DRIVERS have been urged to turn off a summer dashboard setting as doing so can boost their heating for free without using extra fuel.
All it takes is the press of a button to keep your motor toasty and save you money at the same time.
Drivers have been urged to adjust their dashboard settings ahead of the winter chill[/caption]
Despite some surprisingly mild temperatures this week, winter is on the way and the mercury is set to drop as the months wear on.
And though drivers most commonly associate air con with the summer months, it’s also vital when the weather turns chilly.
The heater in your car also uses the air con system, sucking in air from outside and changing its temperature.
But instead of bringing in hot air and cooling it, the system passes the cold air through a heater core to warm it up.
As temperatures plunge, drivers will need all the help they can get to stay warm on the road so it’s vital not to hinder the heater in any way.
That’s why it’s recommended to turn off some of the cooling features you might rely on in summer – particularly air recirculation.
The recirculation button is usually found on the dashboard and is marked with an outline of a car with a curved arrow inside it.
Its effect is to prevent the car from sucking in fresh air and, instead, keep the same air circulating around the cabin.
This has clear advantages when trying to cool yourself down as it means the air con doesn’t have to work as hard to keep chilling hot air.
Instead, it keeps the cool air flowing and keep the heat at bay.
But this can have significant drawbacks in colder, wetter weather.
When the air is damp and is rapidly warmed up, it can become stale quickly if left to circulate.
Not only does this lead to odd odours, but it can also provide ideal conditions for damp and mould to grow in your motor.
And it can cause your windows to fog up and be tricky to clear – an issue which frustrates thousands of Brits each year.
Instead, drivers should turn off recirculation and keep fresh air coming into the car.
Heating it up doesn’t actually use much extra fuel so it’s unlikely to cost you either.
