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2012 Equinox Remote Start and HVAC

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    • #38282
      pearlmikejam
      Participant

      I am trying to determine if my remote start is working properly or not. In previous GMs I have owned (Acadia, Traverse), the remote start turns on the Auto heat or A/C based on the outside temperature, even if the HVAC is set to manual when the car is turned off. Once the key is inserted, the HVAC will return to its previous state when the car was turned off. In my owner’s manual, that is how the remote start is described. In my experience, the Auto heat or A/C only will start with remote start if the car was previously turned off with the HVAC set to Auto. I have seen this asked elsewhere with conflicting answers (its broken vs it works as should).

      I was hoping/expecting the Auto to turn on with the remote start regardless of how the HVAC was set when teh car was turned off. Is that accurate per the owner’s manual and other GM vehicles or does the Equinox work differently and have a misprint in the owner’s manual?

    • #39998
      Vic1212
      Participant

      I have a Terrain V6 and I just left it on for the A/C part and set it to auto and it works.

    • #40000
      pearlmikejam
      Participant

      Thanks for the response Vic. That does work, but I was expecting more and am still not sure how it should work.

    • #40002
      Alex Luft
      Keymaster

      @pearlmikejam This is a good question; I ran into this same thing a year or so ago when driving the Equinox.

      What it all comes down to is if the vehicle itself is equipped with auto climate control. If it is, then the system will turn to a heating or cooling mode based on the outside temperature. That’s how it’s supposed to work… for me, however, it always defaulted to the climate setting that were present when I shut down the vehicle before starting it.

      So I guess the question is whether your Equinox has automatic climate control.

    • #40008
      pearlmikejam
      Participant

      @alex – Thanks for the response. I do have the auto climate control. That is the most perplexing part. The system does not turn to an auto mode during the remote start unless the auto is the last setting when the vehicle was turned off. In other vehicles, and in the owner’s manual, that is not a requirement for the remote start to heat or cool based on the outside temperature.

      I have read in other places that the owner’s manual is not accurate. I am just hoping that is not the case. I do not see why GM would have a different behavior than other vehicles.

    • #40009
      Alex Luft
      Keymaster

      @pearlmikejam Ah, I forgot about that little nuance.

      I’m afraid your original assessment is correct: the vehicle will use the last setting that was used before it was turned off. So you’ll need to leave it on “auto” in order for the system to pick the temperature itself.

      This, however, isn’t optimal for users — and it should be smart enough to switch back to auto by itself. 🙁

    • #40010
      pearlmikejam
      Participant

      @alex – Thanks! Am I reading the owner’s manual wrong, or should the last setting not matter on a remote start?

      From the owner’s manual: Vehicles with an automatic climate control system will default to a heating or cooling mode depending on the outside temperature during a remote start. Once the key is turned to ON/RUN, the system will turn on at the setting the vehicle was last set to. If the vehicle has heated seats, they may come on during a remote start.

    • #40013
      Vic1212
      Participant

      I think that’s true. I tried it without setting into auto and it did do the stuff the owners manual suppose to do.

    • #40017
      Alex Luft
      Keymaster

      @pearlmikejam It would seem to me that the owner’s manual is incorrect.


      @vic1212
      Could you try the following:
      1. Drive around in your Terrain. Park.
      2. Right before switching off the car, turn the air on to hot (80 degrees would do), then pull the key.
      3. Lock the Terrain using the key fob while still sitting inside the car.
      4. Then after 90 seconds or so, do a remote start while still sitting inside the car.

      I think what will happen at this point is the car will start blowing hot 80-degree air on you, rather than what it’s supposed to automatically detect based on the auto climate control sensors. Perhaps @pearlmikejam could try the same and see what happens.

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