do you shut down your A/C everytime?

[wavinwayne]

On my wife's Mercedes, the A/C (or heat) doesn't come on immediately after you start the engine. There is an approx. 6-8 second delay before the air (or heat) kicks on. I guess they designed it that way so as not to tax all the systems at once when you start the vehicle.

 

[chrome]

I shut mine off.

If left on, I notice on the next startup as I move the key to the ON position and wait (my usual practice to pressurise the fuel lines) that that radiator/condenser fans will run at low speeds as well as the climate control blower motor. Compressor doesn't engage till a few seconds after the engine fires.

I guess that having the fans on unnecessarily adds an extra load to the battery, which may make a difference if the battery is on the verge of failing.

 

[Eddie]

I, like quattro Pete, shut mine down about 1 block from home. Lets the water drip out so the garage floor mess is not so great. In addition, I don't turn mine on until the engines is started and run for several minutes. Just my way.

 

[PT1]

Originally Posted By: panthermike
I'm not sure if it does harm to leave it on, but I turn mine off before I shut the car off. I turn it back on when I start the car.


+1 me too.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Originally Posted By: Eddie
I, like quattro Pete, shut mine down about 1 block from home. Lets the water drip out so the garage floor mess is not so great. In addition, I don't turn mine on until the engines is started and run for several minutes. Just my way.


I try to do the same when I remember to. I don't really do it to prevent the puddle, but moreso to try to blow out some of the condensation that builds up in the vents as to avoid that nasty smell some cars get when that moisture builds up over the years.

 

[Drew2000]

On my Tribute, I usually click-off the AC about a mile from home. The Ford ECM keeps the radiator fans running for a few minutes after you click-off the AC button.

This seems to cool everything off a bit before I park the car or put it in the garage, plus it helps to dry the evaporator to reduce mold/mildew promoting moisture.

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: ZR2grizz
I SHUT EVERYTHING off every time I get out, not just the AC, but also the fan,radio,and unplug anything in ports. Also, I let the fuel pump prime/cycle before I start it, It's a habit or ritual I cant help now, even in a hurry.
+1

Except I don't unplug things plugged into the Cigarette lighter ports etc.

 

[KLowD9x]

Nope, everything in the Volvo stays on the "Auto" setting.

It doesn't matter though, even with the switch off, when you engage the starter position on the ignition switch, the compressor automatically clicks on. The logic is, since the engine spins MUCH slower when cranking than after starting, this slow speed will flush any liquid refrigerant out of the compressor before the full speed start happens.

Our compressors last forever, but the clutches don't.

Also, I don't need to dry anything before I get home. I have a function in the climate control module called "afterblow". About an hour after turning off the engine, if the AC was used for more than 10 minutes with a certain duty cycle (don't have the literature in front of me), the CCM will open the recirculate door, direct the air to the forward facing dash vents, and adjust both temperature motors to full cold and blow the fan at full speed for a few minutes to dry everything out.

No musty smells, no malfunctioning AC systems.

 

[ekpolk]

My AC compressor is electrically driven off the traction battery, never connected to the engine in any way. I set auto and don't worry about it. When you push the POWER button and begin the car's start cycle, you can hear the compressor winding up, as if there's a little turbine engine hiding somewhere under there. Pretty subtle, not loud or anything -- just cool if you can hear it (which you usually can, as the gas engine normally doesn't fire up for just under ten seconds).

Electric AC is very cool, in more ways than one!

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

Originally Posted By: ZR2grizz
I SHUT EVERYTHING off every time I get out, not just the AC, but also the fan,radio,and unplug anything in ports. Also, I let the fuel pump prime/cycle before I start it, It's a habit or ritual I cant help now, even in a hurry.


+1

...and, I give the car a little bit to warm up (get out of the neighborhood) before I engage the AC. Before I reach my destination, I turn on the heat (non-ac) and vent fans to full to dry out the condensation. I've never had a vehicle that "smells funny" (from the AC dampness).

 

[jorton]

Originally Posted By: bepperb
When my sister moved to Phoneix from WI, people there told her that starting her car with the A/C on was hard on the engine.


That may be true with my 99 Tracer so I'm going to try to train myself to switch it off before I stop the engine. Lately, the car shakes and the engine almost dies when I start it with a/c on.

If that advise applies to only some cars I can see why people in Phoenix would say it's hard on the engine as a general rule.

 

[01rangerxl]

I think on most vehicles it really doesn't matter. The majority of cars are designed for the "average" person and the average person doesn't care about turning the AC off.

Personally, I turn everything off if I am parking my truck for more than a few minutes. If I am just stopping at a gas station, I usually leave stuff on, but otherwise everything gets turned off. I prefer to not have the AC and radio blasting when I start the truck.

 

[Nick R]

Nope. Never had a problem with any car starting the A/C on. 4 bangers, V8s, V6. Pretty sure the compressor is disengaged from the pulley when the engine is started. Never had mildew smell either. Normally I will turn down the radio before I shut the car off so I don't blast myself when I turn it back on the next day.

 

[Virtuoso]

I shut the comprssor off a few blocks from home/work and let the fan warm the evap up.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Nobody in my family ever shuts the A/C off ever. We just leave it on all year in the automatic position. We have been doing that since the early 70's.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: ediamiam
i shut mine off and let the fan blow thru the vent system. in the past, previous cars, the vent system would smell like b.o. when the bacteria/mildew built up the dampness.

Same here. Especially since the entire city where I live tends to smell that way.

It's just habit, a kind of pre- and post-flight checklist, for me to turn everything off before switching off the engine. And I tend not to switch on the A/C right away either. If the car has been sitting all day, I drive with the windows down for a minute or two, blowing out as much hot air as I can, then switch it on and continue for another few moments with the windows still down, until the cold air begins to come from the dash vents. Then I button everything up.

 

[Button]

To All,

I always turn my A/C off & furthermore, I let the car run for a minute before turning it on.

Regards,
~Button

 

[JakeR22]

Originally Posted By: labman
Originally Posted By: ZR2grizz
I SHUT EVERYTHING off every time I get out, not just the AC, but also the fan,radio,and unplug anything in ports. Also, I let the fuel pump prime/cycle before I start it, It's a habit or ritual I cant help now, even in a hurry.


Sounds like one more way to waste time doing more harm than good.


I agree. Wow, I guess some habits are hard to break.

 

[Cutehumor]

I shut the A/C off everytime as well. I do it before I get to my house. It's a habit I picked up from my dad. My dad has never had a/c issues in any car he's ever had.

 

[Greggy_D]

Originally Posted By: ZR2grizz
I SHUT EVERYTHING off every time I get out, not just the AC, but also the fan,radio,and unplug anything in ports. Also, I let the fuel pump prime/cycle before I start it, It's a habit or ritual I cant help now, even in a hurry.


Me too.