09/04/2026
Your air conditioning matters more in January than it does in July.
Most newer cars run the AC compressor whenever you hit defrost, and it is not to make the cabin cold. It is to pull the moisture out of the air. Warm dry air clears a windshield far faster than warm wet air does.
Which means an AC system that quietly quit in August is a defrost problem on the first freezing morning, and you find out on the way to work.