Well, summer is nearly here by date and temperature!
We get several calls at White’s Automotive Center with customers saying their A.C. is not cooling well enough. When they come in to have their vehicle tested, many times we find nothing wrong and the A.C. is working perfectly.
So, you may ask, “What’s wrong then?”
Most of the time, the vehicle is in the sun with the windows closed and the interior can get up to between 120 and 160 degrees. In our area, most people drive to and from work or maybe to lunch and they’re only in their cars for about fifteen minutes. It takes a perfectly working A.C. about 15-30 minutes to really cool the car off.
If your drive is less than fifteen minutes, you may not be comfortable in your vehicle at all before you get out. Another thing to note… vans and SUVs are bigger and take longer to cool off. The best way to tell if your A.C. is working is to put the back of your hand to the vent and if it’s cold, it’s working.
There are a couple of things you can do to help your A.C. cool off your car more quickly.
The cheapest thing you can do is leave your windows cracked about half an inch. This allows the hot air to have a way out while it’s parked. If you’re worried about a rainy afternoon, there won’t be enough water coming inside your car to harm anything. You can buy rainguards to put on the doors to help.
Secondly, you can roll down the windows for a minute or two to get the hot air out quickly. Another tip is if you usually grip the top of the steering wheel when you drive, turn it upside down when you park so the sun doesn’t get that part too hot.
The easiest thing to do is to get a sunscreen and put it on the inside of your windshield. Crack the windows too – it’s the best combination to reduce heat in your car.
Last tip for a cooler car – park in the shade! And if you’re still having trouble with your A.C., please come see us at White’s Automotive Center and we’ll be happy to help you!
