i like controlling the compressor's roll in the climate system. however, i got into settings menu (with nav) and default off. but the compressor will always come on in any request - even other than auto
if i turn it off in the climate control section it will not come on-- even when pushing auto 1 or 2x as i was told.
thanks for the help

 

I'm not sure that I follow exactly what you are asking, but I'll try to explain the two options you have for controlling when the compressor turns on.

If you have the climate control system set to default settings, whenever you press the "auto" button on the dash, it will turn on the compressor. If you want to turn off the compressor, you need to open the climate screen and turn off the compressor on that screen. If you turn off the compressor on that screen, the compressor will stay off until the next time you press the "auto" button.

If, however, you go into the climate control customization screen, you can disable auto operation of the compressor. If you do that, you will be switching over control of compressor operation to the fresh air/recirculate buttons on the dash. In the fresh air position, the compressor will always be turned off, and, in the recirculate position, the compressor will always be turned on. The negative associated with disabling auto operation of the compressor is that, whenever you are using the AC, you will always be using the recirculate mode, and that can cause the cabin air to become stale/musty.

While I think that, overall, the ES controls are well-designed, one of my few complaints is related to the climate control system. My preference would be to have a dedicated AC button on the dash. There have been a few threads about the climate control system on this board. Some are happy to just leave the system, including the compressor operation, in auto mode. Others, like me, would prefer a dedicated AC button on the dash.

 

A/C means Air Conditioning not Air Chilling or Air Cooling. The use of a dehumidifier in
your basement is not to lower the temperature but to reduce the humidity. The obvious
use of the A/C defeat button is when driving with the windows/sunroof open. If after you
close them up the windows begin to fog up a quick press of the "Auto" button will clear them.

A historic perspective would be to recall the use of the manual type A/C button only to cool
the car will result in zero (0) engagements of the compressor from October to March. Every
spring the sudden call to duty of a pump that all the oil has drained out of creates excessive
wear and tear. A couple years of this treatment and the compressor fails...these Da#m (add
choice of manufacturer) builds crappy cars... (at least this is how my Dad viewed it!)

 

im very familiar with other vehicle hvac sytems but not lexus

here is my operation;; if i go thru vehicle setting / customization menu and turn ac off it will not come on at all on any request
if i have comp ON thur vehicle customization and turn sys on then it will stay on all the time and has to be turned off (if desired )thru the climate menu each time it has been on.
i dont like that,,,, our BMW has a compressor sw. on the panel; therefore i will tell the dealer i want permission to put a sw in line on the comp to control it.
i got tired of my miata (similar issue) and put a switch on the compressor so i could control it.

 

 

unnecessary use of power and also im accustomed to having a panel comp sw. + the high cost of replacement which i have done that. these cars are generally designed for people who only know how to push the gas and brake, like some of my relatives.

and also to the previous post i read on the fly and misunderstood your post as i repeated some of your statement

 

If you are under factory warranty and still want to do this, you might want to wait until it expires. After that I suppose you can do anything you like.

 

Are you thinking Lexus has seen a rash of compressor failures due to this setup? You would be wrong. Also, as Bob said, if you have a warranty you would be foolish to even entertain this idea of adding a switch.

 

To your point, I came across Consumer Reports Used Car Reliability ratings and for the 6 model years covered, the ES Climate System ratings were all the highest rating. Seems to indicate that the system is not an area of concern.

 

I am confused due to the compressor not being expensive at all to replace. That is assuming it goes out. It may go out after 200k miles but not before that in my experience with toyota/lexus

 

 

 

I've said this a few times but the ES actually does have an AC on/off button. It's only for the base model though, something which you'll never see on US cars. On mine, all climate control info is shown on the main LCD, not on separate small displays next to the temperature buttons. Mine also has an AC button which I use when I want filtered airflow at the outside ambient temperature.

 

I live in a warm place hence the AC is mainly used to cool and dehumidify the interior.

If I am not mistaken, non-hybrid ES regulates the cabin temperature by circulating hot radiator water in tubes across the chilled/dehumidified air? The chilling and dehumidifying is achieved by the “refrigeration” system if the compressor is on.

I personally would like to have a dedicated “compressor on/off” button as well but my reason is rather different from most of you. I just find Auto Mode to be very energy inefficient, i.e. to chill the air to a very low temperature only to heat it up again before it enters the cabin. I rather be the one deciding when I want the compressor to be on and when to be off depending on my comfort level. Having a physical on/off button would allow me to perform this manual adjustment easier, rather than through the LCD soft button. The air remains cool for a while even with the compressor off.

I heard that hybrid ES does it more efficiently by regulating the speed of the compressor (Inverter) to help regulate cabin temperature.

 

On my hybrid, I've run the heater in winter with AC off and recirc on and I end up with a steamy interior. The compressor is needed to chill and dehumidfy cabin air before running it through a heat exchanger that uses engine coolant heat. The only other way to get dehumidifed warm air is to open the windows and adjust the air inlet to get outside cold air (by turning off recirculation).

The hybrid has a totally different HVAC system design. It doesn't run on a compressor belt, it uses 288V DC power from the high voltage battery to run an AC compressor motor. It's supposed to be a lot more efficient because of finer motor control. Using my OBD reader, I've seen the system use more than 1000 W on a hot summer day, whereas winter usage peaks at 400 W for heating.