Is it bad to turn the a/c in your car on and off often?
(2011-06-03 14:25:19) 1. Says: I hit that a/c button quite frequently. Sometime every few seconds. Is this bad for the car since it will start the serpentine belt every time you hit the a/c button? Thanks for you help.2. Says: Yes it's bad because you're constantly engaging/disengaging the a/c clutch plate. The serp. belt will always be running if the engine is running.3. Says: I wouldn't go so far as to say it is bad for it but you're not doing it any favours, so stop it. Why do you do it? Just set the a/c to the right temperature and leave it alone. A/C uses a bit of extra fuel but not enough that you should worry about it. If you're hot, turn it on. That's what it's there for. Otherwise open the windows.The heater uses a small electric fan to draw air through the heater matrix under your dash, so it does use small amount of power, a few Watts. Less than a/c (which has to drive a compressor). Again, not enough to be worth worrying about either.
When the car is moving forwards, and the dash vents are open, air is forced through the air intake and blows cold/warm air into the car anyway (depending where your temp controls are set to) so you only need the fan if you want to run the a/c or if you need extra air for clearing the windows or if it's really hot/cold etc.4. Says: I would say it would be best to turn it on or off. When you keep turning the A/C on by the switch, you keep engaging and disengaging the condenser pulley in turn would wear it out faster. I am sure an experienced mechanic would argue my answer but its actually a logically one not necessarily the right one. Tag: Is it bad to turn the a/c in your car on and off often?