19 hours Ago By Luke Chillingsworth
Motorists have been told to switch off a common dashboard mode to help boost their car heating as temperatures fall this Autumn without using up petrol or diesel . Experts previously encouraged road users to switch on their ‘recirculation’ button over the summer to help cool down vehicles. The button is usually found on all modern car dashboards and depicts a picture of a vehicle with a looping arrow inside.
This tool uses air from inside the car and recirculates it around the cabin instead of taking fresh air from outside. This can help keep vehicles nice and cool during warm weather without the need to blast air conditioning which will use up fuel. In the summer, the ‘recirculation’ button can also help stop bad smells and even pollution from entering the cabin.
However, specialists have warned that the recirculation tool should generally not be used in cold weather. Eden Tyres and Servicing stressed the device could be “detrimental” as temperatures fall in a major blow to individuals. They explained: “As a general rule, when it’s cold outside make sure the recirculation button is switched off! “The air-recirculation button is best to use alongside your AC during warm weather.
During cooler weather, it doesn’t have many benefits and can even be detrimental. “Some drivers think it makes sense to not have “all that cold air coming in” if they are using heaters in winter. “However, in reality, it’s best to keep it switched off.
The standard “fresh air” mode forces the outside air through your heater core so it’s nice and toasty before it reaches you, and your windows will de-fog a lot quicker and stay that way while you drive.” Meanwhile, road users have been urged not to be afraid of switching on their car heating if it gets cold. Dorry Potter, an expert at National Scrap Car , has previously claimed that switching on the car heating is unlikely to use up any extra fuel.
She explained: “The main fuel-saving misconceptions are that heating your car uses more fuel and that warming your engine up prior to setting off makes it run better on a cold day. "Despite air-con increasing fuel consumption during the warmer months, heating the car doesn’t actually use any extra fuel. "Motorists may notice that when they first turn on their heating it blasts out cold air, this is because the heat comes from the engine itself so as the engine heats up, so does the air from the heaters.
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