Don’t Sweat It: Get Your Auto Air Conditioner Ready for Summer
Summer’s just around the corner, so this is the perfect time to ensure your car’s air conditioning system is in good working order! After months of disuse during the winter months, your AC may need some maintenance or repairs to get it ready for the warm weather ahead. A malfunctioning AC system can turn what should be a comfortable drive into a sweaty, uncomfortable ordeal; fortunately, there are some simple checks you can do at home to determine whether your system is ready to beat the heat—or needs a little attention.
5 Steps for Checking Your Auto Air Conditioning System
Here are five simple steps you can take to check how well your car’s air conditioning is working:
Test the settings
Check that your AC fan is working properly at different speeds. Start your AC on the lowest setting and gradually cycle through the medium and high settings. While doing this, check that all the vents are blowing and the air coming from them is cold.
Listen carefully
When you turn on your AC, pay attention to how it sounds. Is it making any unusual noises? A well-functioning air conditioner shouldn’t be loud or make banging or rattling noises—it should produce a gentle background hum. If your AC is making a lot of noise, one of the parts could be malfunctioning.
How does it smell?
Air-conditioned air generally has a bit of an odor compared to outside air, but it should smell fairly neutral—not bad. If you notice the air smells foul, musty, or otherwise unpleasant, you could have dust, mildew, or other contaminants in your air conditioning system. It’s best to have your AC cleaned before the hot weather hits to prevent health issues (like allergies or asthma) or damage to the system.
Watch for leaks
Air conditioners use refrigerant to help you stay cool, but to do that, the refrigerant needs to stay closed off inside the system. If the refrigerant is leaking, you may notice a thin, greasy substance under the hood near the compressor, inside the cabin, or under your vehicle. It’s important to get leaks repaired as soon as possible because if the system runs dry, it will start to fill with moist air that can corrode the air conditioning components.
Take your car for a drive
Some air conditioning issues aren’t noticeable if you’re testing the system while parked, so it’s always a good idea to take your car for a 30-minute drive to see how it performs. After You’ve Completed Your Assessment.
If you’ve noticed any issues after completing these five steps, schedule an appointment at RPM Automotive Services. We’ll perform a thorough inspection of your air conditioning system and let you know what’s needed to get it working properly again. Call us today at (707) 800-4586 or schedule an appointment online!
Check us out on Google!