Does your air con stand up to the British summer heat, or are you stuck baking in hot air? It might be time for an AC inspection to keep you cool this summer.

Air Conditioning: The Basics

All modern cars come equipped with air-con units, and whilst they may have been a luxury when it was first introduced 85 years ago, nowadays we couldn’t survive without them. But how does the air con actually work? In simple terms, the AC unit is full of refrigerant gas – just like our fridges at home – and this is used to cool the air and circulate it within the car. The air con also serves as a filter for pollen and dust, and it de-mists our windscreen in cold temperatures.

What if My Air Con Blows Hot Air?

Just like any other system in your car, your air conditioning is subject to the same wear and tear, and it will benefit from a regular service. Generally, we recommend that your air con system is checked and re-gassed every two years, but if you notice that your AC is running hot, it’s a good indicator that you need to have it re-gassed sooner.

Re-gassing your AC involves replacing the old air-conditioning refrigerant gas with new refrigerant so that the air con is able to run cool again. The process takes around an hour, and can be done as an add-on to your regular car service. It is worth noting, that unless you request it, an air conditioning service would not be carried during your car service.

Can I Fix My Own Air Con?

The short answer is no.

There are systems that allow you to re-gas your AC yourself, but it can cost almost as much to do this as you would pay for a qualified mechanic to do it. You also run the risk of things going wrong and hurting yourself as you don’t have the training or safety equipment that someone from your local garage will have; contact with refrigerant gas on your skin or eyes can cause freeze burn and requires medical attention.

Funky Smells & Other AC Problems

Hot air coming out of your AC may not be the only thing to watch out for. If you notice that there is a bad or musky smell whenever you turn the air con on, this could be a sign that your air con has bacteria or mould growing in it. As one of the jobs of your AC is to filter the air for things like bacteria and pollen, it’s not unusual that you might have contaminants lingering within your air con unit. Luckily, this can be quickly resolved with a cleaning service which we are happy to provide, as and when it’s needed.

If you have recently had your AC re-gassed, but the air is still running hot, it can be a sign of several other issues:

• An electrical fault
• Blocked or broken condenser
• Compressor faults
• Seal or pipework fault

It’s important to take your car to a mechanic to check for these issues so that they can be ruled out or resolved before they turn into bigger issues down the line. Leaving a faulty air con unchecked for too long – even if all it needed was re-gassing – can lead to pipes cracking or part of your air-conditioing unit seizing up.

How to Make Air Con More Efficient

As a minimum, you want to make sure your air con is running smoothly in the summer so that you don’t find yourself slowly roasting whilst on a long car journey, but it’s also important to have a functional AC in the autumn and winter so that you can de-mist your windows and drive safely on cold days.

There are plenty of small things you can do that will help your air con run more smoothly and keep you cool this summer:

• Open your car doors to let the hot air out before switching on the air con
• Start your air-conditoning on a lower setting and bring it up slowly instead of putting it on full power straight away (the air won’t cool quicker by having it on full power, but you will use up more battery by trying)
• Park in the shade and consider tinted windows to help stop the sun blasting your car in between trips
• Replace your air filters more regularly
• Use your air-conditioning more regularly; don’t leave it for months between uses
• Once your car is as cool as you want it, turn on the air recirculation mode to stop hot outside air from coming in and take some of the pressure off your air con

For more information or to book your appointment, call 0161 477 6266, email info@delany-motors.co.uk or book online.