What does an air conditioning condenser do?
The condenser sits at the front of the radiator and is an integral part of your air conditioning (AC) system. It converts the refrigerant gas into a cold liquid to provide chilled air throughout your vehicle, to keep you and your passengers at a comfortable temperature on a hot day.
How often should a condenser need replacing?
A well-maintained and properly serviced condenser should last as long as your car will. However, as with all vehicle components, they’re prone to wear and tear, and leakage and blockage can create irreparable damage.
The law, vehicle regulations and your MOT
A faulty air conditioner won’t affect your car’s MOT but it can affect the comfort of you and your passengers. It’s worth keeping your air conditioning running at its optimum performance as the impact it can have on your vehicle’s fuel efficiency could significantly affect the day-to-day cost of your motoring.
What causes an AC condenser to stop working correctly?
There are a variety of reasons your **AC condenser **could need replacing. It could be that the fan has stopped functioning correctly, or that the condenser has developed a leak or blockage somewhere. It may be because it has become clogged by refrigerant contaminated with unwanted elements, infiltrating it from other parts of the system.
It’s also possible that objects being thrown up from the road—including gravel, litter and other debris—could cause damage to interfere with your condenser’s correct operation.
Symptoms of a malfunctioning AC condenser
Your air con isn’t as cold as normal or not working at all
Your condenser could have stopped working correctly if you notice that the air conditioning in your car isn’t providing the usual levels of cold air as normal, or if it isn’t working at all.
You can hear a ticking sound or see liquid
A ticking sound from your engine or areas of liquid leaking around the air conditioning unit are signs that your condenser could be malfunctioning.
Your fuel consumption isn’t as high as normal
A malfunctioning condenser could also affect your fuel consumption, so if you notice that you’re not achieving your usual mpg, it could be time to have your condenser checked out.
Mini
Mini is a British automotive marque that has been owned by the German multinational vehicle manufacturer BMW since 2000.
The Mini brand was originally introduced in 1969 when the vehicle model became a marque in its own right, breaking away from the Austin and Morris brands under the British Leyland umbrella.
How popular is Mini in the United Kingdom?
The Mini Hatch was the 7th best selling car of 2018 in the UK. Mini is a consistent favourite among buyers with a leaning for British cultural icons and retro styling.
There are around 750k Mini cars on the roads, showing that the brand is still as popular as ever due to their compact sizing, attractive styling and its reputation as a classy and classic small car.
Mini: a premium product of British motoring
With its unique and unmistakable styling, Mini is firmly placed as a premium product. Its ownership by BMW has added advantages in production, by being able to lean on the executive luxury German marque for many of the advanced technological systems and specialist industry knowledge used in their manufacture.
A piece of British culture and a Hollywood star
Enhancing its popularity as a household name, the original British Mini became a star of the silver screen when it appeared predominantly in the gold-heist movie ‘The Italian Job’ in 1969, starring Michael Caine and Noel Coward. With a remake hitting the screens in 2003, the new Mini was called on to star once again, and a selection of Mini hatch models continued the tradition by featuring in the film.
Mini: a new competitor to the most popular 3-door hatchbacks
Despite its small footprint, the Mini hatch is providing real competition to the Audi A1 and VW Polo due to its premium quality build. And with the weight of BMW behind them, it’s easy to see why.
Mini’s reliability and reputation
Mini ranked 22nd out of 30 car brands in the What Car? Reliability Survey in 2018. That might not look so great at first glance, but bigger brand names fell further down the list. Mercedes, Jaguar, Jeep and Land Rover all featured in the lowest 5 places.
Recent Mini recalls and reliability issues
Various recalls have been made on Mini models throughout their motoring history. The following are a list of the most recent in the UK and Europe.
29/09/2019 – Mini Countryman (2016–2018)
A crash guard is lacking for the high-pressure fuel pump in the engine compartment.
13/07/2018 – Mini Countryman (2018)
The bearings on the front axle could break.
20/01/2017 – Mini (2016)
The side, head and knee protection airbags of the front passenger seat may not work.
05/12/2014 – Mini (2014)
There is a fault affecting the adjustment mechanism (recliner) of the front seat backrests.
31/10/2014 – Mini (2013–2014)
The flange nut on the mounting plate of the emergency spare wheel may become loose gradually.
All recall information sourced from gov.co.uk data.
Free collection & delivery
