Hi, is it still necessary to run the air con every now and then regardless of whether you need it on or not?

just asking, as a friend is having problems with it on his Golf

1) Yes.

 

2) Air con doesn't just chill the air but also dehumidifies it, so it's good to use air con when it's very humid and you're getting misting problems.

Use mine all year round. In the summer to keep cool and the winter to keep dry. Cannot see the point of having air-con and not using it.

Never thought about the humidity before, makes sense

aircon doesn't run below 8deg C to stop the condenser freezing up

aircon doesn't run below 8deg C to stop the condenser freezing up

The Yeti owners manual suggests 2deg, and my previous Octavia was the same, suspect Roomster will be the same also.

There's an oft stated factoid that it's a good idea to run the air con at least weekly to "keep the seals lubricated" or somesuch, and that if you don't then you're more likely to have problems.

 

I incline to the use-it-all-the-time view - I ran a Scorpio to about 80,000 miles without aircon problems, and a CRV to 95,000, and we have just sold my wife's 12 year old Civic, owned from new;  she has had the automatic air conditioning on for 12 years and it still worked.  It had a top up last year because it didn't feel quite as cold as it had, and it was still good when it went.  The aircon will no doubt stay on in the Roomster too.

 

It certainly helps in winter to keep the car from misting up.

yep page 92 of the manual

 

It is important for your safety and for your driving comfort that the Climatic is operating properly.

The air conditioning system operates when switch is pressed and the following conditions are met:

• engine running,

• outside temperature above +2°C and

• blower switch switched on (positions 1 to 4).