Using car air con, good for the car, or money down the drain?

trinidadone

Hello all, I have been reading a few forums, and wanted to know fellow moneysaver views on the car air conditioner.

Is air con good for the running of the car?

Is it simply a waste of money to use?

How frequently do you use your air con in the car?

neilmcl

If you have aircon/climate control then it's best to have it switched on all the time, otherwise it's a breeding ground for mould, bacteria and damp.

My climate control system is on all the time and it doesn't make a huge difference to running costs.

Iceweasel

Here you go:

Yes

No

Never switch it off - ever

Climate Control is better of course - fewer and fewer cars are being produced with only AC.

EdGasket

This has already been discussed endlessly on here; just search it. There are two camps the 'leave it on all the time; doesn't cost anything' and the 'use it only when needed and save money plus about 10 mins a week during winter to maintain the system'. For what it's worth I'm in the latter camp.

PasturesNew

I've never had air con. I open the window (on the 3 days/year it's that hot).

Iceweasel

EdGasket wrote: »

This has already been discussed endlessly on here; just search it. There are two camps the 'leave it on all the time; doesn't cost anything' and the 'use it only when needed and save money plus about 10 mins a week during winter to maintain the system'. For what it's worth I'm in the latter camp.

Ha ha - I agree with the 'use it only when needed' point of view.

It's just that I consider I need it all the time, so I never switch it off - I'd have to check where the 'off' button is.

worried_jim

It never goes off, why would you not want to drive in the most comfortable situation possible?

Iceweasel

PasturesNew wrote: »

I've never had air con. I open the window (on the 3 days/year it's that hot).

How does that work?

foxy-stoat

Unless your A/C unit is linked to your bank account via a direct debit, you will save more money in a week of driving smoothly then 10+ years of driving with the A/C switched off.

motorguy

trinidadone wrote: »

Hello all, I have been reading a few forums, and wanted to know fellow moneysaver views on the car air conditioner.

Is air con good for the running of the car?

Is it simply a waste of money to use?

How frequently do you use your air con in the car?

Its not a waste of money for me because i value the lack of condensation on the inside of the car during the winter and the controlled temperature all year round but particularly summer.

A friend of mine has an XF Jag. Keeps the aircon OFF. Every 6-9 months the car goes back to jaguar due to bad smells in the cabin. They clean out the aircon system, and hand it back with the advice to keep it on. He doesnt. 6-9 months later it goes back..

EdGasket

worried_jim wrote: »

It never goes off, why would you not want to drive in the most comfortable situation possible?

Because for most of the year you need heating, not cooling so you can quite easily 'drive in the most comfortable situation possible' without air con turned on. The other reasons are to save money and get slightly better performance (without the compressor drag on the engine).