Should I Turn Off My Air Con?

[Robbo VS3]

Just noticed how every time my mate puts his vehicle away he always turns the air con off. I asked why he does that, and he reckons it roots your air con if you leave the button on. I did'nt think it mattered, i have always just left the air con button pressed in when im finished for the day. I just assumed that if the engine is turned off, then the air con should be as well?

Whats the go?

[Blown V6 Hatch]

Your mate is a goose...All that button does is supply 12 volt power to the A/C compressor to engage it (turn the A/C on). As soon as you turn the ignition off, the compressor disengages anyway effectively turning off the A/C.

[red_vb]

i have also been told to turn off a/c, wipers, heater before you turn the car off, im thinking it has something to do with when you turn the car back on.

[m05tw4nt3d]

i have also been told to turn off a/c, wipers, heater before you turn the car off, im thinking it has something to do with when you turn the car back on.

have also heard this

[coolvxss]

might be because when you crank over the engine, the starter motor draws a lot of current from battery, and maybe if you have all them things on, the battery cant handle it aswell. just a guess but.

[VYMAD]

Never heard of this... and never had any hassels through leaving things like air-con or wipers on in years and years of driving.

[Maxxiz]

Yeah think the only reason you would is to help the car start again.. Ive heard to turn the radio off before turning car off but seriously lol

[TMM]

Aircon is off when the starter is cranking anyway...

[UFO]

ive always been told to turn off all accessories before you turn off/start engine. dont know if it makes any difference, but I never have lights/radio/air con on when starting up.

i've always been told its because electrical system isnt stable, and until alternator is running best not to have additional things on or you could blow a fuse because voltage/current isnt stable or put unnecessary drain on the battery. once car is started, you can fire up the other things!

never had a fuse or premature battery problem, so I guess its working for me .

[acarmody]

I've been told about auto headlights, to turn them off completely before starting car, otherwise their voltage is fluctuating and it can blow the delicate filaments.

[axemurderer101]

anything on your accesories circuit goes off when you crank the engine anyway

[minux]

Never turned off auto lights, never turned off climate, never had a problem...

[danja]

I'm sure car manufacturers are clever enough to design electrical systems which don't explode if you leave them on while you crank the engine...

I used to have a much older car with a dicky battery and starter, and turning off accessories would sometimes help give it enough juice to get going, but short of that kind of thing as the car starts to wear out, I can't see any reason to do this, nor why it would make the car wear out any faster. Totally non-sensical.

[justice4all3000]

I have been told the that the most wear and tear is done to an engine is when you start it up so when you have accesories running before starting they can increse the time it takes for the engine to start

[VYMAD]

I have been told the that the most wear and tear is done to an engine is when you start it up so when you have accesories running before starting they can increse the time it takes for the engine to start

Sorry but I have to disagree. Like it has been said above, all things on your accessories curcuit turn off while cranking anyway. I reckon a good term for the op's question is "bullshit", "old wive's tale" or "load of crap". Never heard of this before, maybe in very old cars it was necessary but certainly not for the past twenty years or so.

[dirt drifter]

i don't have my a/c on when i fire mine up on a cold start first thing in the morning, trying to save the motor from that little bit of extra load. once its got some heat about it i switch it on.
it probably makes bugger all difference but it cant be hurting it

[WogBoyz]

i don't have my a/c on when i fire mine up on a cold start first thing in the morning, trying to save the motor from that little bit of extra load. once its got some heat about it i switch it on.
it probably makes bugger all difference but it cant be hurting it

yeah i do that aswell