What Is The Most Common Car A/C Issue?

On a hot day, when the heat is rising off the sidewalks and the air gets a little muggy, the first thing you can look forward to before starting your workday is getting into the car and feeling a refreshing blast of cool air on your face. But every so often, your car may betray you, and outcomes hot air instead, adding more heat to your environment and your overall mood. It gets even more frustrating when you think about the cost of car A/C repairs, which can go up quite a fair bit depending on what the problem is. But before you get yourself riled up thinking about it, do yourself a favor and check out the extent of the problem first. With luck, you may just be experiencing the most common car A/C issue, which can be easily solved for under a hundred bucks!

Troubleshoot The Issue

To begin, you want to think about how your car A/C has been performing over the past few weeks. When was the last time you felt the A/C was really cold? Was the car A/C gradually blowing warmer air, or did this happen all of a sudden?

Also, has the A/C or car engine been making weird sounds of late when you switch on the A/C? If the car is making weird noises, you definitely want to get that checked with a professional, such as R & Y A/C Compressors. Another reason to send your car to the shop is if the compressor clutch is actually turning on when you switch on the A/C (here’s what a compressor looks like if you aren’t familiar). If the compressor is not running, you might have a harder time fixing that issue by yourself. However, if neither of the last two points apply to your car, then you may just be able to use an easy fix for your car A/C problem.

The Most Common Problem: Refrigerant Leak

If your car has been slowly and gradually getting warmer over the past couple of weeks, there is a high chance it is caused by a refrigerant leak. This leak happens more commonly than you may imagine. Typically, these leaks happen in cars that are above 5 years old, as the rubber O-rings that seal different car components tend to wear out over time, becoming brittle and inelastic, thus causing the leak.

Check your car to see if this could be the issue. If this describes your own situation, congratulations! This is the simplest problem to fix. You just need to replace the O-rings as well as the refrigerant. It is best to use refrigerant containing stop leak additives so that your car A/C can last a little longer before having to be fixed again next time. And while you have your hood up, do check that there are dust caps on the service ports of your A/C, as this is crucial to maintaining the refrigerant in your car’s A/C system.