For the past few months, whenever I press the Auto climate button, the AC lights up too. But I can't turn off the AC separately. They both seem to work in tandem.
It's cold here in Toronto so I don't understand why the AC comes on too.

I haven't done anything about it. I just don't press Auto any more. But it's starting to bug me......

Any thoughts?

 

AC light means it is enabled (but not necessary running).

 

Okay, but then what purpose does that serve? Why have that switch?

 

You want AC on and direct the air to someplace other than where the auto button wants it to go.

AC also dehumidifies the air even if it's not to cool the car.

 

As Mikey said: auto will decide which vents to send air out of in order to achieve the desired temperature, as well as the blower speed.

If you want to pick a vent, e.g., feet, or face, whatever, plus increase/decrease the blower speed yourself, then this changes it to manual (manual being the opposite of auto), as the car is no longer in control of the AC.

 

+1. A/C has to enabled to have full Auto functionality. You can have A/C on or off at your discretion if the HVAC is in manual mode. Hence the 2 separate buttons.

 

lol
Common mistake people make is assuming A/C only means cold air...
A/C is short for Air Conditioning. Nothing in that terminology indicates Cold.

You want warm air when its chilly out, turn on the A/C and turn the thermostat up to 75 or 80. You'll get warm air out of the A/C. Imagine that...

Press the Auto button and dial up your desired temp! Can't get any easier.
Here in the mild climate of California, coming out of our mildly cool and pleasant winter and into our mildly warm and pleasant spring, I alter the thermostat between 75 on a cool morning and 70 on a warm afternoon. 75 blows warm air when its 65 outside, and 70 blows cool air when its 80 outside.

 

It doesn't matter if it's cold when AC gets engaged with auto - just set the temp you want and the car automatically maintains it regardless of if its hot or cold outside. I leave mine on auto all year round here on the East Coast, found trying to manually set my temp to be frustrating and I was always fiddling with the temp settings and getting random blasts of cold AC - auto resolved all my problems.

Having AC engaged in the cold / damp months is good as it dehumidifies the interior and keeps the windows clear of condensation. It won't blow cold air into the cabin when it's cold out.

 

Yep, just the AC works if one or more vents are selected. I think my problem was that I didn't have a vent selected, thus putting it into the manual mode before pushing the AC button.

 

I am also a long time Ford owner and learned years ago that ford's ac is on in any mode that includes dash vents for dehumidifier any time of year. Jag does the same thing... -30F in MN winter and ac on might seem strange but the heat is hot and the windshield is clear. It works! I don't think they should show an indicator that ac is on though because people think ac means cooling, however, to me it means dehumififying.

 

To me it means "conditioning", the clue's in the abbreviation.

 

Surely most people understand that the AC light indicates that the compressor is in operation? The Jaguar climate control systems from as far back as the 70's always featured compressor engagement to dehumidify the air whether the system called for cold or heated air. This is not a Ford thing or a Jaguar thing..it is pretty much a universal practice. The "Auto" function always triggers the compressor, but outside of the Auto function you can manually selecct or deselect AC (meaning compressor engagement).

 

Hi ; I’ve only just become an owner and Understand what u mean, I was looking for the same answer. Sometimes you want auto temp control without the option of the A/C compressor cutting in; like most manufacturers have this option.

I can see both sides to this argument.

Steve.

 

But Jaguar's Auto controls the in-car climate, not just the temperature. You have separate dials for temperature control ....

 

The once certified AC Tech in me is compelled to say that the AC light does not indicate the compressor is in operation. When the AC button is pushed and/or the AC light is on, the compressor has the potential to be...well...compressing. However, the clutch will only engage to turn the compressor when the system requires it depending on your settings. Once it reaches desired temperature, the clutch will disengage until the temperature goes out of tolerance for the setting.

 

I agree with your reasoning , I’ve worked in the HVAC business too and you’re correct it will cut in when needed. The point being is sometimes the ambient temperature air is enough to allow the set point be reached , especially in the upper latitudes of the uk. It’s the choice that’s missing and especially when they bang on about ECO modes etc.