Never ever had a car with a working AC

[Patman]

Enjoy! I find that around 21C I can live without it... but much above that and it's required, especially on highway drives. The wind noise from having a window open is deafening after a while.

Even when it’s 30c here I still drive with the windows down and the AC off in my Civic. Unless it’s raining and warm. There’s a pretty big hit in the fuel economy with the AC on in that car. My Corvette doesn’t seem to care too much if the AC is on or off, it gets roughly the same gas mileage either way. Makes no sense to me how that works…

 

[69GTX]

My AC on the 2001 Lincoln Continental (75K miles) went out suddenly a couple weeks ago. It wasn't like it was slowly getting worse. A few days or a week after the last drive, it just was blowing hot AFTER 8 yrs of ice cold. I think everything in the AC system is factory original. Hoses, lines, and radiator/condenser/evap all are. Changed out a fairly gunked up CAF....no change at all. Blend door cycles fine. Coolant system is fresh and fine best I can tell. I suspect a failed AC compressor or HP / LP c/o switches. Either way, looking at $500-$1000+ for a shop to work in a very cramped engine compartment with the transverse engine placement. For now, will probably just put up with 2-3 hot months without it. No issue in the winter. The other car has good AC. I really don't want to put much money into this car as it's given me the 6-8 yrs I wanted out of it. And also not far down the road is the engine bay 100K+ maintenance for new plugs/coil packs, alternator, hoses/belts/tensioner/idlers. Only a matter of time before the 25 yr old "green coolant" radiator goes as well.

 

[supton]

Even when it’s 30c here I still drive with the windows down and the AC off in my Civic. Unless it’s raining and warm. There’s a pretty big hit in the fuel economy with the AC on in that car. My Corvette doesn’t seem to care too much if the AC is on or off, it gets roughly the same gas mileage either way. Makes no sense to me how that works…

5% hit on 40mpg car means 38mpg. 5% at 15mpg and you won't notice, not when you're spending all that time leaving stoplights at WOT.

 

[Patman]

5% hit on 40mpg car means 38mpg. 5% at 15mpg and you won't notice, not when you're spending all that time leaving stoplights at WOT.

The Civic loses more than 5%. I usually get over 50 MPG on most trips but with the AC on it’s more like 45.

The Corvette gets 26-27 MPG on most of my trips and the AC doesn’t seem to change that.