I was riding with a friend and he insisted that it's better for me to switch off the AC before turning off the engine because when you turn on the car the AC won't get switched on with it and the engine won't have the load from the AC and thus will have a longer life.
Is there any truth to this claim or is this an urban myth?
OR
Perhaps this used to be true with older cars, but not anymore with modern designs?
*Note: by AC I mean cooling exclusively, not heating. I live in a hot country.