so. Get rid of it. The car won`t keep the accumulated heat from your last drive until morning so why not prepare better conditions for the next day? Also keep your cabin filter fresh. If you still feel your windows get fogged up too fast even after all those tips then it might be time to change it. Don`t wash `n dry the piece. It won`t work (tried out several times with various methods and no success).
Bottom line: those tips are mostly for cold weather use. During warm weather a lot of the tips won`t even cross your mind since it won`t be an issue (or barely noticeable). All the above are ment for city driving. For longer periods of road usage you`ll have to play a bit every now and then to set a lower temp or lower the fan speed a bit. But thats about it as well.
....and why is it so weirdly fucked up? Because BMW reached a peak of the 3er series with the E46 and with that comes a small downside - the car is over engineered. Some things are totally unnescessary to carry around :) other things are rather funny (like the secondary air pump to make emissions look good or the oil separator wich is clogging your air intake and stealing valuable power and creating bad emissions, the DISA valve and its "brylyant" desing, where the most important part may fall off directly into the air intace and moving on directly into the piston leaving you with a very expensive fix if not checked from time to time etc etc...). The E46 if well maintained may very well outlive his owner with no problem.
Hope that helps someone. I`m here just because of a random clickstreak and I thought this could interest someone. Comments seem to be from reasonable people not infantile idiots like in lots of other videos so it seemed like a good idea to me.
+John Crusader Wow, thanks very much for all this!
Illes Hurkecz OMG did I really write all of that :D soooo loooooooong....:D already forgot about it. Well if it helped you`re welcome
+John Crusader Thank you!
John,thanks for the tips,u obviously know what u talking about,so maybe u can help me;as soon as i turn the key to position 2,the little fan on the climate control kicks off,and when i turn off the car stills on for a while....i changed the hedgehog and nothing change,is this behaviour normal?cheers
If I understand you correctly your fan is starting when you turn your key to 2 (that is okay) and keeps on spinning when you turn your car completely off... not so good since it shoud stop. Probably check your diagnostic tool for an error. Something like a temp sensor, stuck relay or whatever minor stupid issue. Those things work only when a signal is sent and stop working when the sent signal is constant and got broken off or it needs another "poke" to change the behavior that got sent by a "poke" previously. Look out for some DIYs on that toppic of yours. It should not be hard to find something.
The dial on the upper vents that you didnt known what it's for is to allow you to change the air temp for those vents only.
This is handy as it can for example allow you to have a really warm car but send cool air to your face. This stops you becoming drowsy with all the warmth.
Just a thought, if it's *REALLY* cold outside (like it has been where I live lately), immediately turning your HVAC system on to full blast will actually increase the amount of time it takes to start blowing hot air. This is because you're essentially using the heater core like a radiator - you're dissipating what little heat the engine manages to make in that time, and it won't be able to build heat as quickly as it would with it off. If you're like most people and you start your car a little while before you get into it, try leaving the HVAC system completely off before you get into the car, and then you can crank it when you get in...trust me on this. When you get in, you'll have plenty of hot air, and the car will be able to keep blowing hot air once you're driving and putting the engine under some load.
An aside: some newer cars actually do this automatically; they won't immediately go to the highest fan setting upon cold starting the car. They will wait a few minutes in an attempt to build some heat up in the system, and will then gradually raise the fan speed so you're not getting blasted with cold air.
For the last part
The e46 does that too.
Петър Василев I think many new cars with automatic climate control do that. I drive a 2012 Kia Optima (probably called the K5 if you're in Europe) and it does that. It will wait until the coolant is warm enough to supply warm air to the heater core before gradually speeding up the fan in the cabin.
Great video man, nice coverage and explanation.
One correction however, your 2004 Audi A6 does have an A/C override button. It is the ECON button, which stands for 'economy mode' and operates on the principal that you achieve better fuel economy and performance with the A/C compressor disengaged.
Nice! Same exact climate controls as my mediocre 325i. Nice to know the king of the 3 series has at least one part us poor people have lol
This is a very informative video, the only thing i don't do that u explained in the video is keep my a/c button on. Reason being first of all I've noticed my car (2004 330xi 6 speed) gets a bit less gas mileage with the a/c on all the time (i know thats normal) but i refuse to see that gas needle dwindle down for an unnecessary reason. Second of all even without my a/c on and the climate control on auto it still keeps my windows perfectly clear. So this is why in my personal experience i have absolutely no need for the a/c button in the winter.
Gil Gonzalez Be mindful to use the a/c as much as possible, at best it will need re gassing, at worst the whole system could fail, it may just cease up due to lack of use.
Using the automatic feature on the climate control panel, will the control module turn the air conditioning compressor on and off automatically? You cite the control module's ability to modulate the stepper motors in the different vents, the cabin/open recirculation valving and the temperature mixture, but nothing on the actual compressor cycling. I'm not sure you would even notice if the compressor was on unless you got into a car that was 120 degrees Fahrenheit inside the cabin and switched the climate control to auto with a cabin temperature setting of ~70 degrees Fahrenheit. Any information you could provide would be helpful. Thanks!
The ECON button does not disengage the A/C all the time, so it is not exactly like an A/C override. It will under acceleration, but not cruising.
Just a little note on these cars there is an outside temperature sensor and the driver side front wheel well if you hit a curb or something with it and you fuck it up the AC will not work what will happen is the car will think that it's too cold outside to turn on the AC just a quick bit of advice if you're having this problem you should check out under your car like I said driver side front of wheel well kind of below where the fog light is
Not any longer than a regular car, the difference is that you can't rev it hard before it's warmed up. It really does get warm quick. I always start mine and let it sit for 3 minutes before driving it in the morning, in the afternoon after work, I'll start it and wait about 1 minute, just to let the blood flow.
Ok so its just the front screen button needed, thats all i wanted to know.
And dont worry im not one of these people who sit in the car for 10mins with the engine running/heaters on and using the wipers to remove the ice! haha
I use a scraper but just wanted to be sure i was using the heater properly.
Thanks for the reply
Love the BMW´s auto climate control, nice and simple and works like you want it to. ;)
Man I can't believe there was a video on this. Big thanks to you as I never could figure out how to use the automatic climate control. With the weather being in the low teens in PA, I shall try this out when I go to class tomorrow! I'm also selling my e36 328i for an e46 m3. Subbed!
Dude though, thanks for this. I can't even believe that people would overcomplicate such a simple thing, that they'd think it takes so much work to get their luxury car, with _automatic climate control_ for god's sakes, warm or cool. Like, it's the easiest thing in the world...hit Auto and set the temperature you'd like it to be. The car will get to that temp as quickly and comfortably as possible, same in summer and winter. Good lord, how could you even think turning it up to 81 would get you to a toasty 72 any faster? As if setting it to a reasonable temp will cause it to just take its sweet ol' time. Do people wake up in the morning and feel the need to crank their house's central air to like 91 when it's cold out? ...Or do they just set it and forget it because its job is to keep a steady temperature? Right, the car works the same way. I almost never touch mine, and year-round I can take for granted that I'm going to be comfy.
Thankyou very helpful man! I have a M3 for 3 years and never know these things lol
The ECON button on audis is technically the AC button - Econ ON means AC is off and vice-versa
Yea, someone pointed it out to me before. It's pretty dumb to do it that way, but it is what it is. Thanks.
Good explanation but I still hate the BMW AC system. It's like something from the '60s.
I learned a lot from this video, keep them coming...launch control would be sweet
good video/ I have a question. you tell about tempreture sensor in Panel/ Ok. And there is a small fan blowing on the air sensor from the salon. Do you know what the problem if this small fan dont blowing? sensor is work, but it determines the temperature not in the cabin but on the inside panel of climate. Anybody know what need i do for a small fan working? sorry for bad english.
So my AC control stays on full blast and then it slows down and then it speeds up on its own and it's not on auto what does that mean?
I folowed your steps and it works but my 2001 coupe does not show AUTO on display?
My thermometer that reads the outside temperature is gone will the auto feature still work ?
Hi mate, thanks for the video but im still abit confused.
If i come outside and my windows are totally frozen whats the quickest way(using the cars heater) to defrost them? on a car with normal heating dials/settings, you simply turn one knob to direct all air to the windscreen, make sure the heat setting is all the way to hot and put the fan on, easy.
How do i do that with my E46 318se? if ive got it set to a comfy level then it will take longer to melt ice?
Great videos! Learning a lot of stuff about my e46... Keep going!
hey i saw ur auto climate control video.. thanks
i have bmw e46 i have climate problem. when i try to slowly it down the fan it only goes up every time the only choice i have is only to turn of the climate. could you please help me .
You cannot create heat that isn't there. In the case of the frozen window day you can press the front defroster button like you would the rear. This will max the fan out, putting all air to the front windscreen and defrosting the window. If you wait the amount of time it takes for the engine to heat up and melt the ice, you are wasting time. Get a scraper and get it off of there, then start moving. The screen will be clear in no time.
i wonder if Sevendust was on when u turned on the car stereo?
Thx for uploading. Q:,how do I change my climate system display to F? It currently shows C. Thx.
There is no way to diagnose a problem over the internet, and I wouldn't even know where to begin. Fan resistor would be my guess, but honestly, it could be anything,
just some tips for you my friend: the temperature on the climate control that you change if it's winter and you want it hot quickly you have to push it to the max cause as I said you're wrong there is a valve controlling how much coolant going to the heater radiator and depends on it it will be hotter or cooler ( less hot water = cooler,more hot water entering heater the hotter will be! To all watching this if you want hot air coming from your heater you have to adjust it to the high number!
I'm originally from York Pa! Living outside of Pittsburgh with my hedgehog on the fritz!!!!!
Nice, informative video!
Could u tell me what kind of phone holder u have and where can i buy it?
Thanks for record this video
What is the difference if set my heat to 70 and leave it on normal fan or if i set my heat to 70 and use AUTO? How does it make any difference?
When the car gets warm (or cold) the fan will slow down and speed up to keep the temp constant. Without auto, it'll pump air out and not regulate it.
How do I turn the auto to off I don't need this every time I start my car please help me......
My A/C comes on every time I start my car. Whether I turn it off before the car is shut down or not. If this is the same as your situation, but with the AUTO function...it must be programmed "OFF" through a software based tuner. AS FAR AS I KNOW. There might be a trick, but that's the only way to get my A/C to not come on automatically. Good Luck.
I don't like running with AC on either, cuz it wastes gas to run the compressor.
All you have to do to disable auto is to click one of the 3 buttons on the left, defrost, passenger vents, or foot well vent, once you set any or all of those, you go into manual mode, at that point you need to manually operate your AC compressor, if you set the fan speed, it will become manual as well, otherwise it will remain auto. The temperature setting will always change your balancing damper between your heating coil and cooling coil as required by your temperature setting, I typically set it to the extremes of cold/hot if I want to cool or heat myself up at the maximum rate possible.
***** You do realize you are not cooling faster or heating faster by putting the temp higher or lower, right? All you are doing is telling the car to heat or cool for longer. you are not getting any hotter or cooler air by setting it to 59 degrees or 81 degrees...
The reason you should use auto, and should use AC is to 1, dry the air in the car and prevent window fogging, and 2 to get the interior to the temp you set the fastest.
If you want mad heat or AC, turn the dash dial to all blue or all red, dial up the temp you want, place it in manual and turn the fan up. If you follow my instructions using Auto, your car will reach the temp fast, and evenly.
*****
Ya, I know, automatic is the best way to make the interior reach a set point temperature as you've said, cuz it uses the heat when it's got it, and uses the AC compressor when it's appropriate.
But for those who want a little more control such as myself, it's there too. I just find that the extremes are helpful sometimes, for instance I'll use it when I'm running late and run to my car. Then I just set it to the lowest temp setting and set the fan to max, while keeping the AC compressor off(If it's cool enough outside not to use the AC). Using the AC compressor to dehumidify the air is helpful on a rainy day, or even to cool yourself(maximizing evaporative cooling), but I just want to save a little gas(91 octane!)/money and wear/tear on the AC system, it's not much but maybe I'm really cheap.
JDMreck if you change either the fan speed to temperature then auto switched off.
Holy shit, that M3's engine literally goes "vroom vrooom", haha! That's like a dog that actually says "bark bark", pfft, which they don't. They go RUH. RUHRUHRUHROHROHRUH RUHH. RRRRRRRRR RRRUH!! RUHRUHRUHRUH RRRRRR **BITE* **CLAMP* RRRRRRRRRRR **SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE* **RIP* **FLESH* **leg bleeding* **screams* **ambulance sounds* **several stitches, permanent loss of feeling*
Very informative. Thanks
btw we have 3 bmws 2 of witch i have that type of system so i will pass the info on
Good video sir
I have a 2004 e46 touring and i read in my manuel that theres is an option to auto start the ac when i unlock my door wondering if you had any info on that
WE WANT MOREEEE
How do change the time?
You twist the right stick in the cluster to adjust the time.
thanks great video
Cool, Thank you!
I will never get this time back.
MY watch time stats thank you...
bonjour il a pas un site an français merci
you clock shows 321 i think the PM should be changed to GO!
You spelled auto wrong.
my e46 reads -40 degrees lol i think its just bitching cause we live in MN
Your temp sensor is broken
Huh? I have no idea what you are talking about.
*****
I responded to Dominic. E46 reading -40 or +122 is most likely a broken temp sensor or a bad connection to it.
its all good guys I know the problem was just cracking a joke lol thanks tho!
I missed the first comment that spawned this. Yes, your outside air temp sensor is broken, and need replaced.
eeee3
What tards thought that cranking the heat would make the engine heat up faster? smh. Don't drive an e46 if you don't know the basics of how a car works.
Maybe I said it wrong, but the thought is, people turn the temp way up hoping the interior of the car would warm up faster, and that is not true. Maybe you misunderstood what I said, maybe I said it wrong, but no one anywhere thought turning up the heat would get the engine warmer.
Ah, fair enough! :)
It happens. I go to shoot these videos, and literally do them in one take. It's kinda difficult to remember everything you want to say, and address everything you need to, so sometimes, my brain tells me to say something stupid, and my mouth listens.
Sorry Andrea, but you are doing it wrong. The temp only real has an effect if you use the Auto setting, otherwise, it does not change really anything once the temp is higher than ambient. Recirculate, will recirculate the air inside the car, essentially drawing the intake side from the cabin, Auto recirculate will only do it if the car senses a smell outside that is man made (truck fumes, etc) and it will pull fresh air in automatically after the smell is gone. It does not work on goal kill or skunks, etc.
The wheel at the top keeping it closed is the dumbest idea ever. So essentially, you are recirculating the air in the cabin, and blowing that as defrost. the moisture keeps your windows foggy, and is inefficient. Turning your AC on in winter not only keeps the juices in the system flowing for the summer, and prolongs the life of the system, but it REMOVES THE MOISTURE IN THE AIR, which is what is fogging up your windows. It uses barely more fuel, and at this point, at least speaking for myself, I drive an M3. If gas milage is even in the top 5 things on your radar with a car like this, sell it and buy a Civic.
So you are setting the temp for no reason, closing the fresh air intake, but not recirculating, and pumping moisture riddled air through out your car in the winter. Good Job, this video is the perfect training program for you. Follow each point step by step, don't deviate, and you too can have a wonderful experience driving in the cold.
See, the auto button, tells the system that you want the air to be 70 degrees, regardless of the outside temp. By telling the system to dry the air with he AC, it removes the moisture, and setting the dial to middle will allow the system to draw fresh air, mix and recirculate when needed, and keep the inside at 70 degrees. And it will even if it gets hot out, it'll cool the car off. it will vary the fan and position to heat or cool the fastest, and will turn it down, and blow air where needed to keep the temp the same. you are literally not using the system in any capacity.
What you are doing it blowing the same air around, higher than 70 degrees, and turning it down when you are hot. What I am doing is never touching my HVAC ever. I literally never touch the button, unless it is fall, and I roll my windows down.
Less work, better more efficient heat and AC, and no button pressing.
You run the AC to keep the moisture out of the air, and keep your windows clean. Running it once a month is great to keep the seals lubed, but it has nothing to do with this setup.
Seriously, if you read your manual, it tells you everything I did, and why to do it this way.
You are free to do it your own way, but let it be known, it is the wrong way.
Who put the stupid plastic piece on the dash looks terrible and drilling not recommended
First, it's a phone holder. And it's not "drilled" into the dash, it is secured with a vehicle specific mount that bolts under the trim panel over the glovebox. The "piece of plastic" is an iPhone 4 specified phone holder made by Pro Fit International. The mount it is on was from them as well. But I guess ignorance is bliss. Let me guess, you leave your phone in your pocket? LOL, pleb.