General

General Does it cost a lot of money to run the air con. I am asked this question more than any other and the answer is it depends. Its obvious that a poorly maintained air-con system is going to reduce cooling efficiency. Low refrigerant gas is going to operate the compressor for longer with the consequence of reduced MPG. What about the quality of the refrigerant gas it is hygroscopic (it absorbs moisture) this could freeze and reduce efficiency. Is the condenser blocked if so the refrigerant gas will stay warm not good and what about the pollen filter if this restricts flow the cold air entering the car will be restricted The Haynes Manual on Air Conditioning recommends a service every year. When was your air-con serviced remember that the air con is not serviced as part of your normal service you must ask for it to be done. So as you can see it is difficult to estimate the cost but the range is about 5-10% of MPG having the windows down creates drag with the reduction in MPG but how many days in the year is it really hot and what price would you put on comfort, some 80% of cars produced today have air con installed.