I edited the testing directions to add some interesting information I discovered today: the “64” and “LO” and the “80” and “HI” markings on the temperature scale are actually distinct settings. Compared with older Climatic systems (like the MKV) this is kind of a big deal.
When set to LO, the system disregards the temperature sensors and sets the hot/cold flap to 100% cold, regardless of actual interior temperature. Turn the knob up one click to 64, and auto temp regulation resumes.
When set to HI, the system disregards the temperature sensors and sets the hot/cold flap to 100% hot, regardless of actual interior temperature. Turn the knob down one click to 80, and auto temp regulation resumes. (This was interesting to observe today when it was 105 outside and the interior was still in the process of cooling down after work. Every time I clicked the knob back and forth between 80 and HI, the temperature of the air coming from the vents instantly went up or down by what must have been at least 50 degrees.)
This is going to be especially awesome for winter. The Climatic in my MKV didn’t have the extra “LO” and “HI” settings; it only had 64, 72, and 80. This may explain why the defroster in that car did such a crappy job of keeping the windshield clear in winter: I think the system started cutting back the heat when the interior reached 80 degrees, therefore not allowing the defroster to produce enough heat to keep the windshield clear in heavy snow when the temperature dropped into the teens. The addition of this “HI” setting on the MKVI Climatic should allow the defroster to run in full blown, unregulated forehead-melt mode and keep the wipers from packing up with snow and ice.
When set to LO, the system disregards the temperature sensors and sets the hot/cold flap to 100% cold, regardless of actual interior temperature. Turn the knob up one click to 64, and auto temp regulation resumes.
When set to HI, the system disregards the temperature sensors and sets the hot/cold flap to 100% hot, regardless of actual interior temperature. Turn the knob down one click to 80, and auto temp regulation resumes. (This was interesting to observe today when it was 105 outside and the interior was still in the process of cooling down after work. Every time I clicked the knob back and forth between 80 and HI, the temperature of the air coming from the vents instantly went up or down by what must have been at least 50 degrees.)
This is going to be especially awesome for winter. The Climatic in my MKV didn’t have the extra “LO” and “HI” settings; it only had 64, 72, and 80. This may explain why the defroster in that car did such a crappy job of keeping the windshield clear in winter: I think the system started cutting back the heat when the interior reached 80 degrees, therefore not allowing the defroster to produce enough heat to keep the windshield clear in heavy snow when the temperature dropped into the teens. The addition of this “HI” setting on the MKVI Climatic should allow the defroster to run in full blown, unregulated forehead-melt mode and keep the wipers from packing up with snow and ice.
