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"Temperature drift" when using heat on cold days?

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Old 03-23-2011, 08:53 AM
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Question "Temperature drift" when using heat on cold days?

I've got a 2007 TL-S with ~ 44k miles. I bought it used and have driven it one Chicago winter.

When I start driving the car on a cold day this happens:
  • Car starts cold. I leave climate control set around 70.
  • Engine warms up. The cabin warms up too, and is comfortable.
  • Slowly, as I drive my 50 minutes to work, the cabin starts getting cooler.... I have to slowly bump the climate control up (eventually reaching 80 to make the car comfortable again.

I don't see any recalls on something like this -- does everyone's TL act this way in winter? Seems to me that internal thermostat isn't reading the interior temperature correctly. I think I will ask the dealer about it, but this isn't something you can recreate while sitting in the service bay.

Thanks...
Old 03-23-2011, 09:51 AM
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I'd get that checked out, mine doesn't do that.
Old 03-23-2011, 10:04 AM
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mine doesnt do that either, def sounds like something is off
Old 03-23-2011, 11:06 AM
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Originally Posted by Scotten
I've got a 2007 TL-S with ~ 44k miles. I bought it used and have driven it one Chicago winter.

When I start driving the car on a cold day this happens:
  • Car starts cold. I leave climate control set around 70.
  • Engine warms up. The cabin warms up too, and is comfortable.
  • Slowly, as I drive my 50 minutes to work, the cabin starts getting cooler.... I have to slowly bump the climate control up (eventually reaching 80 to make the car comfortable again.

I don't see any recalls on something like this -- does everyone's TL act this way in winter? Seems to me that internal thermostat isn't reading the interior temperature correctly. I think I will ask the dealer about it, but this isn't something you can recreate while sitting in the service bay.

Thanks...
instead of leaving it at 70 when you start the car, put it at 75 and see what happens. I usually keep mine at 72 or 73 in the summer and 76 or 77 in the winter and it works fine for me.
Old 03-23-2011, 11:12 AM
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Im going to go out on a limb here and say it.

Could it be that your body temp adjusts & gets used to the cold temp while your car warms up. So essentially 70 degrees is warmer than the 45-65 degrees when you first entered the car. So you feel the warmth.

Then as your body temperature adjusts to the 70 degrees you originally set, you start to loose the "effect" of warmth, therefore you crank your AC even higher.

Kinda like in the summer when you set your HOUSE AC at 79 to feel cool. But during winter 79 is just way too hot. So you set it around 72.
Old 03-23-2011, 11:32 AM
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Originally Posted by Scotten
I've got a 2007 TL-S with ~ 44k miles. I bought it used and have driven it one Chicago winter.

When I start driving the car on a cold day this happens:
  • Car starts cold. I leave climate control set around 70.
  • Engine warms up. The cabin warms up too, and is comfortable.
  • Slowly, as I drive my 50 minutes to work, the cabin starts getting cooler.... I have to slowly bump the climate control up (eventually reaching 80 to make the car comfortable again.

I don't see any recalls on something like this -- does everyone's TL act this way in winter? Seems to me that internal thermostat isn't reading the interior temperature correctly. I think I will ask the dealer about it, but this isn't something you can recreate while sitting in the service bay.

Thanks...
You might have a faulty in-car temperature sensor. If it's under warranty, let the dealer trouble shoot it. If not, you can run diagnostics yourself and test/replace the sensor yourself (you'll need a multimeter). The part is only $22. Here's a post I did with the scans:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...22&postcount=3

Last edited by nfnsquared; 03-23-2011 at 11:43 AM.
Old 03-23-2011, 11:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Scotten
I've got a 2007 TL-S with ~ 44k miles. I bought it used and have driven it one Chicago winter.

When I start driving the car on a cold day this happens:
  • Car starts cold. I leave climate control set around 70.
  • Engine warms up. The cabin warms up too, and is comfortable.
  • Slowly, as I drive my 50 minutes to work, the cabin starts getting cooler.... I have to slowly bump the climate control up (eventually reaching 80 to make the car comfortable again.

I don't see any recalls on something like this -- does everyone's TL act this way in winter? Seems to me that internal thermostat isn't reading the interior temperature correctly. I think I will ask the dealer about it, but this isn't something you can recreate while sitting in the service bay.

Thanks...
Ditto ^ Never bothered to look into solving this problem. 78,000mi now.
Old 03-23-2011, 02:11 PM
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Mine does not do this, but here's another thought: Have you paid attention to where on your route you're driving when this happens and where the sun is positioned relative to your car? There's a sun sensor on the dashboard that affects how the climate control runs, and I've noticed from time to time that when I change direction if the sun is particularly strong the climate control either ups the intensity or backs off. Maybe this is a part of what might be happening in your case?
Old 03-23-2011, 02:45 PM
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My sensor came unattached at fell up under the dash. When I put it back to the correct location, it was fine.
Old 03-25-2011, 10:57 AM
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Thanks guys!

@TRIOD3SIGNS - I wondered the same thing, too (if it was my perception). But I'm talking a 10-12-14 degree swing, which seems excessive.
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