[andy69]

Originally Posted by bobf

+4

Me either - I was told leaving it off for a lengthy period of time can lead to condensation and rust in the catalytic converter, leading to failure of the CAT.

have to have it ON all the time over here

[booforty]

Originally Posted by andy69

have to have it ON all the time over here

Always rubbing it in!!

[AlanQS]

Originally Posted by andy69

then it broke down 5 minutes later

Er, no. BMW engine, many BMW parts (most of the fragile ones) I had a Rover 75 and I'm willing to bet that I get more problems with the BM I'm getting on Saturday in the first year than I had in the Rover for three years - which consisted of 4 blown headlight bulbs and a cat which broke internally.

[Fatbloke]

Originally Posted by red-max

I also just leave the AC permanently on, and 99% of the time have it in Auto mode.

Stupid question, but does the AC pump run off electricity or is it directly (belt?) driven from the engine? Just wondering if turning it off really would make any difference to the fuel economy... I guess I could try it on the next long run... got 40.8mpg yesterday on a 250 mile round-trip (taking it easy, but AC was on).

It's ususally driven off the belt, and only engages when the system requires the compressor to run (when it's cooling).
If you use your engine at the rev range where it's most efficient (peak torque) you probably won't see much of a difference in mpg

What I always find funny is that the people who advocate not running the a/c due to loss of economy are generally the same people who drive around with roof racks permanantly fixed to the roof, or under inflated tyres (tires).

Probably.

[andy69]

Originally Posted by beauforty

Always rubbing it in!!

yeah just like the sun lotion last weekend

[booforty]

Originally Posted by andy69

yeah just like the sun lotion last weekend

Its cold, dark and wet here...

[red-max]

Originally Posted by Fatbloke

It's ususally driven off the belt, and only engages when the system requires the compressor to run (when it's cooling).
If you use your engine at the rev range where it's most efficient (peak torque) you probably won't see much of a difference in mpg

Ok, thanks, that's what I thought.

Originally Posted by Fatbloke

What I always find funny is that the people who advocate not running the a/c due to loss of economy are generally the same people who drive around with roof racks permanantly fixed to the roof, or under inflated tyres (tires).
Probably.

Do you think I should take my bike off the roof-rack when I'm not using it then?

[andy69]

Originally Posted by beauforty

Its cold, dark and wet here...

oh well, soon be summer

are you still thinking of getting an A5 ?

[booforty]

Originally Posted by andy69

oh well, soon be summer

are you still thinking of getting an A5 ?

Yes, S5 is my preferred next car. Might not be until 2009 though...