8th Gen Honda Civic2006 and up is the 8th Generation Honda Civic. It adds a new look to the Civic line-up. A really smooth front end separates it from previous generations while still carrying the reliability of the Civic name.
Welcome to civicforums.com!
Welcome to civicforums.com.
You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, at no cost, you will have access to start new topics, reply to conversations, privately message other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join civicforums.com today!
You may have noticed that when you turn on the windshield defroster, by default, the a/c will run to provide de-humidified air to the windshield. That is the way Honda has set it up in most of its' recent models. To me, the annoying aspect is that in the defrost modes the a/c control is disabled and there is no way to turn off the a/c. In many situations (particularly warm, rainy conditions) it makes sense to have the a/c go on, but in others, like very cold damp weather, or when driving in heavy or blowing snow, when you are trying to minimize icing on the winshield, it doesn't seem to make sense at all. Also, the manual emphasizes how running the A/C decreases MPG and encourages owners NOT to run it whenever it can be avoided!
Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem that is not documented in the owners manual! As I said, it appears to work with most recent Honda models and I have tried it successfully on my 2006 Civic. Here's how to reprogram the defoster:
- With the key in the "Off" position, set the controls as follows.
- Blower control to "Off"
- Temperature control to coldest
- Mode button to select panel vents only (cannot be selected with the key off, so select this before turning the engine off before starting programming)
- Holding down the recirculate button AND the A/C button, START THE ENGINE. (Continue holding the two buttons) The recirculate button indicator light will flash for about seven seconds. Then the A/C green indicator light will flash on. The defroster is now reprogrammed!
Now the defroster will work as follows.
When selecting Defrost or Defrost + Floor the A/C will still come on, BUT so will the A/C indicator light, and the A/C button is NOT disabled. Now you can push the A/C button and turn the A/C off! It will NOT come on again if you stop the engine and then restart, although you can push the A/C button to turn it on if you wish.
Since in very cold weather I tend to leave the control in the defrost + floor with the A/C off, this works fine for me. Just remember to occasionally run the A/C for a while to keep the seals lubricated. (Just not all winter long!)
To remove this ad, register today for free or log in if already registered!
Sponsored Links
To avoid seeing this ad in our forum please register at CivicForums.com
By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features.
I agree that the driver should decide whether to use the A/C or not. My old 1993 Acura Integra had that feature. However, in the early days of my ownership of that Integra, I was not aware that I should use the A/C to help defrost my windows, until my service advisor told me. He said most people are used to American cars that automatically turn on the A/C when defrosting the window.
I'm glad you're sharing this undocumented feature. This month was the first time I used the defrost function. For a brief moment, I wondered why the air was colder than I expected. I quickly realized that the A/C must be on by default and then I quickly realized that I couldn't turn off just the A/C.
Hm. I have a 07 Civic and I tried the above procedure, but it worked only when I put the temp setting to HOTEST. Also I tried to go back to the factory setting, however, it stayed in this new setting anyway, even though the recirc light flashed. No matter what I am still happy for this little improvement, I hate when things power on without my saying so, specially like A/C in the winter.
__________________ '07 EX ATX Royal Blue Pearl
'00 Mazda 626 LS- owned for two months, drove total for one week- total disaster
'96 Acura TL 2.5- Owned for 3 years, still miss it
I tried repeating the steps to reset back to default programming and it didn't work. Does anybody know the correct way for an '06 Civic Coupe EX? I'd like to know just in case there is a good reason to reset it.
I tried to reset it back also but it didn't work either. I guess disconnecting the battery will solve everything.
__________________ '07 EX ATX Royal Blue Pearl
'00 Mazda 626 LS- owned for two months, drove total for one week- total disaster
'96 Acura TL 2.5- Owned for 3 years, still miss it
You may have noticed that when you turn on the windshield defroster, by default, the a/c will run to provide de-humidified air to the windshield. That is the way Honda has set it up in most of its' recent models. To me, the annoying aspect is that in the defrost modes the a/c control is disabled and there is no way to turn off the a/c. In many situations (particularly warm, rainy conditions) it makes sense to have the a/c go on, but in others, like very cold damp weather, or when driving in heavy or blowing snow, when you are trying to minimize icing on the winshield, it doesn't seem to make sense at all. Also, the manual emphasizes how running the A/C decreases MPG and encourages owners NOT to run it whenever it can be avoided!
Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem that is not documented in the owners manual! As I said, it appears to work with most recent Honda models and I have tried it successfully on my 2006 Civic. Here's how to reprogram the defoster:
- With the key in the "Off" position, set the controls as follows.
- Blower control to "Off"
- Temperature control to coldest
- Mode button to select panel vents only (cannot be selected with the key off, so select this before turning the engine off before starting programming)
- Holding down the recirculate button AND the A/C button, START THE ENGINE. (Continue holding the two buttons) The recirculate button indicator light will flash for about seven seconds. Then the A/C green indicator light will flash on. The defroster is now reprogrammed!
Now the defroster will work as follows.
When selecting Defrost or Defrost + Floor the A/C will still come on, BUT so will the A/C indicator light, and the A/C button is NOT disabled. Now you can push the A/C button and turn the A/C off! It will NOT come on again if you stop the engine and then restart, although you can push the A/C button to turn it on if you wish.
Since in very cold weather I tend to leave the control in the defrost + floor with the A/C off, this works fine for me. Just remember to occasionally run the A/C for a while to keep the seals lubricated. (Just not all winter long!)
Has anyone tried this on a Canadian 2007 LX Sedan yet? Can it be reseted using this method?
Also, is this even turned on in the Canadian Civics? Just because we have strong winters here...
i don't know about the 07s, but i believe i read that this can be reverted back to the stock setting by doing the same thing, but instead turning one or more of the knobs all the way to the right, rather than the left. Then hold down the buttons and start the car. I unfortunately don't remember which knobs go all the way to the right to reset it, tho, and I haven't tried resetting it on my car. Hope this helps someone.
__________________ Life is hard. It's harder when you're stupid.
Search, and learn.
Quote:
Originally Posted by modoman
the same curiosity some people have with the minds of serial killers, i have with ricers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeX
You don't have a sport car.
"There are more than 550 million firearms now in circulation, one for every 12 people on the planet. The only question, is how can we arm the other 11."
Honda defroster reprogramming 
Resetting to factory setting 
