Summer in Minnesota means weekends at the cabin, outdoor festivals and concerts, and adventurous road trips. In the midst of the hot and humid dog days of summer, the last thing you want to deal with is issues with your vehicle’s air conditioning.
If you’ve found that your A/C doesn’t quite seem to be up to par, don’t fret. We’ve narrowed down a few common problems and how to keep your cool this summer if your A/C isn’t working properly.
Air Isn’t Getting Cold
This problem could be caused by a variety of different issues. First, if your vents are blowing air but it’s not very cold, it’s possible that you may have a leak in the cooling system. The fluid that runs through air conditioning systems, called refrigerants, may be leaking due to common wear-and-tear on your vehicle. These leaks can come in all sizes and, unfortunately, are quite harmful to the environment. If you’re in need of an immediate fix, a refrigerant refill might do the trick for the short term, but it’s best to take your car to a professional technician.
Secondly, there might be something wrong with the compressor. Check to see if the compressor starts running when you turn on the system. If it runs, that means the issue is more than likely inside the A/C unit itself. If it doesn’t run, the compressor will need some maintenance or even a possible replacement.
Air Blows Cold But Then Stops
Nothing can be as frustrating on a hot day when one moment your vehicle’s air conditioning works fine, and the next moment it doesn’t. If this happens to you (especially on a very humid day), it may be a result of some mechanisms within the cooling system actually freezing, causing ice build-up on the evaporator coils. A temporary fix for this issue is to turn the A/C off for a bit to let it thaw and melt, as the system is working hard in high heat and humidity. If this doesn’t solve the problem, consider scheduling an appointment.
No Air is Blowing Out
If your vehicle’s vents are not blowing any air out at all, it’s more than likely that you have a problem with the fan or the fan itself has stopped working. Although this may seem like a relatively simple fix, if you plan on doing it yourself, be sure you know how to take your vehicle’s dashboard apart to access the parts.
Enjoying the summer months is much easier to do when you have a properly working car and air conditioner. While servicing your car regularly can help with avoiding these issues, some problems are simply inevitable. If you need to schedule a service, give us a call at (763) 522-2000 at Poquet Auto Golden Valley or (952) 469-1500 at Poquet Auto Lakeville.
