Should You Turn Off Your AC Before Turning Off Your Car?

How many times have you started your car and the air blows in your face? Or do you make sure you turn off your AC or, in the wintertime, your heat, before you shut off your car?

Actually, do you even think about it?

If your parents or driver's education instructor told you to make sure you turn everything off before you turn your car off, then you're not alone because I remember learning that, too.

Personally, I just recall it was better for the car when you start it each time so I've just always done it for the most part. But is it just an urban myth that it's better for your car each time you start it if nothing is turned on?

(We're all in trouble if that includes the radio.)

According to the Motor How To website, yes, it was absolutely the best thing you could do for your car when it came to turning off the AC or heat before shutting off your car each and every time.

However, like everything with the advancement of technology, this is no longer the case unless you drive something pretty old.

With newer cars, it's not harmful to leave your AC running or heat before you turn your car off, and then when you start it up again the next time you're heading out and about.

According to Motor How To, this bad habit used to negatively affect your car's engine over time, adding stress on the battery, which made the engine work harder.

Now, vehicles can handle it totally fine when you start your car and turn it off without worrying about your AC or heat. It's not stressful at all when it comes to modern cars since they have fuel-injection engines.

According to the website Your Motor Fix, modern cars are also wired in such a way that whenever you start the engine, the AC compressor clutch is disabled, so the electrical load on the engine is off as well.

That said, if you have a carburetor, it's best to turn everything off first. Cars from the early 1990s and earlier have carburetors.