If you have an '02 TL-S with navi, try this:

Start the car, set the climate control to auto and dial in a comfortable temperature. Let the system cool the car to the point where the blower has switched to its lowest setting and the recirc light is off. Then shut off the car (key all the way back) but *leave* the key in the ignition.

Does your climate control stay lit and still appear to function even though the rest of the car is off? Mine does. Until I remove the key from the ignition--then it shuts off. Is that supposed to happen? If so, what's the point?

P.S. This may work without navi, but I don't have access to a non-navi to test.

 

Yeah mine does that. Here's a question: how do you keep the recirc on while auto is on? Recirc will work sometimes and sometimes not when I press auto.

 

Depends on how hot it is inside your car and what you set the temp to. Recirc wont come on unless the car is trying to rapidly cool the interior of if you set the temp to say 60-65 when it is warm outside. If its about 70 in your car and you set the temp to 68 it wont need to go into recirculate mode to maintain that temperature. If you want it to stay in recirculate either lower the temp you want or hit the recirc button manually

 

Adding to that: How do I keep my A/C off when I only want vent air. It's gets old by hitting A/C button and then the A/C off.

 

"Auto" mode actually controls several parameters:

1. Recirculation
2. Active vents (face, face/feet, windshield, etc.)
3. Fan speed
4. A/C on/off
5. Heater regulation

When you activate "Auto" mode, the computer will take over all the settings. However, when you override one setting or another, the computer will relinquish that control to you but still control the other settings.

So if you press "Auto" then override the Recirculation, the computer will still control everything else.

I often do this very thing myself... each time I pass some stinky or smoky areas, I hit the Recirc button.

 

Yes you can!

I may not be describing this right, but you go into the A/C control area of the navi and turn off the A/C. Then choose your fan level, and you've got fan without A/C. Works great, and its something I always wished I could do on my Legends, but never could.

 

Doesn't this car have a "retained power" feature that leaves power on even after turning off the key (as long as the door is not opened)?

 

I know all the windows and sunroof controls stay active for 10 minutes after the car is shut off so long as no door is opened. But it'll do this regardless of whether or not the key is left in the ignition. The climate control, on the other hand, appears to stay functioning when the car is off as long as the key stays in the ignition. Since the compressor is not running (and water is not circulating) I'm not quite sure what the purpose of this is. Not to mention that fan motors, etc are a big drain on the battery (as opposed to an FM radio). Even the nav will shut off after 10 minutes if the engine is not running to save battery power, even if you are using it.

 

I'll tell you what is annoying, but I've learned my lesson...You're inside the house and unlock the car door to go grab something out of it and by the time you get there, it automatically locks.

 

Very cool! iI didn't know that. Will check it out tomorrow.

 

My TLS does not do that, or at least I've never seen it do that.

I don't know why our cars have headlights that stay operational when you turn off your car (for 15 seconds at least), but have power windows that die when you open a door. It makes no sense! I would like to be able to operate my windows even after my car is off, like I could with a manual window.

nickchop: After unlocking the doors with the remote, they will lock automatically after 30 seconds if you don't open a door. This is a safety feature to prevent people from inadventently unlocking a door after parking.

I tend to walk pretty close to the car before I unlock the door now, so it's not a problem.

 

With reguards to the power windows, the retain feature is a safety & convenience feature. I think with older cars late 60s early 70s as power windows came on more cars as an option.The automakers found that kids would play with power windows when the car was off.
The older cars power windows would work even with the car off. This was a hazard as kids could get fingers or themselfs caught in the heavy windows of them days.
Then the automakers fixed it so that the key had to be in the ON position for the windows to work. I think automakers put the retain feature in some models as a convenience feature.

 

I always thought the windows were disabled when the power was off in older cars because of the drain the motors put on the battery. Even now, with the newer, lighter and more efficient window motors, closing more than one window at once and holding them after they've closed (putting motor under full load) can momentarily dim the lights. In 70s and 80s cars, the motors required more juice and the batteries were less able to spare it. So automakers wanted to make sure you didn't wear out the battery opening and closing the windows with the car off.

 

Matt I might have ment cars of a bit earlier & this was the reason that theychanged. I do remeber when a few uncles had luxury cars back in the 60s. The window would work with the keys not in the car because we use to play with the power windows. Power windows in them days was the hottest feature on a car beside A/C.