Safe to leave the AC on for remote start?

Sure, you can leave it on. In fact, that's one of the marketing schpeals GM is using to tout the remote start feature. Leaving the A/C on when you shut off/start the car doesn't do anything. The system doesn't actually engage the A/C compressonr until after the computer detects a stabilized start (you'll hear the TICK/CLUNK noise a couple of seconds after the car starts if you've left the A/C on). So no, leaving it on won't hurt anything - your dad has strange ideas. Interestingly enough, my dad thinks the same way, only he turns it off 5 minutes before we get home LOL!

Well I do know if was a good idea to shut the AC off in my '96 Grand Prix before trying to start it again, sometimes it would actually make the car struggle to get started since the AC would start up right when the key started to turn. But in the G6 I do notice the AC does wait to turn on. As long as GM endorses it I will continue to leave the AC.

How does the remote and AC work on the cars with the automatic climate control? Does the car remember the temperature you had set? I'm looking at getting a Grand Prix GXP for my next car and they all have the automatic climate controls.

It should work exactly the same way, it will just remember the last setting you had the same way as if you started it with the key. When it's remote started, it's powering up all the ignition/system critical stuff plus the climate control, just not the other stuff like radio and instrumentation.

Strange that your Grand Prix kicked in the A/C right away. Is that with a remote start system? Our 94 Cutlass Supreme (same engine/platform) had a 2-3 second delay before the A/C kicked in after starting (key, no remote start), as did our '87 6000 with the 2.5L 4-cyl, never any start issues with either. My Pursuit had the pause, as did my G6 4-cyl, and now my HHR does also so it's safe to do.

that is weird the A/C would come on while the engine was trying to start. most modern cars you notice that the headlights, radio, climate control, and everything else will turn off when you turn the key to start so that the starter is getting as much power as possible. hell even the electric fan i put on my truck had a 20 second delay to make sure it wasn't running while the starter was cranking.

back on topic...you should have no problem leavin your A/C turned on and using remote start. remote start doesn't act any differently than turning the key (at least as far as your A/C is concerned) so there should not be a problem.

The AC is off when you shut the car down. It is activated long after the engine startup, so it doesn't put any extra strain on the battery/engine. I have had 2 hiccups with the autostart (AC didnt' come on at all). I've had to turn off and then turn back on the AC via the dashboard button. Anyone else have this problem?
And yes, the auto settings remember the temp you had programmed previously. Pretty cool (literally)! So far, I've just set it at 72-74, left climate control in the Auto mode, and the G6 does the rest, to include fan speed, vent settings, and even recirculation when it's really hot.

Yeah, for some reason my '96 Grand Prix fired everything up when starting, the headlights (when dark), A/C, radio, it all would start coming on the moment I turned the key. Thankfully I had a really good Diehard battery to get the car going.

My 2003 Grand Am only tried to turn the lights on right away when starting, the AC and everything else came on after a short delay.