Originally Posted by
James90RS
Does the aircon go into "recirc mode" by itself Nick?
if you have climate control and set it to the minimum temperature, then generally yes. or if you have a 'max cool' button like some cars do. but it will usually go back to fresh air if you raise the temp. which you will invariably do as minimum temp. on a properly working system is not bearable after 1 hour if dressed normally (long term comfort for british men is 19 deg. C, and british women is 21 deg. C - hence the need for dual or 4 zone climate systems)
it is not recommended to leave it in recirc all the time, as in theory you will no longer be taking in any fresh air and your oxygen will run out

but in practice that is not the case as there will either be an automatic cycling of the recirc function or there will be a percentage of fresh air bleed.
if not using a/c though, do not use recirc except to avoid the ingress of smoke/smells, otherwise your interior windows will fog.