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.
Toyota
The Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer, established in 1937, over 80 years ago.
How popular is Toyota in the United Kingdom?
Toyota was the first manufacturer to produce more than 10million vehicles a year, and it has continued to do so since 2012.
There are currently 1.7million on the roads in the UK—a number that has shown consistent growth since their introduction to the UK market.
High-quality motoring—right across the board
Toyota’s current range features luxury saloons, hatchbacks and SUVs, all of which are receiving the steady design upgrade from what were once sensible and steady looking vehicles, into sleeker looking executive sports lines, capable of turning heads at every junction.
Toyota: Market leaders in all-electric and hybrid motoring
Worldwide, Toyota is the market leader in hybrid electric vehicle sales. It’s introduction of the Prius in 1997, the first commercially mass-produced vehicle of its kind, set them on their way as leaders in the field. The UK is no exception, as there are over 80k Prius models on our roads.
There’s more to Toyota than good economy and sensible motoring
As much as the modern market leans towards family SUV motoring and super efficient hybrid fuel economy, don’t be fooled into thinking Toyota is stuck into a single groove.
For those who want more excitement than economy from their driving experience, Toyota makes a selection of cars with much more clout than their sensible city options.
Grab a Toyota GR Supra and you’ll be propelled from 0–62mph in 4.3 seconds using every ounce of its 335bhp. If you want a car that was built for fun and have a spare £52k to lose, then why not put one on your shopping list? As with other Toyota models, it offers great value for the amount of car you’ll be getting.
Toyota’s reliability and reputation
Toyota ranked 3rd place out of 30 car brands in the What Car? Reliability Survey in 2018. They were only just pipped at the post, and by less than 1% for the top spot, by Suzuki; 2nd place went to their very own luxury division, Lexus.
Recent Toyota recalls and reliability issues
Various recalls have been made on Toyota models throughout their motoring history. The following are a list of the most recent in the UK and Europe.
12/05/2019 – Toyota Yaris (2014–2017)
The wire harnesses of the side airbag sensors could crack and the wires may corrode
04/05/2019 – Toyota RAV4 and Toyota Corolla (2018–2019)
The emergency calling system may not be correctly installed
12/01/2019 – Toyota ProAce (2016–2018)
The tightening torque of the threaded connection between the ball joint and knuckle may decrease… and 2 other issues
23/11/2018 – Toyota Aygo (2005–2014)
The glass on the rear door is not properly glued
23/11/2018 – Toyota Yaris, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Picnic and Toyota Avensis (2001–2006)
The ammonium nitrate propellant used in the airbag inflator may degrade over time due to heat cycles
23/11/2018 – Toyota Corolla/Verso and Toyota Avensis (2001–2006)
The airbag control module for the supplemental restraint system has been assembled with application-specific integrated circuits that are susceptible to internal shorting
17/11/2018 – Toyota Auris HV and Toyota Prius/Plus (2010–2014)
Due to a software error in the ECU, the vehicle may not enter in a fail-safe driving mode
16/11/2018 – Toyota GT86 (2012–2013)
Due to a production error of the valve sprint, performance load may exceed the valve spring’s fatigue strength and may fracture
All recall information sourced from gov.co.uk data.
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