havin the windows down and not puttin the ac on is more to do with fuel costs, like me a tight git, and try not use it that much , but then thats the joys of ownening a v6, lol

Not running A/C is likely to cost you more than running it as it needs to run to stop bacteria build up and to keep seals lubricating. How much do you actually think it costs to keep A/C on, in reality, probably nothing worth worrying about and as Ryan said, having the window down certainly won't help as it afffects drag coefficients and probably uses as much.

I'm sure I read somewhere ages ago that running your A/C costs the equivalent of an extra £10 a year in fuel. I have no idea if I actually read that or completely made it up in my head, but I'm sure I did somewhere

Interesting article on the Mythbusters test on A/C vs windows down:

A/C vs windows

Seems its better to open the windows at low speeds, but close them & put A/C on at higher speeds.

This article also covers other experiments, like having a dimpled car like a golf ball which actually improved fuel efficiency.

Video link here:

Mythbusters dimpled car

So, who would like a 'golf ball' car? :)

Interesting article on the Mythbusters test on A/C vs windows down:

A/C vs windows

Seems its better to open the windows at low speeds, but close them & put A/C on at higher speeds.

This article also covers other experiments, like having a dimpled car like a golf ball which actually improved fuel efficiency.

Video link here:

Mythbusters dimpled car

So, who would like a 'golf ball' car? :)

Thanks for sharing this mate!

Interesting article on the Mythbusters test on A/C vs windows down:

A/C vs windows

Seems its better to open the windows at low speeds, but close them & put A/C on at higher speeds.

This article also covers other experiments, like having a dimpled car like a golf ball which actually improved fuel efficiency.

Video link here:

Mythbusters dimpled car

So, who would like a 'golf ball' car? :)

Unfortunately, there's no exact science to it, each car will be different.

Anybody who worries about the cost of having A/C on or their windows open shouldn't be driving a car in the first place as they obviously can't afford it. I mean, how many people walk into a shop and see a magazine they like and think, agh, can't get that, I bought one 2 weeks ago. We are talking peanuts in the grand scheme of things.

Anybody who worries about the cost of having A/C on or their windows open shouldn't be driving a car in the first place as they obviously can't afford it. I mean, how many people walk into a shop and see a magazine they like and think, agh, can't get that, I bought one 2 weeks ago. We are talking peanuts in the grand scheme of things.

You are perfectly right...I never thought about saving money when running the A/C or having my windows down...And by the way, why worrying about nothing when people are paying a lot for petrol, insurance, repairs which are far more expensive...

Not for me I'm afraid. Surely it would affect the structural rigidity of the car slightly if the roof is not designed to incorporate a sunroof??

Surely it would affect the structural rigidity of the car slightly if the roof is not designed to incorporate a sunroof??

You think so?...hmmm...I was also wondering the same thing when I first saw it...

Unfortunately, there's no exact science to it, each car will be different.

Anybody who worries about the cost of having A/C on or their windows open shouldn't be driving a car in the first place as they obviously can't afford it. I mean, how many people walk into a shop and see a magazine they like and think, agh, can't get that, I bought one 2 weeks ago. We are talking peanuts in the grand scheme of things.

Surely everybody who drives a car through necessity or choice is concerned about fuel costs & would be interested in saving money where possible? There are many things that you can do to increase fuel efficiency, here is a helpful link:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheaper-fuel

Are we supposed to ignore this advice just because we can afford to waste money?

This article also mentions that turning off the A/C will obviously save fuel, but opening the windows will cause drag.

Quote from this article:

"For someone spending roughly £50 a week on fuel, an equivalent 20% efficiency increase would save around £500 a year. And, according to the RAC, boy racers could expect annual efficient driving gains of up to 60 per cent! "

So this is hardly peanuts as you say.

Surely everybody who drives a car through necessity or choice is concerned about fuel costs & would be interested in saving money where possible? There are many things that you can do to increase fuel efficiency, here is a helpful link:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheaper-fuel

Are we supposed to ignore this advice just because we can afford to waste money?

This article also mentions that turning off the A/C will obviously save fuel, but opening the windows will cause drag.

Quote from this article:

"For someone spending roughly £50 a week on fuel, an equivalent 20% efficiency increase would save around £500 a year. And, according to the RAC, boy racers could expect annual efficient driving gains of up to 60 per cent! "

So this is hardly peanuts as you say.

Awesome, you find an article that comes up with some guestimate increases concerning other things about efficient driving, add them all together to try and make a point in a debate about A/C and A/C only. How boy racers drive their car has nothing to do with A/C, driving round with a roof rack on, has nothing to do with A/C, so a 20% saving your quoting, only the 8% guestimate concerns A/C. Is there a reason he never mentioned driving around with your windows open? What's his guestimate efficiency percentage for that?

The only interesting part of the article, as it covers what we are talking about, A/C etc, says upto 8%. Not 8%, no scientific measure of 8%, just a rough guestimate. Covers all bases shall we say. The other things, such as tyre pressures, roof rack, clutter in the car, should be done as matter of course.

Using A/C isn't a "waste" of money, you use it to keep driving conditions at it's best, windows demist quicker, the cabin air and temperature is much improved. If you use it, it's not a waste of money. Is an air freshener a waste of money or would people prefer to drive round in stale smelling cars? Are alloy wheels a waste of money, they'll cost much more than running A/C. Are premium tyres a waste of money, you can get to the shops on remoulds?

What's the alternative to not using the A/C? Open your windows, well that probably uses as much extra petrol as the A/C and so would the sunroof (got to keep on topic).

When they come out with statements such as "Air conditioning also uses an incredible amount of fuel", they should at least quantify that statement. How much is "incredible"? Where are the facts and figures? I can't find anywhere scientific where it suggests it uses 8%. All cars will be different anyway, driving at different speeds will make a difference, it isn't an exact science, hence the lack of exact figures, just guestimates and plenty scaremongering.

Why doesn't he factor into the costs of regassing the A/C or other repairs it may need due to lack of use, a common problem because the A/C is not used frequently, the seals dry up and gas is lost.

Again, in the grand scheme of things, using A/C costs peanuts and personally, I'd rather use up those peanuts than have to drive round with my windows open that would use those peanuts up anyway.

Read this and turn your !Removed! A/C on, it's not costing you £500 a year or anywhere near that.

My link

Awesome, you find an article that comes up with some guestimate increases concerning other things about efficient driving...

My link

Hi Keith – great post and superb link m8 :)

And if I may add…

You/we are already paying (in terms of mpg) to carry the air-con system around in your car and not to use it and gain the benefits and comfort driving in hot weather is pretty pointless.

I personally would not wish to go back to the days when European motor car manufacturers (particularly the British market) was very good at telling the car buyer things like air-con was expensive to run because their competitors from the likes of Japan starting fitting these ‘luxuries’ to main stream cars

Hi Keith – great post and superb link m8 :)

And if I may add…

You/we are already paying (in terms of mpg) to carry the air-con system around in your car and not to use it and gain the benefits and comfort driving in hot weather is pretty pointless.

I personally would not wish to go back to the days when European motor car manufacturers (particularly the British market) was very good at telling the car buyer things like air-con was expensive to run because their competitors from the likes of Japan starting fitting these ‘luxuries’ to main stream cars

Thanks.

And your right, we have it, might as well !Removed! use it as it makes driving more comfortable there's no denying that and if you're using it, it can't be a waste of money.

It's like going for a long walk in hot sun, say day tripping round London for example, you wouldn't not nip into a shop for a bottle of cold water because it's 50p and it's free out of your tap at home. It's worth the 50p, hence not a waste, to have the cool refreshing drink to help you on the way.

It's like going for a long walk in hot sun, say day tripping round London for example, you wouldn't not nip into a shop for a bottle of cold water because it's 50p and it's free out of your tap at home. It's worth the 50p, hence not a waste, to have the cool refreshing drink to help you on the way.

Good one!

KeithC comin right back at ya!

Of course I wouldn't expect anything less :)

Great post as always, informative & yet at the same time somehow amusing.

Anyway, everyone who has A/C in their car has the choice whether to turn it on or not and/or open the windows and/or sunroof so what do I really care? I will turn my '!Removed!' A/C on when I choose to & I would expect everybody else to do the same.

Getting back on topic, going back to Tato's original question as to whether I would like to add a sunroof to my Fiesta, no I wouldn't, there I've said it.

Getting back on topic, going back to Tato's original question as to whether I would like to add a sunroof to my Fiesta, no I wouldn't, there I've said it.

Out of curiosity, would you add one if it would be fitted from the factory?

Out of curiosity, would you add one if it would be fitted from the factory?

Good question, and to be honest I'm not really sure. Depends on the price if it was an option & how much I considered it a desireable & affordable option at time of buying. If it was fitted as standard then I reckon I would be perfectly happy with it.

As an aftermarket option I wouldn't even consider it, as I don't think the extra cost & hassle would be worth it. If anyone wants to add one to their car then this is fine as it is their own personal choice.

The options I did add when I bought the car can be seen in my sig. This was at the time when the sideskirts & alloy pedals weren't standard on the ZS, but IMO the car didn't look as good without them. Ford did add these as standard later, but increased the price accordingly, go figure

One thing I would change if I was buying the car now would be to swap the City Pack for the Bluetooth + USB option which I didn't get. The folding mirrors & rear parking sensors in the City Pack are quite funky, but after having owned the car for a while I have realised that they are not really essential.

My previous and first car, a 1999 Hyundai Accent, didn't have A/C & had a tilt only sunroof that I would leave open when parked up or driving in hot weather. When the electric windows actually worked I would also drive with the windows open, oblivious to the possibilty that this would cost me more in fuel

KeithC comin right back at ya!

Of course I wouldn't expect anything less :)

Great post as always, informative & yet at the same time somehow amusing.

Anyway, everyone who has A/C in their car has the choice whether to turn it on or not and/or open the windows and/or sunroof so what do I really care? I will turn my '!Removed!' A/C on when I choose to & I would expect everybody else to do the same.

Getting back on topic, going back to Tato's original question as to whether I would like to add a sunroof to my Fiesta, no I wouldn't, there I've said it.

I aim to please. :D

I've always liked sunroofs and had many. More light, fresh air, looking at planes while driving...(not really). Nice alternative to having the aircon on using more fuel. Don't think I would have one fitted to a nearly new car though. Let's have a campaign to bring them back (or just buy a Fiat 500).

I've always liked sunroofs and had many. More light, fresh air, looking at planes while driving...(not really). Nice alternative to having the aircon on using more fuel. Don't think I would have one fitted to a nearly new car though. Let's have a campaign to bring them back (or just buy a Fiat 500).

I've always wanted to have sunroof, but both of my previous cars did not have one. Before ordering the Fiesta I was checking to see if there is a possibility to add one from the factory...but no luck. Now I am thinking about adding this one, but first I would like to talk with Webasto and see how reliable is to add one now...

Fiat 500... :D

Interesting article on the Mythbusters test on A/C vs windows down:

A/C vs windows

Seems its better to open the windows at low speeds, but close them & put A/C on at higher speeds.

Seems like common sense to me. I only have the windows open at very low speeds. Any faster creates 'buffeting' and is hard on your ears. An open sunfoof creates the same effect but I would still like one simply ao that I have the choice of aircon or sunroof plus the extra light is nice. I know that aircon mpg differences are tiny and the drag of an open window is probably worse (also rear passengers complain about the air blast).

Do you think guys that adding one aftermarket sunroof would affect the safety of the car?

Do you think guys that adding one aftermarket sunroof would affect the safety of the car?

It shouldn't do from a reliable company such as Webasto as I'm sure they would design the sunroof to add stability to the roof to make up for what they cut away. I would imagine you'll lose a couple of inches of headroom if it's tilt a and slide (into the headlining) and I'm sure they would have bracing to keep the roof section rigid,but there's plenty of headroom in the Fiesta anyway as it is quite tall.

It shouldn't do from a reliable company such as Webasto as I'm sure they would design the sunroof to add stability to the roof to make up for what they cut away. I would imagine you'll lose a couple of inches of headroom if it's tilt a and slide (into the headlining) and I'm sure they would have bracing to keep the roof section rigid,but there's plenty of headroom in the Fiesta anyway as it is quite tall.

Webasto has a good reputation, so I guess they know what they are doing with the sunroofs. I've seen many pictures on their web page with different cars and the sunroofs look like the factory ones.