Can a car cool without turning on the AC?

[VanAdriana]

The car AC switch is the cooling switch, so without turning on the AC, the car cannot cool. Not turning on the AC switch means the compressor is not working, and the air coming out of the car's air vents is at natural temperature. Here is some relevant information: 1. Modern car air conditioning systems are divided into manual and automatic air conditioning. Both manual and automatic air conditioning have an A/C button. Automatic air conditioning only requires setting the desired temperature, and it can automatically select and open or close various air vents, adjust the airflow, and turn the A/C switch on or off based on light sensors and multiple interior temperature sensors to maintain a constant temperature inside the car, ensuring great comfort. 2. With manual air conditioning, you need to adjust the airflow and temperature of the air vents yourself, and generally, the car interior does not maintain a constant temperature.

[StJaxson]

Last time when I got my car repaired, the mechanic told me that the compressor is actually the heart of the air conditioning system, and the AC button is the switch to activate it. Without turning on the AC, the fan only blows in natural air, and even if you turn the temperature knob to the coldest setting, it's just room-temperature air mixed with some residual heat from the engine. But don’t be fooled on rainy days—when the windshield defogger automatically triggers the compressor, the AC light will turn on by itself. I once tried not turning on the AC during the hottest summer days, and the air blowing out was even stuffier than a sauna, fogging up the windows instantly. My advice is to open the windows first to let the hot air out, then turn on the AC with recirculation mode—it cools down the car in just five minutes, way more effective than waiting for natural air.

[SanEllie]

After driving for eight years, I've noticed many people don't understand the AC button's function. Simply put, it's the compressor's activation switch, just like the cooling switch on a refrigerator. Without turning on AC, even if you adjust the temperature knob to the blue zone, the air conditioning system is merely regulating the proportion of cold and hot air through the blend door. Unless the outside temperature is below 20°C, the air coming out won't be cool at all. Last week when helping a neighbor check her car, she got heatstroke because she avoided using AC to save fuel. Actually, opening windows on highways consumes more fuel - air conditioning only adds about 0.5L to fuel consumption, so it's really not worth saving on this.

[DeCali]

As a mother of two, I pay close attention to in-car temperature control. When the compressor is working, the refrigerant circulates in the pipes to absorb heat, which is the real cooling process. Not turning on the AC is like only using a fan at home without turning on the air conditioner. According to the temperature monitoring of the baby safety seat, when the car is at 40 degrees under the scorching sun, not turning on the AC only reduces the temperature by 3 degrees after half an hour of blowing, while turning on the AC can reduce it by 15 degrees in ten minutes. Remember to clean the condenser regularly. Once, I found that the poor cooling was due to willow catkins blocking the radiator fins.