February 16, 2025
Your vehicle's air conditioning is something you count on when the weather heats up. But there's bound to be a day when you turn it on and one of these things happens:
Some people are tempted to try to make the diagnosis—and the repair—on their own. They think it's just run out of refrigerant and they can pick up a can at a local auto parts store and re-charge it. If only it was that easy.
A vehicle's air conditioning system is complex and made up of many parts. A compressor, evaporator, condenser, tubing, hoses, sensors, valves… the list goes on and on.
Each of these components could be the reason for the problem. It could be a leak that's letting the refrigerant escape, but simply re-charging the system hasn't fixed the problem. You have to find the source of the leak and fix it. Service facilities have a device called a "sniffer" which can sniff out refrigerant chemicals. And they can use black light to locate refrigerant that has an ultraviolet dye in it.
But often other components wear out; blower motors go bad, resistors blow, tubes clog, compressors fail. And diagnosing that takes training and special equipment you'll find at your service facility.
One other thing to keep in mind. It's always better to catch any problems in the air conditioning system before it fails. Ask your service advisor about having
the A/C checked as part of the vehicle's maintenance. That's the cool way to go.
Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Columbus
6853 Cleveland Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43231
614-895-1588
http://www.tuffycolumbus-clevelandave.com
March 23, 2025
While many components of your vehicle are complex and composed of lots of mechanical and electrical parts, there's one that isn't complicated but still important. It's your engine air filter. (And, we should point out, the engine air filter isn't to be confused with the cabin air filter. The ca... More
March 16, 2025
Keeping your vehicle's brakes in top shape is one of the most important things you can do for your safety and those on the road with you. Most drivers know a little about brake pads and rotors but maybe not so much about another brake component called the calipers. Disc brakes work by a mechanica... More
March 9, 2025
If you've ever felt your vehicle hesitate, go, then hesitate again, you might think there's something wrong with the transmission. After all, it's not moving smoothly down the road. But there are plenty of malfunctions that can cause those symptoms, one of them being something you may have nev... More