Does the car I want have AC or not?

Blue Badger

Hi All,

Apologies for what I'm sure is a stupid question but can someone please explain AC to me as though I'm a child?

I'm looking at cars to buy atm and most newer cars seem to have either a Climate-Control function or a manual 'AC' button by the knob for controlling temperature.

But what do you call systems that have no actual conditioning / climate-control taking place, as in where there's no refrigeration gas being used at all? Is there another term for these? My understanding is that they simply import outside air minus the heating and that's it.

I see adverts for cars that say they have AC yet I don't see an AC / Climate-Control button and I don't understand what they're talking about. Thinking about it I realised that I have no idea what you call a system minus the refrigerant gas.

AC seems to be a blanket terms even when no gas is used?

nsnoefc1878

Blue Badger wrote: »

Hi All,

Apologies for what I'm sure is a stupid question but can someone please explain AC to me as though I'm a child?

I'm looking at cars to buy atm and most newer cars seem to have either a Climate-Control function or a manual 'AC' button by the knob for controlling temperature.

But what do you call systems that have no actual conditioning / climate-control taking place, as in where there's no refrigeration gas being used at all? Is there another term for these? My understanding is that they simply import outside air minus the heating and that's it.

I see adverts for cars that say they have AC yet I don't see an AC / Climate-Control button and I don't understand what they're talking about. Thinking about it I realised that I have no idea what you call a system minus the refrigerant gas.

AC seems to be a blanket terms even when no gas is used?

Good article on it here
https://www.carwow.co.uk/blog/air-conditioning-vs-climate-control-0044
A decent climate control system is a must have on a car for me.

mr c

Both use gas but one has temperature control

check for the button in any car you are looking at and turn it on and make sure it blows cold or it requires regassing or has a problem

https://thenewswheel.com/your-cars-air-conditioning-button-symbols-explained/

https://www.allcarleasing.co.uk/blog/what-is-climate-control/

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090203225108AALda3j

bazz26

Air Conditioning and Climate Control are two different things. Some cars have one of the other or both. Climate control is the temperature and air flow control of the ventilation system in the car. Air conditioning is a gas that mixes with the car ventilation system to chill the air and remove moisture that causes condensation in the car.

colm_mcm

It is super rare to have climate control without air conditioning.

The only exception I can think of was the N16 Almera facelift.