Car Air Conditioning in Salcombe

Salcombe is all steep, narrow streets, limited parking and heavy holiday traffic, and a car there spends a good deal of its life crawling in first and second gear. Boat owners and visitors alike lean on the air con and heater more than they realise.

Automaster is at Longcombe Cross near Totnes. We service and re-gas car air conditioning, find and fix faults, and repair heating systems on petrol and diesel cars and vans, including those that come to us from Salcombe.

Does slow, steep driving make air con problems worse?

Yes. Low speeds mean little natural airflow through the condenser, and hill climbs load the engine and the cooling system together. A system with a tired condenser fan or a low charge shows the weakness quickly.

If the air goes warm on a hill or in a queue but recovers when you move, say so when you ask for a quote.

Dense summer traffic, tight turns and slow reversing in cramped spaces all keep the engine busy without much airflow, so any weakness in the cooling circuit shows. We also see cars that spend long spells parked up between sailing weekends, which is hard on seals and hoses.

What are the common air con faults?

Most come down to a handful of causes, and each leaves you with warm air in a slightly different way.

Seals and hoses age and let refrigerant seep out, stone chips damage the condenser, compressors wear or seize, and electrical faults stop the clutch engaging.

• Leaking seals, hoses or joints
• Damaged condenser
• Worn compressor or clutch
• Sensor, switch or valve faults
• Blocked pollen filter

Why not simply keep topping up the gas?

A re-gas on a leaking system will not last, and each top-up is money that escapes into the air. Leak checking first points the repair at the true fault.

Where the charge has only faded naturally, a service and re-gas can bring the cooling back.

Do you cover Salcombe, and where do I bring the car?

Salcombe drivers are very welcome. Automaster is at Longcombe Cross, Longcombe, near Totnes, and we also see cars from Kingsbridge, Thurlestone, Loddiswell and Bantham.

Parking in Salcombe is hard enough, so it is worth describing the problem by phone and asking for a quote before you plan the trip.

A short call to describe the problem, the make and model and the symptoms is a sensible first step, and it lets you ask for a quote before you plan the journey.

My heater is weak or smells odd. What should I do?

Weak heat can be low coolant, a thermostat stuck open, an airlock or a clogged heater matrix. A sweet smell and misting windows suggest a coolant leak at the matrix.

A damp, salty boating life leaves cars with misted glass, so a working demister matters for safety. If the engine overheats, stop driving.