Air Con & Fuel.....

[vwrascal]

wtf is econ?   

[v2brett]

Econ is the button you press to turn the aircon off,  its labelled different in some cars though   

[RedRobin]

....

Econ = Economy

If you sit at traffic lights and switch the AirCon on and off you'll hear and see the engine revs change and therefore more fuel is being used.

Just cruising in town or similar, I'll have the sunshine roof open on days like today and have my rear windows down just an inch to release the cabin pressure.

I don't like the road noise of open windows either but I only use the AirCon (heater set to Lo) to chill the cabin in short periods.

[Top Cat]

I very rarely have the air-con running, and get the windows down whenever possible.

But i do have blueflame so i guess i am obliged to. 

[Ifti]

Econ is the button you press to turn the aircon off,  its labelled different in some cars though   

I think its labelled AUTO in mine.

I do the same as RR - just switch the AC on when I need to in short periods, just to cool the cabin down a little, then its back to 'AUTO/ECON'!

[docker1996]

Don't you need to run the aircon regularly to keep the system in good condition? 

[Ifti]

Don't you need to run the aircon regularly to keep the system in good condition? 

Dunno.
Never really use dthe aircon much in my previous car as the load it put on the engine felt immense! Really held the car back for some reason!
Never had any problems with it when I did need to use it though.......

[neg]

Don't you need to run the aircon regularly to keep the system in good condition?  

yes its advised to - in winter if you run with the compressor off most the time its advised you give it a blast every so often to keep it in tip top condition - saying that with the british weather you probably find you need to use it on occastion in the winter.

[neg]

Don't you need to run the aircon regularly to keep the system in good condition? 

Wife has one of the new MINI's when they first came out with Climate - that was a rubbish system and really drained the power.  The GTI although it does drain power is hardly noticable.

Dunno.
Never really use dthe aircon much in my previous car as the load it put on the engine felt immense! Really held the car back for some reason!
Never had any problems with it when I did need to use it though.......

[RedRobin]

I do the same as RR - just switch the AC on when I need to in short periods, just to cool the cabin down a little, then its back to 'AUTO/ECON'!

....Except that I go back to nothing set at all.

I just done a B-road drive this morning with sunshine roof open and all windows down only an inch - Plenty of tree cover and very fresh and comfortable with no aircon etc on at all.

I rarely use the heater in Winter either - Sometimes just to demist.

[stealthwolf]

In my old car (1.2 litre fiesta), the aircon could sap as much as 1/16th of the fuel in a long journey.

Haven't noticed any huge drops in mpg in the ED30.

[v2brett]

Don't you need to run the aircon regularly to keep the system in good condition? 

iirc the mk5 runs the aircon at a very low % even if not used to keep the system good,  id still say use it regulary though

[ub7rm]

Yes I think the A/C is still about 2% operational even when switched off just to keep the seals lubricated etc.

At town speeds its more economical to have the AC off and the windows open.  At higher speeds its more economical to have the AC on and the windows closed 

[pazz]

I always try to remember to turn mine off "ECON" now and again. Not sure if this applies to MK5 Golf's but I've had an Aircon Compressor die on me before (on a 2001 Astra) and I'm pretty sure it was because I never used it. Supposedly have a tendency to seize up if not used.

Its also beneficial in preventing bacteria from building up on the evaporator. If you've ever noticed bad smells on Aircon systems its usually because somebody doesnt use it enough. Although I hear there can be other reasons like pollen filters etc.

[ub7rm]

I always try to remember to turn mine off "ECON" now and again. Not sure if this applies to MK5 Golf's but I've had an Aircon Compressor die on me before (on a 2001 Astra) and I'm pretty sure it was because I never used it. Supposedly have a tendency to seize up if not used.

Yes the problem is is that the A/C gas also contains lubricant so if the AC isn't used the componets can seize up and rubber seals dry out and fail.  The mk5 golf addresses this by keeping the compressor turning at a very slow speed even when off so that the lubricant is constantly circulated.  This doesn't address the issue of smelly AC though so yeah its good to give it a regular blast and give it some anti bacterial treatment every so often.