How to properly maintain an air conditioner in a car?

The car air conditioner is the interior cooling system. It works thanks to the refrigerant, the periodic replacement of which is part of the maintenance of the air conditioner. Car air conditioning maintenance also involves replacing the cabin filter every year.

⚙️ How does a car air conditioner work?

La air conditioner in the car divided into two circuits: the high pressure circuit (red in the diagram above) and the low pressure circuit (blue here). The refrigerant circulates in these circuits and sequentially changes from a gaseous state to a liquid state.

It is this change in state that creates the coldness in your air conditioner that keeps you cool all summer long.

The air conditioner in your car consists of different parts:

• Compressor : An automobile compressor compresses gas using the energy of the engine.
• Capacitor : the condenser cools the compressed gas, which becomes liquid due to the condensation effect.
• Dehydrator : removes all traces of water in the gas to prevent ice formation in the system.
• Regulator : it allows the pressure to drop, thereby changing the liquid from a liquid to a gaseous state, resulting in cold.
• Kicker heating : it sends outside air, filtered by the cabin filter, to the evaporator.
• Evaporator : it collects most of the moisture from the incoming air in order to carry it away under the car. Therefore, in summer, some water may flow under the car.

❄️ How to properly use the air conditioner in a car?

To avoid heat shock, it is advisable to properly regulate the temperature in the passenger compartment of his car. Indeed, the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures should not exceed 10 ° C... If this difference is too great, you may experience severe headaches or sore throat.

Likewise, if your vehicle has been in the sun for a long time and you urgently need fresh air, it is advisable to drive for a few minutes with the windows open in order to quickly dissipate the heat from the passenger compartment. You can then turn on the air conditioning and close the windows as soon as you smell fresh air.

For a quick breath of fresh air, you can also set the air conditioner to air recirculation... This isolates the air in the passenger compartment from the outside air, blocking air renewal.

You will therefore be able to speed up the cooling of the air in your car. Remember to deactivate this option after a few minutes to allow the air in the passenger compartment to be renewed again.

You can also use this option to quickly remove fog from the windows of your automobile since this will remove all interior moisture from the vehicle.

Did you know? Turning on the air conditioner results in more fuel consumption than 10 to 20%.

Therefore, we advise you to remember to turn off the air conditioner a few minutes before arriving at your destination. This saves fuel by avoiding the risk of heat stroke when exiting the vehicle.

🔧 How to properly maintain an air conditioner in a car?

In order to avoid higher maintenance costs, it is advisable to take care of your air conditioning throughout the year. In fact, the air conditioning must be used for at least 10 minutes every 15 days, summer and winter, in order to keep the system running.

In winter, air conditioning removes dust and bacteria, but also dries the air to fog up the windshield.

Therefore, servicing the air conditioner is very easy, as you must:

• Check the effectiveness and change the cabin filter air conditioning once a year.
• Recharge your air conditioner every 2 years.

You should also have your car air conditioner repaired if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Your air conditioner no more chills as or as quickly as before;
• You hear abnormal noise when the air conditioner is turned on;
• You notice abnormal smell at the exit from the window;
• You are watching water leak in the passenger compartment at the passenger's feet;
• Defrosting puts more than a minute must be done.

📆 When to service the air conditioner in the car?

The car air conditioner should be serviced periodically to prevent malfunctioning. To avoid possible damage, do not use the air conditioner except in summer. Run it regularly for at least ten minutes, even in winter.

Once a year, when servicing the car, check the air conditioner and replace the cabin filter. Finally, the air conditioner needs to be recharged. every two years about.

We remind you that all our trusted garages are at your service to service your vehicle's air conditioner. Check your air conditioner now to avoid unpleasant surprises in the summer! You can check prices for air conditioning packages on our online garage comparator.