Car Air Conditioning in Ringmore

A lot of cars around Ringmore do short hops down narrow lanes or sit on the drive between walking weekends. That sort of use is surprisingly hard on air conditioning, because the system keeps in better shape when it is run regularly.

Automaster at Longcombe Cross near Totnes services and repairs car air conditioning and heating for petrol and diesel cars and vans. Ringmore drivers who find the air con weak, smelly or noisy can ask us to look at it.

Does leaving the car parked harm the air con?

It can. The refrigerant carries a little oil round the system, which keeps the seals and compressor lubricated. A car that is rarely driven or rarely has the air con switched on lets seals dry and shrink, and small leaks follow.

Running the air con for a few minutes every week, even in winter, is a cheap habit that helps.

If you have been away or the car has stood for weeks, mention it. Long idle spells let moisture and stale air sit in the ducts, and a drive afterwards can bring out a smell that was building quietly. A check of the filter, the drain and the cooling performance usually tells the story.

How do I tell if it needs a re-gas?

The usual sign is air that is cool rather than cold, and getting worse over a season or two. The compressor may also cycle on and off more often than before.

Because a sealed system should not lose much refrigerant, a car that needs repeated refills has a leak, and finding it matters more than another top-up.

On a re-gas, the charge put back should match what the manufacturer specifies for your model, and it should then cool properly and hold its pressure. If it does not hold, there is a leak, and a repair has to come before another refill.

• Air only slightly cool
• Compressor clicking on and off often
• Ice or water behaving oddly
• Needs topping up every year

What can go wrong in a car that does short trips?

Short journeys never let the cabin dry out, so damp builds up on the evaporator and a musty smell appears. The heater suffers too, since the engine barely reaches full temperature before you arrive.

A new pollen filter and a proper check of the heating circuit usually settle things.

Do you look after drivers in Ringmore?

Yes. Our garage is at Longcombe Cross near Totnes, and we see cars from Ringmore, Bigbury, Kingston, Bantham and Thurlestone and the countryside around them.

The simplest route is to call the quote line or send over a description of the problem and the car.

Which heater and blower faults should I watch for?

No heat suggests low coolant, a thermostat stuck open or a blocked heater matrix. A blower that works only on some speeds usually means a failing resistor, while no airflow at all may be a dead motor or a blown fuse.

Windows that mist up and will not clear, or a smell of coolant inside, should be checked soon.