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Originally Posted by Raimo5
Thanks for clarifying that. Also, is it a new occurrence or has it been like this all along? Do you have heating/cooling issues during driving as well or only during preconditioning?
And yes, with internal combustion cars there is no additional conditioning of incoming air. It's just not possible as A/C compressor is driven by a belt off the engine crank pulley, and engine is not turned on for that purpose. Exception would be cars with option SA1CR. For hybrids, they install electric compressors, as you can cover long distances with ICE never having to turn on. With A/C compressor producing cold air during preconditioning, then I would assume it would follow the set temperature in HVAC control panel and not overcook it. At least with heating option (below 15c/60f) it does that. Perhaps set higher temperatures on HVAC panel and disable A/C button for a test one night to see how it behaves next morning when you precondition. Oh and does it also ventilate seats during preconditioning? I didn't know it does that.
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I’ve only had the car since September 2023 and I did not start utilizing the preconditioning until the winter time. During the winter time the preconditioning was fine and the interior would be noticeably warmer when it was below 60°F outside. It was only in the last month when it started to warm up here in Texas and I noticed that when I got into my car, preconditioning would make the cabin freezing when it was only about 66°F to 68°F/ ~19°C outside.
For the most part, heating and cooling seems to be OK while driving, but I did notice one thing that’s kind of the opposite of what’s happening during preconditioning.
I try to be as energy and fuel efficient as possible so I typically stay on Hybrid Eco Pro mode. This will decrease the amount of power going to the AC along with some other things. With fuel efficiency in mind, when it’s warmer like 80°F+, I try to keep the thermostat around 72°F to 73°F/ 23°C. I run pretty hot though so to be truly comfortable I usually like it around 69°F. Anyways, when it’s warmer and I start a drive, the AC will go on full blast to drop the temperature down in the cabin. Then I believe from the previous BMWs I’ve had, usually the AC will kind of take a step down just to maintain the temperature.
However, I’ve been noticing that for this car, after the cabin cools down initially, it will then start feeling a little warmer than the first few minutes of the drive. And I definitely feel it because like I said, I usually like to have it around 69°F, so 73°F is already the maximum discomfort I’m willing to sacrifice. So when it starts to get warmer than that I’ll have to either drop the thermostat temperature or increase the fan speed. I’m not sure if this is because of being on Eco Pro or what, but I would expect a flagship car to do a very good job at maintaining the temperature set on the thermostat. It may also just be because the sun is starting to come out and heating up the roof, I’m not quite sure. This will be my first Hot season with this car so I guess I’ll have to experiment with it a little bit.
I did notice one thing yesterday when it was around 81°F and I was sitting in my car installing a few things. I had the AC on for maybe about 20 to 30 minutes while the car was parked. When I finished and left the car, I noticed that there was a puddle of water coming from around the bottom of the front left side wheel. I don’t know if this is just typical condensation from any AC running while stationary, but I just never noticed this kind of a puddle before. I wonder if it has anything to do with the possible defective vapor insulation valve you mentioned in a different post.
I’m not sure if the preconditioning ventilates the seats, I’ll try to check that out tomorrow morning. However, I do have a climate control rule set so that when it’s above 55°F, the ventilated seats automatically turn on to fan speed 3. I believe this happens after you turn the car on.