Air Conditioner question
 

on the 2003 P5 what happens if i turn the temperature knob a bit to the warm side while the air conditioner is on? Does the compressor run at the same rate as if it was on the coldest setting and at the same time the cold air gets mixed in with the warm air from the heater? OR Does the compressor turns on less to warm up the air a bit without the heat coming in from the heater. Im asking this ridiculous question to maximize fuel economy. today wasnt too hot but it was muggy here so i just wanted to put the AC on to remove the moisture and not really cool off the car too much.

The compressor runs at the same rate. By moving the selector to a warmer position, the hot air gets blended with the conditioned air.

By the way, running the A/C at the same time as heat is a GREAT way to defrost the windows of your Protege in a jiffy

Except the AC is on anytime the defrost is selected - whether or not you press the AC button or have the temperature hot or cold.

So you're correct - but the car does it for you.

~HH

thats interesting that the knob adds heat to the chilled ac air. have any of you measured the milage with ac on and with it off? like what is the difference? or is it too little to notice? also is it bad to have the ac on all the time? i was reading other posts and ive seen that someone has their ac always on. is it bad to turn it on in the winter when its freezing outside even to defrost windows for a few minutes? my old car didnt have ac for like 4 years before i got this one so im kinda used to driving without it but now that i have it should i be careful how i use it. and just to let you know my ac in the old car had the r12 gas and it died when i stared screwing with it. i mean i was in my cleaning frenzy and i was cleaning the engine and i sprayed engine cleaner allover and it made the glass window in the ac line crack somehow and thats how i lost my ac. i didnt bother fixing it and just to recharge it it would cost a fortune so i never bothered with it. anyway let me know anything i should know when using the ac in this new car. i want it to last forever! im not gonna be as stupid as i was with the old car. and ill only wash the engine when its totally cold.

Mileage will suffer when using the AC - most definitely.

As far as exactly how much - that's tough to tell. But I would say it's a noticeable drop in economy - you'll see the gas gauge slipping quicker for sure.

Running the AC in winter is actually a GOOD idea. It keeps the system and seals in good condition.

Run the AC all the time if you want - it won't hurt anything, other than your mileage. I mean, the AC components *might* wear out faster due to extensive use, but it should be a good long time before anything breaks regardless of how much it is used.

~HH

Actually they might fail sooner if you DON'T use the AC. I once spent an entire winter without using the AC and when the summer came I had to replace the compressor.

You don't have to use it all the time, but I would definitely recommend turning the AC on every few days, just to keep the parts moving.

Same goes for other things, like turning on the wipers during dry seasons, or moving all the AC nobs, rolling down the windows, etc. every once in a while.