Q: Opinion about older AC systems versus the AC systems in modern cars

Here is the kicker. The old air conditioning systems were huge and they wasted a lot of energy. But with that said, they blew as cool as can be and lasted a long time.

For example, you can take an old Chevy AC compressor - those things were gigantic and some of them weighed 50 pounds - but they blew freezing cold. That said, they used a lot of energy to work and those things held like three pounds of refrigerant. Modern ones don’t even hold a pound of refrigerant and they are all computer controlled. So when they break, they can cost a fortune because not only do they have computers that turn the air conditioning clutch on and off, some of them have the air conditioning clutches that work all the time.

Inside, the compressor have these variable swash buckle plates that are controlled by a computer and can give 0-100% power. And guess what, that stuff is all computer controlled. And when it all breaks, it can cost thousands when they finally break down. So I tend to agree with you that old one’s work better, but the newer ones are much more efficient and they use much less fuel. That’s why they are using them. They get bonus points for better gas mileage from the federal government.