Air Conditioning, do you have it?

Stinicker

Was driving around today in my ice cold air conditioning, the first time this year I actually found the need to use it on the cold setting. I often use the climate control on the warm setting to demist the windows as the dry warm a/c treated air demists far quicker than the ordinary hot air especially on very humid wet days.

A huge amount of cars don't have Air Conditioning here still particularly older models, I've leather seats too so having A/c is a prerequisite in the warm weather.

Mint Sauce

I just wind down the windows and put the blower on full.

:P

Ronnie Beck

About 3 days a year you need it here in the west and two of them have just gone:(.

ABajaninCork

Not in my current car. And I'm never having a car without A/C again. EVER!!!

SCOOP 64

Have it, only use to demist windows, never that hot.

Neilw

After having it in the last few cars I wouldn't be without it now. Ac is more than just for warm days, it's great on a drizzley day to keep the windows clear. Makes a car much more comfortable.

Alanstrainor

Have it and don't use it. That being said, it's not in great nick, think it needs work.

irlirishkev

Neilw wrote: »

After having it in the last few cars I wouldn't be without it now. Ac is more than just for warm days, it's great on a drizzley day to keep the windows clear. Makes a car much more comfortable.

Agreed. It's fairly underrated by those without it. I think once you've owned a car with A/C, and realise just how often you use it, you'd never want to drive a car without it again.

Climate Control is never off in my car, and that utilises the air conditioning along with the heating to maintain a regular temperature.

djimi

Having had A/C in my last two cars I will never not have it again! Awesome on hot days, essential on cold days when the windows need demisting. Was driving the gfs car on a hot day recently without A/C and nearly passed out from the heat, even with the blower on full cold.

TestTransmission

Have it,but don't use it on a warm day.Just drop the roof

TestTransmission

TestTransmission wrote: »

Have it,but don't use it on a warm day.Just drop the roof

^ What he said
Except I don't have a/c anyway so I would have to drop the roof!

bmstuff

If you have it dont just use it during the summer, turn it on for 5mn once a month. Thats a small engine on its own it needs lubrication. There is a good chance at the summer it wont work at all if you never use it.

naughtysmurf

We have it in two cars and it's on all the time on both, AFAIK if you don't use it on a regular basis some kind of fungus builds up in it somewhere and causes problems down the line

L1011

Car: yes
Van: No, it wasn't available as an option for less than an insane wait.

Never turn it off, stays working properly that way and the car stays dry inside in winter.

chinwag

I have it but rarely use it for some reason, sometimes I turn it on for a while (if I think of it) just to keep it in working order.

Does the extra fuel consumption bother anyone at all?

DanWall

My present car is the first that I have had Ac, and I could not go back to a car without it.
I did however have a company car in Saudi Arabia with AC, at 40 + deg it was essential, i think it was a much bigger system because it could slow the car a small bit when switched on.

goz83

Have it, but rarely used on both cars. Today, the windows came down and sun roof open.

blindsider

chinwag wrote: »

I have it but rarely use it for some reason, sometimes I turn it on for a while (if I think of it) just to keep it in working order.

Does the extra fuel consumption bother anyone at all?

I was told by someone who should know, that if you have a/c, then use it regularly:

i) It works better when used often

ii) Opening windows and sunroofs destroys the aerodynamics of the car. Whatever extra fuel the a/c uses, is far less than that used by opening the window etc

iii) If you're on the m-way (or in heavy slow traffic) then opening windows is either noisy or smelly (or both).

A/c is yer only man - look at the rest of Europe - nearly every car from a supermini up has a/c - hot climate or not. It's the f***ing VRT that kills the cost of getting it until recently...but that's another story!

zenno

I just turned on my A/C just there after a year of not using it and i was blown away by all the leaves and dust and other things, will need to hoover the car now. Well at least it's working

djimi

chinwag wrote: »

Does the extra fuel consumption bother anyone at all?

Its not even noticable in my car.

Topper Harley

As I was reading all the replies I was thinking that I very rarely use mine and could easily do without it but actually I use it quite often, if only for short periods, to demist the windscreen.

As soon as you hit the window demister the air-con kicks in full blast but if I keep it on afterwards or am using it on a very rare hot day, I'll use it in "eco" mode but not sure what difference that actually makes.

Recently I've started turning the climate control off as I was always tweaking the temperature and never quite happy. So I turn it off and that's usually fine unless it's very cold.

CiniO

I have it on one car while other car doesn't have it.

It comes handy on warm days, but considering Irish climate, it's literally few days a year when it's that warm that A/C is required.

As for using it to demisting the windows and drying off the cabin - surely it works, but I wouldn't call it a requirement - just a conveniant extra.
On the other car where I don't have, I never had a problem with fogged windows. Putting demister on window with high blower speed always does the job.

However on the continental Europe climate, A/C is pretty much a must.

DIESEL TOM

I know of a transport company that disable air conditioning on there truck to save on diesel :eek:

Ninap

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Have it and don't use it. That being said, it's not in great nick, think it needs work.

As said elsewhere, if you don't use it at least once a month the seals will dry out and the system will fail. And as also said elsewhere, at higher speeds, using a/c is much more fuel efficient than opening a window.

PS: Honest John says leave it on all the time, running it on full cold for at least 10 mins every week:

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/air-conditioning/

Supraman

TestTransmission wrote: »

Have it,but don't use it on a warm day.Just drop the roof

Ideal few days for any of us lucky enough to have s2ks !!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I use it all the time in so far as the climate control utilises it. Would not be without it.

ABajaninCork

Nope! It isn't that much anyway...

biko

Have it and used it today. Nice and cold but i prefer to just open the windows on a warm day. I do use the regular heat/cool system all the time though.

_Kaiser_

Used it all the time in the Passat, but so far with the new A6 I've been making generous use of the sunroof

For Forks Sake

Test drove a car this afternoon that had aircon fitted, but wasn't working. An unpleasantly sweaty test drive. At least the sunroof worked.

Ilik Urgee

Have dual-zone Air Con. What a cod! Only thing it does is start more fights:D

Wouldn't goback to not having it if I can!

mickdw

Ive climate control on my last 3 cars. I just let it run and do its thing all year round. In over 10 years driving like this, ive not had an aircon issue so I think its worth any fuel penalty if it means avoiding issues.
There is no doubt thats these systems are fantastic in wet winter weather too.

JoeA3

I've had climate control in 3 cars for last 8 years. Always left on "auto" 365 days a year. On cold days it heats the cabin and keeps windows condensation free. On warm days it cools the cabin. No fiddling with temp or fan speed, ever!
We get a lot more "warm" days than people think! I would not have a car without it, no way.

Mycroft H

I don't have it. I've a cold setting on my car which isn't actually cold these days.

My two parents car's have it but they both need to be recharged. They're of no use.

Atlantic Dawn

Have it, wouldn't buy a car without it, use it in summer and winter.

dgt

Which yoke, many to choose from....

ProudDUB

Yes, I have it. Could not live without it. Even thought we are not a hot county per se, a car left sitting in the sun for most of the day, can still be uncomfortably warm to return to, even when the outside temps are not that hot. It is bliss to turn on the AC, and feel that cool air wafting over you, pretty much immediately. Opening the sun roof/windows is grand to a point. Yes, it will cool the car down once you are driving, and you get up to a decent speed, but it does eff all for you if you are sitting in car parks, or in heavy traffic prior to doing so.

Then again, I used to live in the southern United States, where having AC in your car was a life necessity, not a luxury, so I am kinda used now to having cold air available on demand whenever I want it. Could not live without it now. I use it winter and summer. It's not just about cold vs hot. It's about having air circulating, and making the air seem fresher.

Dartz

Push the button - cold comes out.

Especially the non-thermostat kind. Because you can just tell it to be ****ing Arctic without aiming for a set temperature. Low enough to cause ice to form on the windshield please.

Still, winding the windows down can be nice at slower speeds.

R.O.R

Had it in my cars for years and wouldn't be without it.

Had to go down the country on Wednesday and a 2010 S40 was the best thing in the garage to take. After having a Black car sitting in direct sunshine for 5 hours, it's not great to find out that the A/C needs a re-gas. Rather uncomfortable 2 hour journey back to the office with the Climate set at 16 degrees, so the blower was more or less full blast, but not really cold at all. Windows open for the first 20 minutes to try and get some of the heat out, but it was a mainly motorway journey after that so to much buffeting with the windows open.

For a change the office was actually cooler than the car I came out of.

akura

I don't have it, the window's/cold air blower do a grand job

Solair

I just set the climate control to a comfortable temperature and let the car worry about twiddling with the temperature controls itself.

It can be a big improvement to get rid of the humidity in the air sometimes when you're driving around - very handy for clearing the windows too.

Bigcheeze

R.O.R wrote: »

hours, it's not great to find out that the A/C needs a re-gas.

A three year old car needing a re-gas ? Doesn't sound right. Compressor gone or a leak maybe ?

My last car had it but it needed to be re-gassed so it didn't work and in 5 years owning the car I never re-gassed it so not having A/C didn't put me off buying my current car.

It would be nice for a long journey were you are driving fairly fast because having the windows and sunroof open make a lot of noise but for normal driving around I prefer to open windows and the sunroof and let the breeze blow through the car. I could count on one had how many times I've said it would have been nice to have in the last year and a half owning the car.

HandsomeDan

Another thumbs up for thermostatic AC climate control.

Set and forget.

kuro2k

I have it in the 96 hilux but not in the 96 bmw cabrio which is a balls, it can get hot under the canvas when its not practical to take the roof down

Boom_Bap

I had it once on a Renault Megane and hardly ever used it. Mainly because it seemed to degrade the already sub standard performance of the car.
It wouldnt be a deal breaker for me buying a new car, but it would be a nice extra.

But on the other hand, there was me and 4 other lads in a cross country drive in a Jag recently, and the air-con was a saviour.

Tea 1000

chinwag wrote: »

I have it but rarely use it for some reason, sometimes I turn it on for a while (if I think of it) just to keep it in working order.

Does the extra fuel consumption bother anyone at all?

Extra fuel consumption is almost a myth. Depends on the car really, but small engine cars might use more to run the compressor, where as larger engines or most diesels you don't even notice it. I've done tests before where I brimmed the tank and left the A/C on for the full duration of the tank, then brimmed again and left it off for the full duration, and the difference in miles I got from each tank was minimal. That was in a 1.8 petrol. In any diesel I've driven and tested I've not noticed any difference.

DIESEL TOM wrote: »

I know of a transport company that disable air conditioning on there truck to save on diesel :eek:

Idiots. A truck engine would run 4 compressors without hassle!! Be more in their lines to train their drivers to drive efficiently - that would make a far bigger saving.
A/C for the win though!

Henry Ford III

I've had manual a/c or dual zone climate control in every new car since c.1999 I think, and I would not buy a new car without it.

A few observations:

1/. You need to use the system regularly - every week for 30 mins. I'd suggest, as the refridgerant is also the system lubricant. Failure to use it regularly will cause problems.

2/. A/c does use a bit more fuel I find, but it's worth it.

3/. It's not worth paying a premium for dual zone cc. Manual a/c is fine imho. If it's too cold you turn the temp up etc.

maximoose

No, and my fans are only working on #4 too

pa990

maximoose wrote: »

No, and my fans are only working on #4 too

you need a new "final stage resistor"

hardCopy

After a particularly hot day last summer where I had to drive Dublin to Cork and back, on the one day, in a suit, I swore I'd never own a car without A/C again. I've thankfully now replaced my old car and have A/C on the current one.

Windows down is fine in the city but no good on a motorway.