Does idling the car with the air conditioning on damage the vehicle?

[Coleman]

Idling the car with the air conditioning on can indeed damage the vehicle. It is not recommended to keep the engine idling for extended periods with the AC running, as this not only causes wear on the engine but also leads to progressively deteriorating air quality inside the cabin when the AC is set to recirculate mode, potentially producing harmful gases. The power consumed by the air conditioning accounts for only a small portion of the engine's idle energy output. However, when idling with the AC on, the engine not only drives the AC compressor but also maintains the operation of power steering and brake booster pumps—functions that are entirely unnecessary when the vehicle is stationary, resulting in significant energy wastage. Keeping the engine idling solely to power the AC compressor is highly inefficient.