Skip to main content

The car’s AC isn’t broken – it’s just lost a little of its mojo

Linda got in the car with her friend and started the engine. Immediately, she turned the car’s AC onto ‘MAX’ and then started driving. She and Melissa both commented on “what a nice, sunny day it is.”

“It has to be in the upper 70s already,” said Melissa.

“I think you’re right,” said Donna with a frown on her face.

“What’s wrong?” asked Melissa.

Donna held her hand in front of the vent to feel the air blowing out. “For crying out loud,” she said. “I checked the AC the other day and it was blowing nice and cold. Now, it feels like it’s not working at all.”

Linda rolled her window down and suggested Melissa do the same. “I’ll have to bring the car in to have the AC fixed,” she said. “It certainly is temperamental.”



Actually, Linda’s air conditioning might not be as temperamental as she might think. It may have simply lost a little of its mojo.

The other day when Linda checked out the air conditioning, it was in the 60s outside. The car’s AC didn’t have to work all that hard to remove the heat from the cabin of the car. Now, with the temperature in the upper 70s already, the AC was getting a real test of its capacity for cooling the car.

Chances are, the AC in Linda’s car isn’t broken; it’s just lost a little bit of its charge.
She’s right to bring the car in to a trusted auto repair shop but, chances are, they’ll only have to recharge the AC and she and her car will be ready for whatever summer throws at them.

In a way, she’s lucky. She’s noticed the problem soon enough. Others may not notice a problem until they’re dealing with temperatures in the 90s or, you never know, higher. If it hits 100 degrees outside, you definitely want your car’s AC to work and work well.

At a trusted auto repair shop, they’ll not only recharge her car’s AC; they’ll also check the entire system. They’ll make sure that the AC is in good repair. More than that, they’ll also take a look at the car.

For the AC to work, the car has to run. If your car overheats, you’ll find yourself on the side of the road somewhere and you won’t have the AC to keep you cool while you wait for a tow truck. The gist of the matter is to make sure the car is well maintained and as ready for summer as the car’s AC.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Is your antifreeze safe from freezing this Richmond winter

You still have time to have it checked Well, there’s no denying it – winter tends to get chilly here in Richmond. We have to deal with snow and ice on the roads, scraping the same off our windows and windshield, and staying warm while we drive. Of course, you had your antifreeze checked before winter rolled into town. What?! You didn’t have your antifreeze checked before winter clamped down on Richmond? So, how’s your antifreeze doing?  If you haven’t had it checked, there’s really no way of knowing, is there? This car has overheated in the middle of a Richmond  winter. But, on the other end of the spectrum, the antifreeze can also freeze if it's not up to its job. Hopefully, you haven’t had a serious problem with your antifreeze already. If you did, you’d probably know. When antifreeze fails, it’s a potentially catastrophic condition for your vehicle’s engine. You could have hoses that have burst because of freezing antifreeze. Worse than that, your engine block may have crac...

Blocks of ice falling from cars in McHenry could cause accidents or damage

We’ve all seen those blocks of snow falling from behind the rear tires of a car when the snow rolls into McHenry . Fortunately, they’re just packed snow that will disintegrate under your vehicle’s tires as you simply drive right through them, right? Don’t count on it. Those blocks of snow are often packed so tight, condensed by the thaw-and-freeze cycle, that they’re anything but oversized snowballs . They’re often more like boulders.  Hit one of those blocks and the collision between the block and one of your tires could send you careening off the road or into oncoming traffic. In some cases, they’re so solid you could pound them with a sledgehammer with little effect. They truly can represent a serious road hazard. The problem is that it’s difficult to tell how solidly they’re packed when you see them on the road, left their unwittingly by another driver. Either way, your best bet is to try to avoid them. But you want to be careful dodging blocks of ice in the road, too. You need...

October 20 Hootenanny will benefit veterans with PTSD

Been to a Hootenanny lately? When you read that question did you ask, “What?” Well, if you have gone to a Hootenanny in a while, or if you don’t know what a hootenanny is, we have an event for Oct. 20 that will clear up either question. From 6 p.m. to Midnight, Saturday, Oct. 20, MC3, the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce business networking group, is helping to host an inaugural Veterans R&R Wild Horse Hootenanny at Beyond Stable Farm (11129 Rte. 176, Woodstock). The event will benefit Veterans R&R Operation Wild Horse. Operation Wild Horse serves veterans with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Working with the horses has proven to have an incredibly calming effect on the veterans. And, it’s good for the horses, too, rescued wild mustangs. This means that the hootenanny is for a very good cause. But, it’s also a lot of fun. So, what is a hootenanny? According to a Google search, a hootenanny is “an informal gathering with folk music and sometimes dancing.” The V...