Why is a car air con service important?

‘Around 10% of the air con gas is lost each year, preventing the air conditioning from performing to its full potential‘

Here is everything you need to know about how we perform a car air con service.

Hopefully, this guide will take you some of the way, but if you’re unsure on the difference between maintenance and full re-gassing, we’re on hand to help.

How does my air conditioning work?

At Delany’s, we specifically train our team to be specialists in all things air conditioning , because we know what an impact it has on you and your vehicle, should your A/C stop working. Luckily, most air conditioning issues are easily fixable, but you’ve got to know what you’re looking for. As always, prevention is better than cure!

Putting it simply, it’s a scientific process in which refrigerant is manipulated between a liquid and gas state by the air conditioning condenser. As the refrigerant changes state it absorbs humidity and heat from the vehicle, giving off cool, dry air.

Which parts needed maintenance?

Over time, the system starts to work less effectively, like most parts within your vehicle. Within your car’s air conditioning system, there are many travelling parts, such as:

• Fans
• Filters (including the main cabin filter)
• Refrigerant

In order to work efficiently, all air conditioning components must be regularly inspected, we recommend doing this every two years.

Contrary to the myth that we should only use our air conditioning in Summer (please don’t listen to this!), actually leaving the system unused for an extended period of time also causes them damage. They can easily corrode and quickly become unusable. Over time, this then leads to much more costly replacements, as opposed to more affordable, regular maintenance checks and services.

How can you as the vehicle owner help to maintain it?

Of course, like any component of your vehicle, there are simple steps you can take, in order to maximise the life of your vehicle’s air conditioning. We’ve compiled a handy list, which can be used to help with this.

• Test run your air conditioning regularly (at least for 10 minutes every couple of weeks)
• Ensure you use it in all seasons – especially in the Winter (to dehumidify your car)
• Change the cabin filter regularly.
• Book regular air con services  – we, alongside manufacturers, recommend at least once every two years.
• Make sure you recharge the air con gas regularly (this will stop the refrigerant gas that makes the system work from leaking out of the system).

What the JDM car air con service involves

If you’re in the position where you’ve undertaken all of the above actions and it still isn’t functioning, it’s then time for an in-depth investigation.

Throughout the years of air conditioning servicing, at JDM, we realise that each vehicle’s air conditioning fault is unique to that particular situation. Therefore, we offer a bespoke, tailored service for each vehicle, following your requirements and working on the heart of the problem from the off.

Stage one: Use Nitrogen to pressure test all A/C systems

The first step is to check the pressures in the air conditioning system. If there is refrigerant gas in the system it would suggest that your vehicle just needs an A/C service and ‘regas’.

However, if there is no gas in the system, we would then carry out a nitrogen pressure test prior to filling the empty system. One of our specialists will remove all refrigerant gas from inside the unit and replace this with compressed nitrogen. They will then carefully listen for any sounds and monitor the pressure gauge. Nitrogen is naturally held under much more significant pressure than the coolant counterpart, so any leaks would create an audible sound as it leaves the system.

Should we suspect or discover a leak, we would then alert you and with your permission, repair it accordingly. You can be certain we will always report any possible costings to you, prior to making a start on the work.

If no pressure seems to be lost at the time of the test, we will instead, continue to recharge the system and replace it with the correct amount of new refrigerant. We also know how important it is to add a special UV dye, so if there are any further issues (such as loss of gas), it can be easily traced using a UV light. We feel this provides you with an extra layer of reassurance for the future.

Stage two: Identifying other faults (other than gas pressure)

Your vehicle may actually have the correct gas pressure but may be experiencing other faults that then cause the air conditioning to stop working effectively or working together. This is why we instruct our team members to test the system as a whole, to identify the fault and report back to you immediately with our findings.

In our experience, some faults are less obvious and the longer they’re left untreated, the more lasting damage can be caused. It’s better to regularly check and maintain, in order to avoid costly repair charges.

Frequently asked questions

Air conditioning maintenance and requirements can prove to be a bit of a minefield for vehicle owners. So much so, we created an air conditioning FAQs page. Feel free to check this out if you feel you have further questions.

Whether it’s if an air conditioning service is part of your MOT (short answer: no, it’s not), or how often it should be thoroughly maintained, we’ve got you covered. However, if you have a further question, feel free to contact us at your earliest convenience.

Our guarantee to our valued customers

We pride ourselves on the emphasis we place on every team member being fully equipped with expert knowledge and training in every aspect of their role. Whether it’s your air conditioning service, a query you may have, or something totally unrelated, we’re always on hand to offer a friendly word of advice.

If you need to speak to one of our fantastic team about anything air conditioning related, as always, feel free to contact us online today or give us a call on 0161 477 6266.

We look forward to assisting you and hopefully avoiding unnecessary fees where your A/C unit is concerned.