Hi, all. My Mini really struggles when I'm trying to go uphill, with three passengers, camping gear, and a rooftop cargo box full of more camping gear.
I downshift and turn off the a/c temporarily to eke out a little more power.

Is it bad to turn the a/c immediately back on? I've noticed warning labels on some home window air conditioners that say you have to wait ~10 minutes before turning an air conditioner back on. Does this apply to car air conditioners?

-kww5
2009 Lightning Blue Clubman
Woodside, NY

 

I wouldn't worry about it. The Auto A/C system cycles the compressor on and off all the time.

 

Most cars has a vacuum sensor that automatically shuts off the compressor when you hit the gas.

 

Turning the A/C off in the MINI will do nothing for the power, When the car needs teh power it will turn off the A/C automatically.

It is a little known fact that the car does alot of turning things off to save power. Like it will turn the heat/ac fan down or off if some other portion of the car needs more electrical power than is being generated by the alternator. It will turn off other electronics if it thinks it needs to as well.