4 Tips On Keeping Your AC Cool This Spring
Spring has sprung, and with it comes the familiar rising of temperatures! When it starts warming up, you’ll want to be sure you can keep cool as you ride along in your Mini Cooper, BMW, or Mercedes. Whether you’re driving to and from work, taking a road trip, or sitting in the typical Los Angeles traffic jam, your car’s air conditioning feels like a lifesaver. Check out these 4 need-to-know tips to keep your cool this season!
1. Your Air Conditioning Keeps Your Car Cool Too!
For the average 4-cylinder engine, it is producing roughly 4,000 tiny explosions per minute to keep power in your automobile. If you imagine putting 4,000 explosions into any given space, you can imagine it’s a pretty hot. No matter the weather, the engine has to be cooled due to this level of heat - which is where your vehicle’s AC and cooling system do their part.
Whether you’re driving a Mini, BMW, or Mercedes, your car’s AC system is responsible for controlling the temperature inside the car, and under the hood the cooling system keeps the engine cool. This prevents your engine from overheating and keeps your car rolling on down the road.
2. How Does The AC System Work?
The air conditioning in your car is made up of a few basic parts. The compressor is the heart of the system by compressing a gas refrigerant. The compressor works together with a few other pieces (your radiator, condensor, evaporator, and expansion valve). The expansion valve allows the refrigerant to expand at a predetermined rate and cools the evaporator inside the car, emitting cold air through the vents to keep your vehicle from overheating while you enjoy the warming weather of Southern California.
3. Check Your Refrigerant Levels
When the compressor is working well, you have nothing to worry about as you feel the cool breeze of your AC doing its job! However, like most mechanical systems, it will require some maintenance every once in a while.
One of the simplest ways to make sure it runs properly is to have your refrigerant levels checked. Without that gas refrigerant, your compressor can’t convert the heat into cool air. Simultaneously, it’s crucial not to overfill the refrigerant. If the air conditioning isn’t feeling chilled enough, you may have a leak or require another type of repair to your system.
4. Get a Cooling System Flush Every 24K Miles
To make sure your AC system keeps blowing cool air, it’s recommended to have the cooling system flushed in order to ensure the liquid inside it is clean (and not corrosive). Avoiding a system flush could end up with a more expensive repair down the line!
At the end of a long hot day, make sure you don’t break into a sweat over having your air conditioning system checked. We want to help you stay cool, and ensure your car keeps you safe in the meantime. Bring your Mini Cooper, BMW, or Mercedes over to one of our two convenient locations in the greater Los Angeles area - located in Culver City and Lawndale. We’ll take great care of your vehicle, because we take great care of you!