Author Topic: Green A.C. Air control light.  (Read 2822 times)

Sidot

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Green A.C. Air control light.
« on: December 04, 2018, 02:41:58 PM »
I seem to remember reading somewhere  that it is advisable to leave the air conditioning switched on at ALL TIMES, so that the green light is on.
I had thought it was used just for clearing the windscreen or for reducing the temperature in the Summer months.
Should it be on all the time?
Will anything " wear out " ?
Thanks in advance for your help.
My car is Jazz Mk3 1.3 SE CVT. 2018 upgrade.

JazzyB

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Re: Green A.C. Air control light.
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2018, 02:55:49 PM »
Mine has climate control and I just set the temperature  and leave it to it. Never had any problems in over 11 years use

culzean

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Re: Green A.C. Air control light.
« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2018, 02:57:15 PM »
I don't leave my aircon on all the time ( but it will be on all the time if you are using auto climate control though, even when outside temperature is less than the requested temperature - but all aircon is inhibited from running anyway if outside temp is below 4 deg C as there is a danger of evaporator freezing up).   I use aircon as and when necessary - but I do turn it on at least once a week to keep the seals moving and the gas / lubricant flowing around the system.  I have never had to replace a compressor or magnetic clutch on any Jazz I have had, ( had a magnetic clutch go on my Civic but by the look of the wear pattern on the plates the thing was a bad design to start with) - I think if you leave aircon on all the time something is bound to wear out / break sooner or later - but on the other hand if you leave it off all the time the gas will probably leak out and a danger of seals failing.

Depends really how many miles you cover, and how long you keep your cars,  if you are a low miler or don't keep cars long you could probably leave it on all the time....  it does have a slight effect on MPG but nothing to worry about.

Thing I don't like about running it all the time in winter is that it switches both the engine and aircon fan on when it is running and they both blow cold air over the engine - which to me is not a good thing.

I certainly do not use aircon on longer journeys ( including climate control ) as when the air gets too dry in the car I get really bad sinuses and also a dry nose is more likely to catch cold or flu ( the mucus is in your nose for a good reason, it is your bodies defence against germs and pollen ).
« Last Edit: December 04, 2018, 03:13:19 PM by culzean »
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

andruec

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Re: Green A.C. Air control light.
« Reply #3 on: December 04, 2018, 03:13:56 PM »
Mine has climate control and I just set the temperature  and leave it to it. Never had any problems in over 11 years use
Same here apart from winter when I have to leave the air flow set to screen and feet to avoid condensation.

ColinS

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Re: Green A.C. Air control light.
« Reply #4 on: December 04, 2018, 03:50:48 PM »
Mine has climate control and I just set the temperature  and leave it to it.
Same here and I have never had any issues either.

Downsizer

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Re: Green A.C. Air control light.
« Reply #5 on: December 04, 2018, 04:52:34 PM »
I seem to remember reading somewhere  that it is advisable to leave the air conditioning switched on at ALL TIMES, so that the green light is on.
I had thought it was used just for clearing the windscreen or for reducing the temperature in the Summer months.
Should it be on all the time?
Will anything " wear out " ?
Thanks in advance for your help.
My car is Jazz Mk3 1.3 SE CVT. 2018 upgrade.
I don't think there's a right or wrong answer.  I too have the SE version and I only have the air con on when needed for cooling or internal de-misting, (including side windows front and rear).  The car is prone to misting in damp winter weather, so it is on quite a lot now, in conjunction with the heater.

ColinB

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Re: Green A.C. Air control light.
« Reply #6 on: December 04, 2018, 08:06:10 PM »
You need to run the A/C occasionally during the winter. If you don't, the seals in the pipework can dry out resulting in them failing and losing refrigerant. Replacing the seals is much more expensive than the marginal cost of running the system - as I know from bitter experience on a previous car.

In practice, in humid and damp winter weather you'll need to run it anyway to keep the windows clear. The problem comes in dry cold weather when your instinct is not to run it, but you really do need to.

guest4871

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Re: Green A.C. Air control light.
« Reply #7 on: December 04, 2018, 09:50:41 PM »
Mine has climate control and I just set the temperature  and leave it to it. Never had any problems in over 11 years use

Me too.

peteo48

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Re: Green A.C. Air control light.
« Reply #8 on: December 04, 2018, 09:59:14 PM »
I've got the SE with manual aircon. In the winter I leave it on all the time to minimise misting up. I will turn it off it mild dry weather which is not that often in my neck of the woods.

Skyrider

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Re: Green A.C. Air control light.
« Reply #9 on: December 09, 2018, 04:32:11 PM »
I have always run my cars "Aircon on" at all times, never had a problem. There is always the "use it or lose it" which could be expensive out of warranty. As for the economy angle I suspect that one good full blast overtake or motorway slip road acceleration uses as much fuel as months of Aircon use.

culzean

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Re: Green A.C. Air control light.
« Reply #10 on: December 09, 2018, 05:58:37 PM »
I have always run my cars "Aircon on" at all times, never had a problem. There is always the "use it or lose it" which could be expensive out of warranty. As for the economy angle I suspect that one good full blast overtake or motorway slip road acceleration uses as much fuel as months of Aircon use.

Aircon is not for everyone, if like me your sinuses give you problems you need to use it judiciously. If driving gives you a headache it may be caused by dry sinuses.  I certainly use it when required, but to leave it on all the time not really.. especially on longer journeys.
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

Skyrider

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Re: Green A.C. Air control light.
« Reply #11 on: December 09, 2018, 06:46:59 PM »
I have always run my cars "Aircon on" at all times, never had a problem. There is always the "use it or lose it" which could be expensive out of warranty. As for the economy angle I suspect that one good full blast overtake or motorway slip road acceleration uses as much fuel as months of Aircon use.

Aircon is not for everyone, if like me your sinuses give you problems you need to use it judiciously. If driving gives you a headache it may be caused by dry sinuses.  I certainly use it when required, but to leave it on all the time not really.. especially on longer journeys.

I agree, I would expect you to run your car to suit your requirements.

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