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There is no physical AC on/off button, but this process essentially creates one. You just have to either use an aftermarket or have the dealer program the Master AUTO button to NOT turn on the A/C when pressed. After you get this done, you can use the fresh-air AUTO toggler to turn on/off your AC. If the fresh-air AUTO button is lit, then your AC is on. If you want the AC off, just toggle it until the AUTO light is off. It serves the same purpose of having a dedicated AC button. The only difference here is that your AC is triggerd by the toggling mode. See pic below. It's for the ES but the GS is the same.
There's no dedicated A/C on/off button because the system was intentionally designed to control when the compressor needs to run. I personally love this. I leave it on full auto and only worry about the temperature. If I'm cold, I raise the temp by a few degrees. If I'm hot, I lower it. It's almost 2019. There are enough distractions while driving as is and this eliminates the need to worry about which vents are being used, whether or not the A/C is on or off, whether or not the air is being recycled or if it's letting in fresh air. Smelly truck up ahead or sitting in traffic behind a vehicle's exhaust? Cool, the system will automatically recirculate the air, etc. etc. It's similar to the system in your home. Set the temperature to whatever you're comfortable with and let it cycle on off as needed.
My previous car was an Infiniti Q50S and had the same setup - no dedicated A/C button & in the almost 3 years I had it, I never had to worry about it.
You bought a modern luxury car. God forbid it tries to make your experience more luxurious by taking care of things for you. Do you want manually operated headlights too?
Pro-tip: When it's raining, leaving the A/C on (even if you have the temperature set for heat) will prevent your windows from fogging up.
I guess we really should refer to the system as Climate Control because it really is quite intelligent. Calling it an 'air conditioning' is archaic - it's kinda like calling a refrigerator an icebox.
Unplug the icebox from the wall socket Marge - it needs defrosting again.
Hit the A/C button hotchorizo - we don't need no damn compressor running in this high-falutin Lexus auto-mobile.
I have mine setup so that the auto recirculating button controls the A/C compressor. And I keep it off most of the time unless I need A/C. That's because the air comes out of the vents too cold when I have it on during days when the temperature is not that warm outside.
The Lexus air conditioning system is far smarter than you are. There is a good reason there is no A/C button where you can turn Off the compressor - it's not like you are driving a 20 year-old Honda Civic. The system should be left in Auto. The system determines whether the compressor needs to operate to remove humidity because it's too high for comfort and to prevent window fogging. The compressor is not used just to cool the cabin during warm weather. Leave it in Auto and let the system do its job...
In the words of Tucker Carlson, "No, it's not". I hate automatic climate control in any vehicle, have never used it and absolutely refuse to use it.
Not putting an AC button on the console is by far the biggest defect of most of the Lexus climate control systems.
My 2005 ES330 has a friggan AC button right on the console, there's no logical reason for the GS not to have one, either.
Did you test it out? Have you actually tried to use it on automatic and tested if you lost mileage? Did you not realize that if the air coming out of the vents is cold you can just turn up the temperature and it'll actually get warm?
I have and it shows that a 2013 GS is more advanced than a 2005 ES. Who would have thought that 8 years and a higher end vehicle would be smarter?
You're not right and you didn't even do the basic tests to see that.
In the words of Tucker Carlson, "No, it's not". I hate automatic climate control in any vehicle, have never used it and absolutely refuse to use it.
Not putting an AC button on the console is by far the biggest defect of most of the Lexus climate control systems.
My 2005 ES330 has a friggan AC button right on the console, there's no logical reason for the GS not to have one, either.
-Mike
Originally Posted by ChronoR
Did you test it out? Have you actually tried to use it on automatic and tested if you lost mileage? Did you not realize that if the air coming out of the vents is cold you can just turn up the temperature and it'll actually get warm?
I have and it shows that a 2013 GS is more advanced than a 2005 ES. Who would have thought that 8 years and a higher end vehicle would be smarter?
You're not right and you didn't even do the basic tests to see that.
