How to Identify Problems with Your Car’s Air Conditioning

There’s a lot to look forward to about driving your BMW in the summer. Nights are nearly fully drawn out and of course the arrival of warm weather. It’s enough to put a smile on anyone’s face.

The only thing that becomes a bit of a nuisance about the summer sunshine is the scorching temperature that can occur inside the car, particularly if you happen to have leather seats! Thankfully nothing beats the heat better than the trusted air-con.

However, when things go wrong with your car’s air-conditioning, it can be the pebble in the proverbial shoe. Cue sticking to hot leather seats, feeling as though you’re cooking alive and sweating profusely, they’re all ways to ruin the summer driving experience.

How do I tell if there’s a problem?

1. No air from vents

The most obvious sign that there’s an issue with the air conditioning is if there’s no air coming out of the vents when the A/C is switched on. This could indicate that there is a problem with the fan or possibly the pump. It could just be simple debris clogging it up, or it could mean that something has broken. Booking in with an auto technician should easily help identify and remedy the problem.

2. Unusual noises

If something sounds broken, there’s a good chance it usually is. Rather than leaving it to chance and hoping that it goes away, taking your car to a specialist is the best course of action to avoid any further damage or complete failure

3. Bad smells

If you’ve noticed that each time you switch the air-con on there is a smell that resembles 3-day-old socks emanating from the vents then there could be mould growing inside the unit. Condensation from operation can cause this over time, but if it’s formed up enough to cause a bad smell then it’s best to avoid using the A/C as mould can be a health hazard.

4. Water stain marks

If all is operating well with your air-conditioning unit then water drainage from beneath the car is a usual occurrence. Watermarks or stains inside your car however is not, and should be treated as something to get checked out, as there is a good chance that the drain has been blocked.

5. Low pressure or warm air

Both low pressure and warm air are common signs of a leak in the system. These can often be extremely hard to identify at source. It is possible to use a specialist dye to help find the location of the leak. However a technician will be more than happy to help if you prefer to do the work professionally.

If you do discover a fault with your car’s air-conditioning, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with Auto-Technik today and book in for a repair. One of our highly trained technicians will be more than happy to assist.

Servicing your car is one way of helping identify faults before they appear, visit our car servicing page for more information.