Car Air Conditioning

Car air-conditioning is a feature we’ve come to expect in the vast majority of new cars that are on the market. However, you may not realise that air-conditioning requires regular maintenance just like the rest of the vehicle.

Your car’s air-conditioning system is comprised of five integral parts:

• Refrigerant (the gas)
• Compressor (which contains the refrigerant)
• Condenser
• Receiver
• Thermal expansion valve
• Evaporation coils

When the air-conditioning system is activated, the refrigerant (gas) travels to the condenser. Fresh air from the atmosphere passes over the condenser, which causes the gas to drop in temperature and become a liquid.

That liquid passes through a receiver, which removes impurities, before reaching a thermal expansion valve. The valve allows you to control the temperature by adjusting the flow of the liquid. The liquid is then turned into a vapour as it passes through the evaporation coils, which subsequently gets blown into the cabin as cool air. The refrigerant has become a gas again by this point and returns to the compressor ready for the process to start all over again.

How do I know if my cars air-conditioning system is faulty?

Some common indicators of car air-conditioning problems often include:

• The air isn’t cold
• Bad odour
• It’s making a rattling sound
• Weak or no air coming out
• Condensation