I was told that leaving your AC on when you turn on/off your car wears the AC unit down. I know in the past (10+ years) that may be true, but is that true now? I ask because I was thinking about getting a remote starter for my car and I would have the AC on since I live in Houston. Please enlighten.

 

I dont' know about others, but I never turn it off. Unless of course it's 70 outside and all the windows are down.

The AC compressor is on a clutch system. So the compressor doesn't turn when you start your car. It will start turning when the rpm reaches a certain point, maybe right after start up.

I have had all different types of cars and always left the a/c on, never had an issue.

Hope this helps

 

i'm not sure about wearing the a/c down, but i do know that if you have the a/c on when you start the car, it may drain the battery when you try starting the car if you also left the stereo on, wipers on, or hadn't driven the car in a while. also, with the a/c always on, you may encounter the sour, mildew odor from the a/c vents sooner or later. it's usually a good idea to turn off the a/c and let the non a/c air run for a little bit before turning off your car to prevent this.

 

The car has a computer-controlled climate control system. Set it and forget it.

 

I live in Texas...the A/C NEVER goes off...Unless 75 degress or less!

First piston up...I want the A/C cranking.

 

The AC system run-in is done during the first 2 minutes that the compressor is on. After that time, there is no reason why the AC system can not be left on 100%. To my knowledge, there is no data from any group within Nissan, ford, Mercedes, or Chrysler that states you should turn off the AC before starting the vehicle. The only data that exists is that for the first 2 minutes of the compressors run-in time (at the OEM) with the AC on full blast, the RPM's should be at 1500 or below so as not to stress the compressor. The reason for this is because the compressor's oil has not had sufficient time to coat and lubricate all the internal parts.
If the car is left to sit for , lets say, a year, you may want to leave the AC off prior to starting. Other than that, let er rip.

 

Hear Hear.

 

Modern AC units are much better than the older counterparts. Most of the time I have mine set on AC-Econ and forget about it.

 

for those who have their a/c on all the time, i'm surprised you guys haven't experienced the foul, sour mildew smell from the condensers.

 

from my understanding the sour/mildew smell is caused when the recirculate is always on. if you notice on the econ settings, it usually uses outside air. at least that is what my experience w/ AC systems has been... and i could've sworn i read about it somewhere too.

 

that's usually the case, but i now only set my a/c on fresh air and still encounter the sour smell during the summer months when i use the a/c more often. i NEVER put it on recycle anymore but still get the smell.

 

Sounds like you need to change the cabin filter.

Once the stink comes, it's hard to get rid of. Robin and I literally NEVER use recirc unless something weird happens like the green goblin releases a gas grenade right on the hood and that familiar green smoke that makes you sleepy starts coming thru the vents.

 

hmm...are you Batman???

 

This is not correct.

When the Ignition Switch, a four-position switch, is turned to the "Start" position all electrical loads that are ignition switch dependent are disconnected except the starter solenoid.

In other words, while the starter is engaged, loads such as the stereo, wipers, A/C clutch solenoid, etc are disconnected! Loads that are not ignition switch dependent are either on or off as determined by the operator - headlights, interior lights, horn, etc.

 

Only when I'm driving my car around