How to Turn on the Car Air Conditioner in Winter?
2 Answers
Start the car and let it warm up while driving. Wait until the temperature gauge needle reaches the middle position before turning on the heater. At the same time, set the air circulation to external circulation to expel the cold air inside the car. After about 3 minutes, switch to internal circulation.
As a veteran driver with over a decade of experience, I believe winter AC usage requires proper timing. Don't rush to turn on the heater immediately after starting the car—wait a minute or two until the coolant temperature gauge starts moving. Otherwise, you'll get poor heating performance and wasted fuel. For automatic systems, I press the AUTO button and set the temperature around 20°C, letting the system automatically adjust fan speed and airflow direction. With manual AC, I turn on the fan switch, set the speed to medium, and rotate the temperature knob to the red heating zone. Defogging is crucial—I always activate the defog button or manually direct airflow to the windshield to prevent dangerous fogging. Using recirculation warms the cabin faster, but I switch to fresh air every 20 minutes to avoid stuffiness. On long drives, preset your climate controls for comfort and safety to minimize distractions.