Summer is upon us and once again, it’s time to crank up the AC for a cool and relaxing drive home. Though a cold-air blowing AC system might not be the number one most important system in your vehicle – that’d be your engine – it is certainly important for comfort on those hot, Southern California summer days.
So how do you keep your vehicle’s air conditioning system in tip-top shape year round so it’s ready when you need it for those summer months? Maintaining your vehicle’s air conditioning system throughout the year will help its overall performance and longevity. Moreover, using the AC system properly and maintaining it will cost less than urgent auto air conditioning repair in San Diego. So how do you best use your vehicle’s AC so you can stay cool on hot days while not overworking the AC unit itself?
Use Your AC in Winter Months
Run your air conditioning system for 5-10 minutes a few times a month, for every month of the year. Though that might sound strange, this helps to maintain pressure systems with all the components. When you run the defroster, you get rid of extra moisture from the system, which prevents problems like mold and mildew from forming. You know that awful smell you sometimes get from your AC? Yeah, that. Minimizing the chance of these growths from forming can end up saving you a lot of money in automotive AC repair.
Resist Temptation; Don’t Blast the AC
In addition to keeping your AC in check year-round, using your AC in a smart way can help keep it running stronger for longer with less auto repair and maintenance. For instance, are you one of those people who gets in their vehicle and cranks up the AC full blast after it has been sitting in the hot sun all day?
If so, you are damaging your AC system and probably not cooling down your car in the best way either. Do this often enough and you are increasing your need for car air conditioning repair. If you can’t park in the shade, try a sun shade device that can reduce the interior temperature of your vehicle by 20-25 degrees. This makes getting in a hot car more bearable. In addition, your AC now has less to cool so it doesn’t have to work quite as hard.
Reduce the Air Conditioner Workload
Instead of blasting the AC right away, open the windows in the back and blow out that hot air with the fan rather than the AC. This saves you energy and reduces the amount of work your air conditioner has to do. This might not sound like much but it adds up and can save you from extra auto AC repair.
Once you’ve blown out the hot air, roll up the windows and switch from the fan to the AC function. Keep the recirculate air button on, particularly if you don’t have any backset passengers, so your AC unit can recirculate the already cooled air in the cabin of the vehicle.
This is more efficient and energy saving for the AC because it doesn’t have to re-cool already cooled air. If you have a full vehicle or are driving a very long distance, you may need to turn this off at a certain point or the air will start to become stale. You can reduce car air conditioning repair by not overworking your unit.
You can also make the AC work more efficiently by making sure the cabin air filter is not full of dust. Located under the passenger’s side dashboard, the cabin air filter should be replaced annually. It’s an easy job; you can do it yourself or have it performed with an oil change at your local automotive repair shop.
Don’t Be an AC Blaster! Turn It Up More Slowly
When you turn on the AC, start it on a low speed. The AC needs to take some time to get going and starting it on low rather than high speed is the best way to do that. If you have a newer model vehicle with an automatic, air conditioning unit, it is already programmed to start on low and then increase gradually. This maintains your AC and minimizes car air conditioning repair. If you don’t have an automatic AC unit, you should gradually increase the AC speed instead of blasting it. Overworking your AC system will wear it out faster and won’t cool you any faster.
Practice Regular A/C Maintenance
By keeping your a/c running cool, with high pressure and minimizing poor performance, you can extend the life of your system. Also, by using manufacturer recommended coolants you can be sure that your cars air conditioning system will continue to work as it was intended. If you skip maintenance and let the performance go for too long, the work to get it back to peak performance will be more significant. Keep it working well to avoid more costly repairs in the long run.
Car Air Conditioning Repair Summary
While you can find AC auto repair specials during the hot summer months, you might have better luck on pricing with AC auto repair during non-summer months. If possible, try to schedule your regular AC maintenance once every one or two years.
