I have noticed that what appears to be the A/C fan is on pretty much all the time the car is iddle. The only time it's not on is when the A/C is turned off.

I had not noticed this when the temperature was cooler. Is this normal??

I'm in Dallas @ 85F.

Thanks.

 

If your climate control is set to AUTO, the A/C will cycle on and off depending on the temperature within the car. That's the way it keeps your temperature at a reasonable level.

 

Mine is always on even when its not on auto. you have to turn it off yourself if you want it off. I don't know if this is a normal thing though.

 

Yes, it's normal. My previous explanation was unclear - if you have it set to auto or adjust it to change the fan speed, for example, the A/C will still be in "auto" mode to try to keep to interior temperature at the level you specified. That said, unless you specifically hit the A/C button to turn it off, it'll stay enabled - but will only come when necessary.

 

So, is the A/C constantly running? Is this possibly why I have a puddle of water under my car that I've recently noticed? Bought my TL in December and I have not had the opportunity to use the A/C yet (live in NH).... I always felt that the compressor was on.... I have all the controls turned to off..... I'm sooo confused!

 

Could this also affect the gas mileage? I'm only getting 21 mpg. I have almost 4K on the car.....

 

Yep, that puddle is the result of the dehumidifying action of the A/C system. Perfectly normal. If you have the HVAC system set to "Auto" the A/C will run intermittantly responding to the temp settings and interior temp. Whatever you do, do not run your car with the HVAC set to "Off". It's not good for interior air quality and may encourage mold in the vent passages.
Your gas mileage may suffer just a bit with the A/C on, but more likely short trips and city/town driving will really push the numbers down.

 

Thanks for the info Repecat!!

 

Down here in Texas, I always have the A/C set to on. I don't know that I've ever turned it off in any car I've ever driven. Even in the winter I leave it on and just turn the temp all the way up to generate heat. I still need the A/C on to keep the windows from fogging up in the high humidity we have here. However in the TL, I've been using the AUTO setting. This is the first car that I've owned that has had that feature. It's pretty nice.

 

Yes, it's nice and maybe never have paid attention but this seems to be ON and LOUDER than in any other car that I've been in.

Maybe it's just too freaking hot here in Dallas!!!

 

You can lower the fan speed and it may get quieter.