rsg

My commute route has a lot of diesel trucks. I don't like smelling their exhaust, so I almost always keep recirculate air selected. In my previous car (Infiniti M45) and wife's Honda Pilot, recirculate air mode would not allow any exhaust smell to enter the car. The IS250, however, lets in these smells, although not as much as with fresh air mode.
The cabin air filter was just changed before I bought it CPO at the end of December. Since it's cold right now, I am not using the A/C.

On a related note, is there any way to keep the climate control system from automatically switching to fresh air mode? I've tried Auto/AC off, Auto/AC on, Auto off/AC on, Auto off/AC off and it keeps switching once in a while back to fresh air. I understand the reasoning for it, but I don't want it to do that.

Pnthrzrule

This is going to sound silly but at any point have you tried this?

1. Ensure that AUTO is off...no green light

2. Press the recirculate button...green light on

Theoretically if you do these 2 steps you should have recirc all the time. If for some reason it switched automatically to fresh air after you have completed steps 1 and 2 in succession then it is an automatic function that is keeping your windows from fogging up.

I guess you can look at it 2 ways if my steps don't work.

1. Kudos to Lexus for the auto feature

or

2. The machines have won.



Good Luck!

rsg

I could live with it switching to fresh air by itself, but any ideas on why the exhaust smell from traffic ahead gets into the car so easily with recirculate selected?

starknight

iTrader: (21)

I have the same issue...kinda annoying when heavy smell on the road>.<

Keppie

I find our AC/HEAT system ridiculousy complicated.

embolism

if the cabin filter door is broken (b/c door was forced when not in recirculate mode) what mode would the car always be in?

ssis300

iTrader: (2)

Agreed. SkyNet has alread become self-aware. We are certainly doomed!

On a serious note..... I have also had similar experiences, although it's not too noticeable and I have written it off - but I do have a (some might say) superhuman sense of smell. This is not a good thing.

Silver10

What temperature do you keep it at? Ive noticed that my 10 is always on recirculate and when i go above 72-73 it switches to fresh air mode.

rsg

Lately around 75, but I think the switching to fresh air has to do with the outside temp.

kyoso23

It would be stuck on fresh. I had this problem when I changed my filter. I forced the door open which popped the door off track.

rsg

In this case would it not allow you to select recirculate or would it indicate it was recirculating but really be pulling in fresh air?

allst4r

iTrader: (7)

there's a button with a slash "-" that purifies ur air in the cabin.

rsg

This smells getting into the car issue is still bothering me. Is the cabin air filter not being used at all unless you have the Filter button selected? As you know, a few minutes after pressing this button it will automatically turn off.
If this is the case, it is ridiculous that the air is not always filtered.

My0gr81

There is an LPS setting for "foot air leak" that allows for fresh air to come in the cabin by the driver side foot area even if set to recirculate. The default is on, but this is annoying in the winter, as the air is unheated, and in the summer, it is uncooled so I had it set to off.

rsg

hmm..this is all I see in the LPS list for the A/C:

Automatic recirculation of air when using A/C
When the air conditioner is ON or in the AUTO mode, the vehicle can be programmed for the following:
□ To automatically switch between the recirculation mode and fresh air mode as necessary to meet the temperature requirements set.
(Standard)
□ When the climate control is turned on, the user must manually select the desired mode, recirculation or fresh air mode.



Efficient Ventilation Mode
When the front defogger is activated:
□ It will automatically blow air onto the windshield without engaging the air conditioner compressor.
□ It will automatically engage the air conditioner compressor to blow air onto the windshield. (Standard)

(I am leaving out the smog sensor options because the 250's are not equipped with it)


The first one would solve the problem of it changing to fresh air automatically, but I don't see anything about letting in fresh air w/o the driver knowing.