i was watching 'used car roadshow' on itv4 a few months ago and the lady presenter said it was ok to turn the AC on when the heater is turned on.

is the right or will i damage something ?

i was watching 'used car roadshow' on itv4 a few months ago and the lady presenter said it was ok to turn the AC on when the heater is turned on.

is the right or will i damage something ?

Don't see why not, I do it myself to clear a misted up windscreen from time to time.

Air conditioning dries out the air. The temperature control controls the temperature supplied to the car (air conditioning helps make the range of available temperatures wider). Mine stays on all year round because in the winter it helps to demist the screens and windows....

Chris

yup in fact its better for the ac system to be used all year round. if you only use it during the hot days (which lets face it is about 3 days a year!!) then the pipes and seals can dry out, giving you leaks and then meaning costs when you do want to use it.

i always advise people to use it with warm air in the winter, it gives you better all round vision, espcially when raining as it stops the windows from steaming up

HTH

phew,thanks for that.

phew,thanks for that.

no worries, glad to help

My mother never uses the air con as "it uses extra petrol", I always counter act this argument by saying that an open car window will probably use just as much as the car isn't being as aerodynamic as it could.

Am i talking pish or does it make sense to anyone else?

My mother never uses the air con as "it uses extra petrol", I always counter act this argument by saying that an open car window will probably use just as much as the car isn't being as aerodynamic as it could.

That's certainly true. The A/C system also adds weight to the car, which will reduce fuel economy over a non-A/C car too.

Chris

My mother never uses the air con as "it uses extra petrol", I always counter act this argument by saying that an open car window will probably use just as much as the car isn't being as aerodynamic as it could.

Am i talking pish or does it make sense to anyone else?

If you have the window opan a fraction, it won't mess up the aerodynamics that much.

I saw a program a while ago and they tested two cars with the same fuel and the one with the air con ran out first, but to be honest it's not that much difference in my vRs furby whether it's on or not, so i just leave it on all the time, it's less noisy and no dust gets in either & no steamy windows when it's raining.

Not sure what a petrol car would be like on the fuel consumption as it doesn't sem to affect my car too much?

Depends upon how heavy and aerodynamic the car is as well.

Just don't drive with the air con on and the window down.

If you have the window opan a fraction, it won't mess up the aerodynamics that much.

I suspect it will come down to the speeds involved as well. Interestingly, the Scooby with air con fitted used to "declutch" the compressor under hard acceleration to minimise the impact of the system on performance. I'm not aware of any other systems which do similar, but I'm guessing with modern climate control systems once temperature is achieved the A/C can be seamlessly cycled on and off to maintain the temperature and be of significantly less impact to mpg and performance.

Chris

It's all fine till you turn it off and the car steams up like mad.....almost like it's storing the removed moisture in a little flap in the air vents only to deposit it in the incoming air the second you turn it off.

proven fact (mythbusters) open windows before 45mph is more fuel efficient, after 45mph air con is more efficient

Unless it's baking outside at which point opening the windows at all is pointless.

When the air coming in is 30 degrees and it's like being wafted with a hairdryer.

I had air con on my Honda Jazz 1.4 petol and if you were accellerating up hill with the air con on you could feel the engine holding back when the air con compressor cut in and also feel it surge on again when it cut out.

With a more powerful engine you will tend not to feel this but it shows how much power and fuel it drains.

That said mine is on most of the time and it dosn't make a vast difference to consumption.

For some reason in my Fabia Vrs when the A/C is on there is a real hesitation problem. Trying to get your foot down at a roundabout from a standing start has given me embarrasing consequences to say the least.

And at this point I will do my usual and remind everyone the a/c on a Fabia is all ways on as it doesnt have a magnetic clutch on the compressor. So gas/oil is all ways circulating.

And at this point I will do my usual and remind everyone the a/c on a Fabia is all ways on as it doesnt have a magnetic clutch on the compressor. So gas/oil is all ways circulating.

just old ones or new ones too?

All of the Fabia model, Octavia 2, Roomster and anything from now on.

Thanks for the useful advice Lummox. I always assumed there was a magnetic clutch for the AC! Come to think of it, I barely use my AC right now in my Fabia. Maybe I should utilise it if it's always on anyway.

So will it break if its not used? Also how do you clean them out so that clean air comes through- Is it the airfilter?

Thanks

I hoep the question is clear -

What I mean is will it cause problems if it is not used given the comments above

Thanks