I know that alot of users dont like the fact that the air conditioner turns on together with the engine. This weekend I was playing around with progman under CKM - and i finally found an option to turn it off for good.......... and after a year of having my car, it finally does not come on together with the car. So in fact.... it is really customizable.

 

from what i gather, the ac compressor is always spinning, and there is a valve inside that determines how much the compressor pumps freon. when the ac is not needed, only a small amount of freon is being pumped, to keep things lubricated.

 

+ It also cycles on automatically whenever the sensors determine that dehumidifier action is necessary to prevent/reduce misting or condensation on windows.