Switching demist aircon off

Is it possible to deactivate the aircon automatically coming on when i direct the air to the windscreen on my ECC? Now the colder/damper mornings are coming i dont want to be running my aircon all the time to keep the screen clear. It makes a noticable decrease in performance and mpg!

Hiya, don't know if the system's anything like the 850 ECC but if so you can turn the dial just to the left or right of the windscreen icon and then the air will blow to the right place but the ECC won't engage the air-con. HTH, Pete

The idea of the aircon coming on for demist is that airconditioned air is dry and will remove the mist from the screen far quicker than the damp non conditioned air.

re aircon on with demist 

Hi Buz999 I'm not familiar with the S40's ECC, so this could be total rubbish! On the S60, if you select demist (i.e. press the front screen demist button) you cannot then switch the aircon (AC) off - I assume this is your issue. This is a pre-set auto function to demist the windscreen as effectivly as possible and would apear that Volvo 'knows best' and will not let you tinker with it! However, instead of using the demist button, direct air to the windscreen using the appropriate air distrbution button (ususally 3 buttons - 'windows', 'head & body' and 'legs & feet' and you can also use any combination). You then have manual control over fan speed, aircon on/off etc. Hope the S40's system is similar an this helps!

If the screen still mists up after clearing then you have damp in the car .. Once cleared it should stay clear with the screen demist function off .

This setting always makes sense to me, it was a little off putting at first, but if you think about it it clears the screen more quickly when you most need it, and it also makes sure you use your aircon every now and then (not just in the summer) this means that your a/c system is being lubricated regularly, the seals won't dry out and your system will not leak after a whole winter of no use. This effectively saves you more money than you spend extra on fuel as aircon repairs can get very expensive! If it does bug you that much, just turn the dial one click to the right and increase the fan speed to aid demisting!

Having the A/C on makes very little if any difference to the fuel consumption on our GDI.

surely the air con wont help demisting the window when the ambient temp is bloew 2 deg C though, so this makes it ineffective?