Is heating or air conditioning more important for a car temperature control feature for you?

[froggyboy604]

I feel heating is more important for me because it can become very cold where I live.

For gas cars with a heater core which is a small radiator, the heater can be used to temporarily fix some gas engine temperature overheating problems according to

1) "Does turning the heat on really help cool an engine?"
Yes. The excess heat goes into the heater core, which is just a tiny radiator, pulling the temperature of the coolant down.

source:: Seven Summertime Auto Myths Debunked

If a gas car engine is overheating, sometimes you can cool the engine to a lower temperature by turning on the car's heater to maximum heat settings and the car ventilation fans to the maximum fan speed which blows the engine's heat into the car's passenger area which can help cool the car engine by blowing the engine's heat into the car's passenger area and away from the hot engine.

 

[Claraviolet]

Well, for me I believe air conditioning is a necessity. As for the temperature control... Well, I prefer the manual stuff a bit I suppose.

Also it costs less.

 

[Demon_Skeith]

Pretty much a must buy reason for me, I won't own a car that can't keep me comfortable pending on the weather condition.

 

[froggyboy604]

I may buy a cheap used car with a broken heater or air conditioner, and use the car on days where it is not very cold or hot.

I think wearing a thicker winter coat in the winter, and opening the windows in the summer is okay at keeping passengers' body temperature from getting too cold or hot.

But, not having a heater is a problem for very cold places where ice can form inside the windows. The air conditioner is also needed for defrost to work at removing/dehumidifying water from the air to prevent steamy/foggy windows when it is raining or humid inside the car.

 

[Demon_Skeith]

I've known people who hooked up small heaters in their car to make up for it.

 

[froggyboy604]

I've known people who hooked up small heaters in their car to make up for it.

Electric heaters can use a lot of power, so hooking up a electric heater can use a lot of gas if they use a electric heater set to the maximum temperature. The car battery and electrical system is not designed for running high power devices like electrical heaters, so the battery and electrical system may break sooner.

It would be better to repair the heating system by fixing the heating hoses or replacing the broken car heater core with a replacement heater core which cost $30 and more depending on the model and brand of car. But, the installation cost maybe expensive depending on the cost of repairs and type of car and how much the repair shop charges for heater repairs.

For gas cars the heater core does not increase the gas usage of a car because the heater core is a metal box with pipes and heating fins which get hot from the cars hot coolant liquid, so your car's interior ventilation intake fan blows hot air into the car.