Outside Air Flow

[Phil B.]

The ES350 is the first car I own that has an option to automatically regulate the cabin air whether it should let in outside air or not. I suspect it makes a determination based on outside temperature, actual inside temperature, and the desired inside temperature to determine whether to let outside air in or not.

I hesitate to use this feature because my experience has been that when I don't let outside temperature in, I tend to eventually develop that annoying airconditioning odor. And since I live ina mild weather area (northern california), I suspect I don't need it.

Have any of you developed an airconditioning odor by using the auto feature? Do any of you not use the feature for any other reason?

thanks,

Phil

[GDixon]

The ES350 is the first car I own that has an option to automatically regulate the cabin air whether it should let in outside air or not. I suspect it makes a determination based on outside temperature, actual inside temperature, and the desired inside temperature to determine whether to let outside air in or not.

I hesitate to use this feature because my experience has been that when I don't let outside temperature in, I tend to eventually develop that annoying airconditioning odor. And since I live ina mild weather area (northern california), I suspect I don't need it.

Have any of you developed an airconditioning odor by using the auto feature? Do any of you not use the feature for any other reason?

thanks,

Phil

This LOC website is full of information about the AC odor problem. Use the search feature for "odor", "smell", or something similar.

Using the AC in SF should probably not have the recycled air setting automatically engage very often. However, since SF is not only mild but also humid for most of the year it would be wise to take precautions that you will find in some of the posts that you will come across when doing the search.

[LVL61]

The system's insistence to switch to Recycle even when not in Auto mode is the only flaw with the Lexus automatic climate control system. If it's humid outside and not warm enough for the AC to kick in the windows eventually start fogging up.

[AZ08LexusES]

The "Auto" feature to allow outside air in or not, as it was explained to me, is to only allow "clean" air into the cabin. If the air quality all of a sudden is bad because of exhaust or what have you, it switches to recycle mode. But when the air is clean it will default to outside air. There are filters and sensors for this built into your ES.

[Phil B.]

The "Auto" feature to allow outside air in or not, as it was explained to me, is to only allow "clean" air into the cabin. If the air quality all of a sudden is bad because of exhaust or what have you, it switches to recycle mode. But when the air is clean it will default to outside air. There are filters and sensors for this built into your ES.

ah interesting... I figured it was for efficiency in heating and cooling. Thanks for the explanation.

[LVL61]

The "Auto" feature to allow outside air in or not, as it was explained to me, is to only allow "clean" air into the cabin. If the air quality all of a sudden is bad because of exhaust or what have you, it switches to recycle mode. But when the air is clean it will default to outside air. There are filters and sensors for this built into your ES.

ah interesting... I figured it was for efficiency in heating and cooling. Thanks for the explanation.

Thanks for the explanation but I remain doubtful. There's a cabin air filter to take care of "dirty" air. I keep overriding the car's concern for my lungs and I have yet to ever detect any kind of smell. I suspect that there's an outside temperature range where the system is confused. I live in Canada and now that the weather is much cooler the system always stays on "Fresh".

[jbeidl]

The "Auto" feature to allow outside air in or not, as it was explained to me, is to only allow "clean" air into the cabin. If the air quality all of a sudden is bad because of exhaust or what have you, it switches to recycle mode. But when the air is clean it will default to outside air. There are filters and sensors for this built into your ES.

The following is an extract from the 2008 ES350 Electronic Repair Manual - Air Conditioning System Description

Automatic Recirculation Control

Automatically changes the air inlet mode to fresh air or recirculation air mode in accordance with the

level of harmful elements in the outside air, the cabin temperature, and the ambient temperature.

This is in line with the information provided by AZ08LexusES.

Note that the switch is also dependent on the difference between cabin and ambient temperature.

John