When you live in a tropical country, driving with your air condition unit running is must. That is unless you like driving uncomfortable and drenched in your own sweat. Just imagine your AC unit not working properly, everyone from the driver to the passengers in the car will suffer. So it should be among your car concerns to get to know your car air conditioning more. To make sure you’re getting the most out of it, you might wanna avoid the following mistakes people often make when using their car air conditioning unit.
1. Not Keeping AUTO On
Many cars nowadays have an auto air re circulation button on their climate controls. It’s best to leave this on to prevent buildup of fog and condensation in the windows that can hamper visibility.
The distinctive smell of mildew flooding out of your air vents is usually caused by a build-up of bacteria and mold. This can happen to older cars that have had bacteria growing behind the dashboard for years and in cars that rarely run the air conditioning, as they don’t enjoy the drying effects that it provides to excess water on the coils. So if you do your own car cleaning, make sure you clean your car AC vents too.
Also, keeping a set temperature and leaving the air conditioning in a mode that it can manage itself is the best way to keep the windows clear and still keep occupants cool. Adjust the temperature all you want, but keep that button on.
2. Hogging The Vents
People who live in the tropics know how heavenly it feels when the cool air from the AC is blowing directly at you. However, doing this prevents the cool air from circulating throughout the interior properly. So it’s better to point the vents upwards for the cool air to circulate easier and faster.
3. Blasting It
Having an air conditioning unit in your car makes driving around in tropical countries easier. However, despite the comfort that it provides it also means you’re consuming more gas at a faster rate, especially during summer because the unit has to work harder to keep your car cool. But if you get your windows tinted, you’ll be able to save money and gasoline. Window films blocks not just the sun light but as well as the heat from penetrating your vehicle, so you wouldn’t have to run the AC unit on full blast just to keep the interior cool.
Aside from that, if you’ve left it parked outside for a while and you want to cool the entire interior down quickly, blasting the AC may not be a good idea. Instead of blasting the AC unit and wasting gas in attempt to cool down your car faster, do this trick instead. Roll down the passenger window and open and close the driver’s door a handful of times. This will quickly and effectively cool down a hot car.
4. Not Taking It To The Car Servicing Shop For Regular Maintenance
The more you keep its maintenance up-to-date the more your car’s condition is restored therefore prolonging its lifespan. With that, you’ll be able to enjoy your car longer than it would if you just let minor damages turn into unrepairable ones due to neglect.
But aside from that, it’s not enough that it is running but it should also be running smoothly otherwise it’s no use having it in the first place. That is unless you like driving uncomfortable and drenched in your own sweat. Just imagine your AC unit not working properly, everyone from the driver to the passengers in the car will suffer.
So, as with any part of a vehicle, may it be oil, tires, or brake fluid, the key to an efficient and effective A/C system is regular maintenance. If you don’t know how to do this yourself, you should get your AC checked every time you take your car for its regular maintenance
5. Windows Down In The Morning
Because it’s usually not that hot early in the morning, car owners tend to drive with their windows down before noon. However, it’s actually better to keep the windows up and turn the AC right away to regulate cabin temperature and prevent fogging up. This keeps you AC from working too hard to reach a comfortable temperature as the temperature outside rises.
6. Assuming That The AC Blowing Hot Air Just Happens Because It’s Incredibly Hot Outside
Always remember, this is never normal! AC systems are created to blow cool air all the time to lower the temperature.So if it’s doing the opposite there’s definitely a problem. This can really suck because if there’s anything worse than an AC unit not working at all is an AC unit blowing hot air instead of cool air. When this happens, you’re probably looking at a variety of reasons like damaged cooling fans, a blocked or broken condenser, an internal obstruction, an electrical fault, and/or low refrigerant levels. When this happens, it’s best that you take your car to a trusted car servicing center right away to get it checked and fixed as soon as possible.
The Cars blog 