[Jaafar1988]

Hi everyone.
I am intending to change my manual climate control to automatic one on my Malibu 2018 2LT.
I want to by the control console only and replace it with the original manual.
Anyone has any idea, is it plug and play?
Or should there be any modifications in the harness?
Or is all not applicable?
I would appreciate it if someone can photo the rear side of the Automatic climate control console, just to compare it with my manual one.

Best Regards

Be safe.

 

[DrivenDaily]

If it's anything like the systems found in the Gen7, you won't be able to do it. The HU (head unit, or control console) needs to interface with the HVAC system, which includes the blower motor as well as the mode doors. There is also the issue with the BCM being able to recognize it and pass any diagnostic data to or from the HU. While I can't say for certainty that yours is more difficult than the Gen7, which is impossible to swap, it stands to reason that, since the direction that design is headed is toward more computerization rather than less, is is more likely to be impossible than possible.

 

[Jaafar1988]

If it's anything like the systems found in the Gen7, you won't be able to do it. The HU (head unit, or control console) needs to interface with the HVAC system, which includes the blower motor as well as the mode doors. There is also the issue with the BCM being able to recognize it and pass any diagnostic data to or from the HU. While I can't say for certainty that yours is more difficult than the Gen7, which is impossible to swap, it stands to reason that, since the direction that design is headed is toward more computerization rather than less, is is more likely to be impossible than possible.

Thanks very much indeed for your valuable reply.
It looks like what you say is completely true from the expected Engineering point of view.
However, I am looking for, what we can say, a tiny lacuna to work around this idea.
Best Regards.

 

[DrivenDaily]

If you really intend to do it, you may want to look into your own interface, such as an Arduino or Raspberry Pi. That way, you would handle all of the interfacing between the stock HVAC and the new HU.

I've thought of doing something similar and actually making a hybrid that allows for both automatic and manual control, but it's low on the list of projects that I'm considering at this time.

 

[miweber929]

Search around, someone may have tried it before, seems familiar.

Thing is it’s not just the controls. There are additional temp sensors, blend doors for the passenger side, motors and wiring to run them, the BCM needs to be told the sensors are there so there’s a dealer trip if they even do it, the auto controls also have heated and cooled seat controls built in........it’s not plug and play nor is it simply complicated. It’s bordering on impossible unless you find a dealer willing to program it, you are willing to throw money and parts at it and you can interpret a schematic and are willing to tear your complete upper and lower dash apart and run wiring where it needs to be and install parts.

Your call, however.

 

[Jaafar1988]

If you really intend to do it, you may want to look into your own interface, such as an Arduino or Raspberry Pi. That way, you would handle all of the interfacing between the stock HVAC and the new HU.

I've thought of doing something similar and actually making a hybrid that allows for both automatic and manual control, but it's low on the list of projects that I'm considering at this time.

Thanks a lot.
I've tried to find similar work and there's a guy played around his BMW, I guss 1997, and it was plug and play and everything went very well and all the options worked fine, according to what he explained in the vedio.
So that, I thought it might works with mine.
The problem is I don't think there is a smart enough dealer here in Iraq to play around it, but I'll not surrender 😊

 

[Jaafar1988]

Search around, someone may have tried it before, seems familiar.

Thing is it’s not just the controls. There are additional temp sensors, blend doors for the passenger side, motors and wiring to run them, the BCM needs to be told the sensors are there so there’s a dealer trip if they even do it, the auto controls also have heated and cooled seat controls built in........it’s not plug and play nor is it simply complicated. It’s bordering on impossible unless you find a dealer willing to program it, you are willing to throw money and parts at it and you can interpret a schematic and are willing to tear your complete upper and lower dash apart and run wiring where it needs to be and install parts.

Your call, however.

Thanks very much indeed.

 

[avxkim]

I just upgraded manual climate control to an automatic, by replacing the climate control panel, then reprogramming the car settings. So it works as 1-zone climate control, obviously if you need to make it work as 2-zone climate, then you need to upgrade your hardware. It was on a 2020 LT / 1.5T