It is very important to perform this check on your car before summer arrives.
Compressor or expansion valve in poor condition, clogged condenser, worn cabin filter, insufficient quantity of R134a refrigerant gas… Chances are these terms mean nothing to you, yet they all guarantee the proper functioning of a system that we can’t do without in the car: air conditioning. Although it is almost always useless in autumn and winter, air conditioning is essential during the heat of summer and sometimes even in spring. Without it, the air in the cabin quickly becomes suffocating, and opening the windows when it’s over 30 degrees outside does not help bring down the car’s temperature.
If turning or pressing a button is a simple gesture to do for users like us, the air conditioning of a car remains a complex system that is recommended to be maintained regularly so that it can cool the hot air in it. the passenger compartment when the sun beats down on it. And it’s not during the first hot weather that you have to make sure that everything is working. If you realize that the air coming out of the ventilation grilles in your interior is not cold enough on the day when the temperatures spike, it will already be too late and your journey will quickly turn into a humid nightmare .
Haven’t had your car’s air conditioning checked yet this year? Don’t panic, it’s not too late. The month of April, during which everyone knows that you should not uncover yourself, is conducive to mild temperatures, often below 20 degrees or barely more. The probability of having to use the air conditioning on full blast is therefore very low, but it is a good time to check how it works or even take a quick trip to the garage. Your mechanic will probably tell you that you need to have it checked once a year, in particular to clean the circuit and change the cabin filter. As for recharging refrigerant, the one without which no cold air is possible, it is recommended to refill it every two or three years depending on its use.
You understand, if you don’t want to die of heat in your car, roughly between May and August, especially if you live in the south of France, don’t wait any longer to make sure that your air conditioning system is operational . Last little tip for the road: don’t hesitate to turn on your air conditioning for a few minutes once or twice a month throughout the year. This keeps the system running, because after a long period of inactivity, sudden heavy use risks damaging the circuit. And if you ever notice a problem during these “tests”, you will then have plenty of time to carry out the repair before the first strong heat.