Some Way to Disable "Auto Air-Conditioning" Feature?

[mkuehn]

So it's spring, and where I live, I often need heat in the morning, and the cold-air vent in the afternoons. But every time I turn the temperature control all the way to the left for maximum cold, the air conditioning and recirculating air turns on. It is not hot enough out for A/C, and I want fresh air, too, not recirc air.

I looked in the manual, and the talk about this "feature", but I saw nothing about disabling this setting. I don't want to have to "pay attention" to the dial so that I get it almost all the way to the left when I change it while driving, either; I should just be able to crank the dial all the way to the left and forget about it.

Any ideas?

 

[sunrun176]

About a year ago I found a thread on here about disabling this feature, but after searching for it I can't seem to find it now (at least, not the one for the 3), not even with Google.

Anyone?

 

[cali_axela]

This "feature" drives me insane too, I would love to disable it on our 2009. Our 2005 doesn't do this nor does a friend's 06, they must have added the feature to the 07+ models.

 

[salguod]

My '05 turns the AC based on the air outlet position, but not based on the temp setting. If I use the floor only setting (straight up on the dial) or anything with the floor/defrost, I get AC. On click to the left of the floor setting, no AC. Thing is, the AC light does not come one indicating it is running and there is no way to disable it short of taking the dash apart and removing the internal switch.

There is supposedly a switch or two on the control that turns the AC on when the dial is rotated around, Remove or disable the switch and it won't do that anymore. I bet the same is true of the temp dial on your cars.

Removing/disabling that switch is not supposed to affect the operation of the main AC switch, so if you want AC you can still get it. I got all this from a thread on the Protege, however, but someone there said the 3 operates the same way.

It's on my list to do before winter, I'll post what I find out.