GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Ok, so a friend of mine own a 09 vibe and he said that the a/c compress is turn on when your fan is at the defrost position (fan directed at the window). Even it(the a/c light) is not on you can try turn on the a/c you still won't hear the surge of the compressor kicking in. I haven't try it myself, what do you guys think? I notice a lot of cars turn on the A/C when using defrost... does our vibe do that without indication?Maybe this is why I am getting crappy gas mileage....

Yes, the 2009 Vibe does turn on the A/C compressor when you put the environmental control on defrost. The A/C system removes moisture from the air before it goes out the windshield vent. Supposed to make the defroster work faster. Once your windshield is no longer frosted/fogged, turn to a setting that is not going to the windshield and only set to defrost as needed.

All cars do that nowadays... I disabled that on my '05 years ago.Sidenote, I don't notice much of a change in gas mileage ac versus no ac.

IIRC, the a/c compressor will engage (in defrost mode) when outside temp is above 32F and won't engage when below 32F.

Has anyone out there tried modifying the air control switch to disable this "feature" in an '09?I understand the added potential effectiveness of the A/C being used with defog, but I would like to be able to choose myself whether or not the A/C is engaged.This is partly for fuel economy, but I also plan on doing some towing from time to time, and would like to be able to clear the windshield without the added load on the engine from the A/C.I'm sure I can figure out a way to accomplish this myself, but I figured that it can't hurt to ask, if someone else has already put in the effort.Mainly I want to be sure of the "correct" way of removing the trim in front of the controls to avoid breaking anything. I've only ever owned "domestically engineered" products in the past, and this car appears to be put together a little differently than what I've been used to in the past.Thanks,John

I am not going to use defrost position from now on, unless i have too... hopefully i see a fuel economy difference...