Your vehicle’s air conditioner has to work hard to beat Florida’s summertime high temperatures and humidity levels. Here are some tips from our mechanics on how to cool your vehicle quickly.
- Park in the shade whenever possible. Added bonus with this tip are the extra steps you will take to get to the door of your destination. (All of our mechanics agreed on this one.)
- Invest in good quality tinted windows.
- Use a sun shade in your windshield.
- Consider purchasing vent visors. These fit along the top edge of your windows. They are custom molded to match your vehicle. Vent visors allow you to safely keep your windows opened about one-half to one inch. This allows hot air can flow out while preventing rain from getting in. Our shop can order and install these for you. Please call us for details and prices.
- When you get into your car, roll down all the windows. This lets the trapped super-hot air out before you turn on your air conditioner.)
- Set your air conditioner on Recirculate (REC). This setting draws air from inside your passenger compartment, through the air conditioner. Doing so will cool your vehicle faster than tying to draw in and cool outside air.
- Remember to change your cabin air filter at least once a year. This filter can become clogged over time and will affect the air circulation throughout your vehicle.
- Clean leaves and debris from the bottom exterior of your windshield. On some vehicles, you may need to open the hood to get all of it cleaned out. Since you will now be parking under trees (see tip 1), you may want to do this about every oil change.
- When traveling with your furry pets keep them near the back of the vehicle. At the front of the vehicle is the intake for the air conditioner. By keeping pets away from that area you are helping reduce the amount of their fur getting sucked into the filters (see tip 5).
- Keep your air conditioner system properly charged. When the system is under or over charged your air conditioner won’t be as cold as possible. This is best checked by a professional shop’s diagnostic equipment. We have all the equipment to properly charge the system to its optimum performance levels.
On a side note, we advise clients not to use the self charge kits available in stores. These can easily overcharge a system. This can cause your air conditioner to blow hot air. not cold.
We hope these tips help you stay cool this summer. If you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment, please call us at (352) 335-5780.