water puddle under car

the defroster runs the air conditioner to remove moisture < water have you been running the defroster on these 'cold' days?

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com () wrote in news:45a65f87.2621811@localhost:

At outside temperatures above 35 F or 2C the air conditioner compressor is operative. That is the first sentence in my vw's owners manual under defrosting/ defogging/dehumidifying. Because he said the puddle was water and not ice I gave the poster an opinion as to from where the water came. Do you have a better guess?

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com () wrote in news:45a67c83.10043061@localhost:

Clever.

OK.

Ka-ching!

Yes, that's why VW has a compressor cut off switch when temps get cold. I think it's around the 45-50*f area. AC compressor CAN'T pump liquid Freon.

Yes, that's why VW has a compressor cut off switch when temps get cold. I think it's around the 45-50*f area. AC compressor CAN'T pump liquid Freon.

It's actually at higher temperatures, not lower ones, that it runs the A/C. On my Mk2 GTI it runs at 35F and above.

Nope. Not only does it run down to 35F automatically (in most cars when the defogger is used) but in the wintertime you want to run your A/C for about

You home A/C has instructions about that. It can damage you home A/C as no one in their right mind would be running them at that time (OK Heat pumps excepted). Actually it is a little more complex than that, but that is the general idea.

On some old cars the same situation may have existed. However all modern cars I know of are designed to allow the A/C to run at any time. It is used in most if not all cars when the defrost is turned on.

I don't know if it is still true with today's cars as the refrigerant has changed, but in the old days it was recommended that you turn on the A/C like once a week to keep the seals in good shape and to prevent leaks.

These comments have me thinking:

My A/C on my '84 Rabbit doesn't work. My defroster works. I don't use it often, but do occasionally as needed. So obviously, when my defroster is on, my A/C isn't running. What is the result of that? Since A/C was an option on these rabbits, were the defroster's designed differently on non-A/C rabbits?

-Bryan

unscientific ( observed w/ repeatablity but not documented) tests show that the a/c running cuts down on the time to clear the window in 1/3 less time.

Taste it and you'll soon know whether it's water, coolant, or oil. A drop or two won't hurt.

Mike