Why is my car blowing hot air? It worked last year, so what went wrong? Here are a few things that you can check to see if you are in need of an auto air conditioning repair.
Auto Air Conditioning Repair Checklist
1) Make sure the blower works on all speeds.
2) Does the air duct deliver air on all modes. Defrost, Vent (face) and Floor.
3) Check the temperature that comes out of the vent. It should 38-40 degrees while driving or 30 degrees below the ambient temperature outside.
4) Can you hear the air compressor engaging on and off? If it is cycling (going on and off rapidly), most likely there is not the appropriate refrigerant to allow the compressor to work properly.
Most repair facilities use a UV dye that gets injected into the system so that leaks can be detected with UV glasses and a black light. If you have had it serviced within the last year and it has dye in the system you can take it to a repair facility and have it inspected for leaks.
All of the above items can be checked by any facility and it should be a very minimal charge. Most facilities will perform the above performance tests for free.
If nothing major appears after these few inspections then it is time to have a certified air conditioning technician perform an A/C diagnostic. Did you know?. that it is illegal to let refrigerant escape into the air. A good technician will use the appropriate equipment to capture any refrigerant that is left in your system and check to see if the A/C system is holding the correct pressures. After it passes the vacuum test, then it is safe to recharge the system.
How much should an auto air conditioning repair cost?
Hand with money and toy car
The 4 steps above you can do yourself or ask your preferred repair facility to inspect it for a very minimal charge if not free. To evacuate, diagnose and recharge the system it should be around $150.00 depending on the market for the refrigerant.
If you are looking for a great place to trust to perform any of these services please call us at Haglin Automotive.