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Old 09-18-2012, 10:42 PM   #393 (permalink)
undata
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: planet earth
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Mr. White Guy - '97 VW Passat TDI

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Quote:
Originally Posted by awillard69 View Post
Nice, detailed list. It's nice to see it all in one place.

I have a comment regarding #86 and #89, referring to the A/C.

In my experience, the average person thinks the A/C has to be on max blower and max cold. Under those conditions, it's adding maximum load.

I typically turn on the A/C once I'm cruising, not while starting out or in tight traffic. Once it cools down enough to be effective, I adjust down the temp to a more moderate level, something less than max cold.

At highway speeds, my A/C can create frost bite. So, I back it down and while it will still run, it will run less often but still provide cooling - much like your manual cycling, but more "hands free."
I think if you "adjust the temp" the system merely adds engine heating into the mix. So you are going to have to do this by turning the a/c on and off. Be aware that every time you shut off you should leave it off for about 5 mins to avoid damage to the compressor. Likewise, you should shut off the a/c and put the air on recirculate when close to your destination. You will find there is usually quite a bit of cooling left in the system after it is shut off.
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