Hi. My friend has a 2012 Aqua. And he was told to use the AC always. I said there is no such requirement. That he can switch it off if not required Then I thought of seeking except opinion. So what do you think??
Well, our climate is a little milder (to put it mildly, haha), but I use AC only infrequently. I use it more so in our (mostly rainy) winters, to reduce humidity, fogging up the windows. Just a tip: with the ventilation mode set to heat/defog, per this symbol: You will have AC, regardless of the AC button being depressed (on, light on button lit) or not. I believe it's running at lower level of power, sometimes sporadically, but none the less it is on. Anyway, in our summers, I more frequently just roll the windows down, leave the whole ventilation system off. Unless we're on an extended highway drive, then I'm more inclined to use AC. But by no means constantly.
So I hope there is no impact on long-life of parts due to non usage. Sri Lanka being near the equator it's almost always summer. In most parts apart from hill country. I also drove myself without AC, sunroof open in a 130km early morning ride. I assume I haven't damaged anything. Of cause you use it on fogged windows For me it seems my own question is simply silly, yet to be asked by you all .
You should use AC minimum once a month, for a few minutes, to circulate oil in the system, prevent seals drying out.
it's a good idea to use a/c when it's hot out to prolong the life of the hybrid battery. but there is no requirement by toyota. if you are hot, so is your battery, and the only cooling it gets is cabin temp air.
Interesting temp you got there in Sri Lanka. Use your AC more often like weekly, they need exercise too to keep in optimum condition, lol! Welcome
I need to mention the temperature range It's about 20-25 in morning goes up to about 32 max and comes down to 20-25 towards night These days bit high abt 34'c due to heating up nearby India
thats hot and the battery needs to be cooled for longevity. prius battery failures run higher in hot climes, but more so from parking in the sun and heating up the interior.
Thanks Bisco, I thought I was raising a silly question. Good thing that I asked.. So anything above 20'c is not very good to battery, is it?
I'm monitoring battery temp, find it raises its own temperature, it'll typically end up around 36-38C. i'll occasionally turn on AC and run for a while: with little or no drop in battery temperature. It seems a good idea, but I don't see any evidence it makes a difference. I think it is good to check the hybrid battery fan condition though.
