[Derkie54]

How do you use your air con, how should you use your air con ?



Forgetting economy for a moment I leave my air con on all the time, when the fan is on the air con is on and when the fan is off the air con does not operate anyway.
When the weather is sub zero I believe the air con does not kick in ( but I still leave it switched on ) and I think you should try to use it every week to stop the seals drying out.

Any expert views out there !

 

[AlanG]

I leave mine on all the time at the moment because of the interior water saturation problem. But in any other car, i would switch it on to demist or cool down depending on the time of year i.e. I would switch it on then off as I needed it.Edited by: AlanG

 

[Rickenbacker]

Just on for cooling in summer or initial demisting, rest of time off...

 

[miketedl]

[No message]

 

[miketedl]

It always seem odd to me that aircon is supposed to cool the car in the summer, to use it in the winter does that not cool also, even though the heater may be on full
I use mine in the winter to demist, but feel it is pushing cold and hot air in at the same time defeating the action of the heater.

 

[Privatedoc]

I have mine on all the time, best for they system to keep it running, also stops build up of bacteria and bad smells. there is no doubt the hot setting isn't as hot with it on as off so there you go....economy-wise it makes very little difference to my mpg on or off (tested over several thousand miles) ......however, couldn't live with out the bum-warmers in cold Ayrshire mornings

 

[chris3624]

 It always seem odd to me that aircon is supposed to cool the car in the summer, to use it in the winter does that not cool also, even though the heater may be on full
I use mine in the winter to demist, but feel it is pushing cold and hot air in at the same time defeating the action of the heater.

I think you misunderstand what air conditioning does. It does exactly what it says 'condition' the air. If you have it on in the winter and the heater on full it isn't pushing in hot and cold air just hot conditioned air. It provides for a more comfortable cabin as it reduces humidity.

 

[Scrubnut]

I have it on all the time to reduce humidity. It does reduce the amount of misting on the windows and I understand it's good for the system too.

 

[ospreywatcher]

Certainly my Ford dealer said to make sure I ran AC for at least one hour per month in the winter when we had Fords. Just got into the habit of 15 minute on the first Monday of every week. Apparently kept pressure better and maintained seals in better condition.

 

[miketedl]

Cheers Chris. You learn something new every day. I thought it pushed only cold air in . Mike

 

[GunSpeed]

I have it on all the time for the reasons mentioned above and my BMW dealer told me to do sotoo

 

[OrpheusRocker]

It says this in the manual:

We recommend that you do not smoke in the vehicle when the recirculating air
mode is operating since the smoke which is drawn at the evaporator from the interior
of the vehicle forms deposits in the evaporator of the air conditioning system.
This produces a permanent odour when the air conditioning system is operating
which can only be eliminated through considerable effort and expense (replacement
of compressor).

 

[vwild1]

We recommend that you do not smoke in the vehicle when the recirculating air
mode is operating since the smoke which is drawn at the evaporator from the interior
of the vehicle forms deposits in the evaporator of the air conditioning system.
This produces a permanent odour when the air conditioning system is operating
which can only be eliminated through considerable effort and expense (replacement
of compressor).

The compressor has nothing to do with the circulation of air within a vehicle, parts that would suffer from smoke would be filters, ductwork and circulating fans.

 

[Scrubnut]

The reason I don't smoke in the car is simply because you can smell it for years as it gets into the fabrics!

 

[Privatedoc]

and the reason I don't smoke (in the car) is its a filthy habit that costs huge amounts in health, well-being and fitness

...oh, and I am a doc so it pays to lead by example.

 

[Scrubnut]

and the reason I don't smoke (in the car) is its a filthy habit that costs huge amounts in health, well-being and fitness  

...oh, and I am a doc so it pays to lead by example.

Too drunk to light your cigarette?

 

[Night Owl]

An observation on non air con Take Up.

Last night I drew the short straw and was the designated driver. Four adults in the car...although some would say three adults an me.... and a journey of country lanes, two motorways and them more flooded lanes to our destination.

It was Lashing with rain ...front wipers double speed and rear wiper on for the whole journey. The outward journey was fine as far as internal misting, ie none at all.
The return trip however, with the car having been parked for several hours, and cold, was different. As soon as the four of us got in all the windows instantly misted up.
Fan on full and within a couple of minutes the front screen and front side windows were clear, as was the rear screen...without having to use the rear screen heater They remained so for the whole journey home.
The rear side windows would not clear though. However the ladies in the back were talking a load of hot air all the way home

Only down side is the back of the Up is now absolutely filthy.

Go well.

 

[AlanG]

Another thread stated that a dealer had said that some pipes had been put in with the drain plugs up instead of down which was stopping water escape and hence resulting in soaking inside windows. When my new up arrives I will report back to the forum on whether my MY14 model is anything like as bad as my MY13 model in this respect.

 

[gordoac]

I usually turn it the a/c on when the outside temp gets up to 20„ƒ. In winter I would only turn it on if the screen is very misted up. That being the case, I would also turn the distribution screen as well. As a rule, I have the fan on position 2 and the distribution knob at about "25mins past". I've found that this keeps the windows completely clear at all times.

Hope this helps

 

[Beevee]

It seems to be a popular misconception that air conditioning is for hot days to cool the car. Air conditioning conditions the air inside the car and as such is useful at all times. If you don't use the air conditioning constantly it is a good idea to have it on at least once a month for maximum efficiency.