Cold starts causing durability problems used to be an issue in the days of 30W oil and carburetors. Slow oil flow and lots of extra gas in the cylinder from chokes.
Now with 5W and 0W oils and computer control, those issues are resolved.
As for running the AC, in Vegas they buy used cop cars with 100,000 miles and run them as cabs to 400,000. You can bet the a/c is on all the time there in the summer.
I agree that was a factor and has been (mostly) obviated with later permutations of FI. Still a problem on my two-stroke dirt bikes which routinely flood or foul the plug on cold weather starting even though the mixture has to be richer to fire with the dense air. But then they've got lubrication all over the place at 40:1.
We also use to cause a lot of problems by spraying too much ether in the carb throats.