Drivers are only now just realising they don’t know how to use the outside and inside circulation button properly on cars.
While many may know how to get from A to B in their vehicles, it's clear that there's one particular nugget of knowledge a whole load of drivers had no idea about.
But luckily, one experienced motorist has shared his much-needed wisdom on whips.
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The vehicle maestro took to TikTok to share with his 1.3 million followers the little-known tip which has since gone viral on the platform.
Pointing to the AC button, the man - who goes by chegeceping on the platform - warned: "Do not press this button on the car indiscriminately, it is very dangerous.
"Many people have driven a car for more than 10 years but they don't even know how to use the internal and external circulation on the car."
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Coming to the rescue, the TikToker then began to explain the 'correct usage' of both the inner and outer loop button.
He said: "After the car is exposed to the sun, a large amount of formaldehyde and other harmful gases will be emitted inside the car."
The TikToker offered a quick tutorial differentiating between the two AC buttons and under what circumstances to use them, clarifying: "When we turn on the air conditioner in the car we must first turn on the outer circulation for 10 minutes to dissipate the harmful gas and then turn on the inner circulation."
The second instance is when there is a 'traffic jam' as he informs: "We must turn on the inner circulation so that the exhaust outside the car cannot enter the car."
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"Third," he continues, "when it is raining, we must turn on the outer circulation and then adjust the blowing mode to glass blowing - this way, the glass will never fog up again."
And the fourth and final time drivers should turn on the outer circulation is 'before parking in winter' so that the glass is not 'easy to frost' the following morning.
The Car Expert has also backed up the TikToker's teachings, explaining there are three main cons of overlooking the air-recirculation button and just cranking up the dial willy-nilly.
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The website outlines: "It can fog up your windscreen in the cold and wet, it traps humidity in the cabin [and] it can lead to higher CO2 levels which can make you drowsy."
So, while the feature is fantastic during heatwaves and when you're after a cool blast of air - it's not something that should be used all the time.
The TikToker went on to caption the reveal: "Are you using these air-conditioning buttons on the car correctly?"
And it's clear from the 3.2 million views and hundreds upon hundreds of comments that people were most definitely not using the buttons correctly.
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For many, the video was totally new information to them.
One TikTok user admitted: "I normally just press all the buttons and twist all the knobs then let Jesus take the wheel."
And they weren't alone as a whole bunch of others confessed to the frenzied button-pressing crime too.
"I press all of them and hope for the best," penned a second, while another echoed: "I just start pushing and turning buttons and wait for the results I want."
Others, however, were shocked and even outraged at the number of drivers who hadn't a scooby over the AC system.
"People dismiss these tips as if cars aren't huge machines that need to be operated correctly," pointed out one TikTok user.
Another added: "I thought this was common sense."
Some clearly found the whole process too much of an ordeal to even comprehend, with one driver asking: "Who in the heehaw remembers to do all of this?"
A second commented: "Bruh that’s too much I think I'm good."
"I’m just gonna turn my AC on and hope for the best," wrote a final TikTok user.
Where do you stand?
Topics: Cars, Hacks, TikTok, Viral, Technology
Rhiannon Ingle