All the air-con information you need to get the most from your A/C unit
Your car’s air conditioning unit shouldn’t just be responsible for keeping you cool in summer.
It offers benefits all year round, keeping your cabin at the optimum temperature, eliminating condensation, speeding up the demisting process, and more.
Keeping your system in tip-top condition means adhering to a regular car air conditioning service schedule.
You can carry out the maintenance yourself in most cases, but if you’d prefer to find an expert to carry out the work for you, Fixter is your perfect ‘car air conditioning recharge near me’ guide. They’ve got garages ready and waiting to help.
But what can you do in between refills and services to protect its health and get the best results from your unit?
Tip 1 – Use the auto function or climate control wherever possible
If your A/C has an automatic or climate control function, hit the button and let it get on with what it was designed for. Hit the switch and forget about it.
This intelligent component uses sensors to understand what’s going on inside and make the relevant adjustments. It regulates the fans and temperature settings to make sure your car is at the prime temperature and applies the changes as quickly and simply as possible.
Tip 2 – Stop turning your air-con to full-blast the moment you get in the car
It’s tempting and seems the natural thing to do, but it’s not the best way to cool your car down on entry.
Before the compressor has had a chance to start cooling the air, you’ll just be moving the existing hot air around your car at high speed.
Start it in low mode and gradually increase it as the air becomes colder.
Tip 3 – Use the lowest temperature setting
Your air-conditioning cools the air to a set temperature (38°F or 3°C). If you want your car to be a little warmer than that, use the coldest setting still, but turn down the fan speed.
The trick here is, that to achieve a warmer temperature, your air-conditioning has to use additional fuel and processes to heat the chilled air back up! Lower the fan speed and the cold air is distributed slower—creating the