Should I run AC and heating when not needed?

[J]

The topic sounds really stupid. I don’t know if the specific car applies but it would be an 09 Civic.

Let’s say it’s the summer and I feel like I can get by without using the AC at all (fan is enough). Should I (or do I have to) run the AC anyway every once in a while so that something doesn’t seize and the AC system lasts longer?

Similarly should I run the AC during the winter to avoid damage from not using the system during the winter?

Similarly the same with the heater, should I run the heater during the summer every once in a while (or at least put temp dial to max heat to open coolant to heater core?).

I really don’t know how the AC system could be affected by not running the AC. For the heater system I would think if you had nasty coolant it could clog the heater core if the heater core was not circulating coolant for a whole season? The coolant in my cooling system is fresh though (Type 2 Honda).

Topic

[David]

you should definitely run the AC every now and then – you want to make sure the oil is distributed around the system so that seals don’t dry out and leak. If you use your defogger for the windshield, those usually turn on the AC, too. For the heater core, as long as you keep the overall condition of the coolant pretty good you should probably be fine (it certainly should make it through the summer without incident)

[J]

Cool sounds good! Yeah for my car it does run the AC when in defogger to pull the moisture out so it’s not fogging up with humid air. I’ll just run it now and then. Coolant-wise I think I’m good since I take good care of it.

[Author]

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