Heard this extends the life of the ac compressor.
Can anyone confirm this?
Ive been doing this for years.

 

I do it just out of OCD habits really...but I'm not sure if there is any substantial gain in doing so. I just don't like the AC to blow on as I turn the car on, so I make sure to shut it off before turning the car off.

 

i always turn off the AC a few minutes before turning off the car. i hate smelly ACs so i want to dry off the condensation in the ducts first.

never heard anything about helping to extend the life of your compressor.

 

yeah, i just shut mine off before i turn it off just because.

 

There is a clutch that disengages the compressor on startup in pretty much every modern car. As soon as the engine is running, the compressor kicks on. It is so seamless that you hardly notice. This advice is a holdover from the dark ages of motoring.

That said, I trun it off too because I don't want it blowing hot nasty air on me right away when I jump in.

 

hum, interesting. ever since i installed my aftermarket radio. my ac is always off when i start the car. i installed the radio about 3.7 years ago. and off topic but my clocks also resets to 1:00 everytime i start the car as well.

 

You wired your radio wrong

 

^ah dang it. but somehow everything works fine, but the clock.

 

It won't have any impact on the life of the compressor. If you leave the cabin fan on long enough with the compressor off, it will reduce the amount of condensation that is formed after you shut off the engine. I do this as well, but I'm not sure how much effect it really has since the condensate just drains out anyway. If your condensate drain is plugged, you'll get mold and a bad smell regardless whether you turn off the compressor before you shut down the car/engine or not.

 

I've done it for years and I've never had an a/c repair needed on any of my Hondas.

But I do it to prevent musty moldy smells in the a/c system. A couple minutes before I arrive at my destination I turn off the a/c button and I blow outside air through the system to remove any moisture. This is particularly important at your last stop of the day or where you car will sit for several hours after shut-down. I once had a musty smelling a/c system in my old Honda accord, the service guy at my dealership gave me advice to do this and I've never had a problem since. Been doing it for many years religiously.