Car Air Conditioning in Totnes

Totnes is a place where the climate control in your car gets a proper workout. A hot afternoon crawling past the shops on a steep Fore Street, a summer queue of visitors on the A385 or A381, then a damp, misted-up winter morning on the way to the railway station: both the cooling and the heating side of the system matter here.

At Automaster, our garage at Longcombe Cross near Totnes, we handle air-con servicing and re-gassing, air-con diagnostics and repairs, and heating-system repairs for petrol and diesel cars and vans. If you have searched for an air con re-gas in Totnes or a car heater repair, the sections below explain what usually goes wrong and what to tell us when you ask for a quote.

Why is my car air con not cold?

Warm air from the vents is the most common complaint. In most cases the system has slowly lost refrigerant, because the seals and joints in an air-con circuit are never perfectly tight and a little escapes over the months and years. Less refrigerant means less cooling, and the change is gradual enough that many drivers only notice on the first properly warm day.

Other signs worth reporting are a musty or sour smell when the fan starts, a rattling or squealing noise when the compressor switches in, and cooling that works at motorway speed but fades when you are sitting in traffic.

• Warm or only mildly cool air
• Damp, musty smell from the vents
• Noise when the air con is switched on
• Weak airflow even on full fan

What actually fails in an air-con system?

The usual suspects are a leak at a pipe joint or seal, a worn compressor, a condenser at the front of the car damaged by stones or corroded, a faulty valve or sensor, and a blocked pollen filter that chokes the airflow and encourages smells.

Because several of these look alike from the driver's seat, diagnosis comes first. Guessing and replacing parts is how people end up paying twice, so we find the actual fault before recommending work.

Is an air con re-gas in Totnes enough, or do I need a leak check?

A re-gas tops the system back up to the correct refrigerant charge. On a healthy system that is all it needs. On a leaking system, though, the new gas will simply escape again, so a leak check is worth doing alongside it.

What drives the time and cost is mainly what the diagnosis finds: a simple service is one thing, a replacement compressor or condenser is quite another, and the exact refrigerant type and system layout vary from car to car. Ask for a quote and we can talk it through.

No heat from the heater: what could it be?

A heater that stays cold or only lukewarm is often down to low coolant, a thermostat stuck open, a blocked heater matrix or a failing blower. Low coolant is a warning in its own right, so if your temperature gauge is climbing or a warning light is on, stop driving and get the car looked at rather than carrying on up the hill.

A sweet smell in the cabin or persistently fogged windows can point to a heater matrix problem, and these deserve attention before winter.

Do you cover Totnes, and what should I tell you?

Yes. Our garage is at Longcombe Cross near Totnes, and drivers from Dartington, Buckfastleigh, South Brent and further afield bring cars to us as well. Your car is welcome whether it is a small town run-around or a family estate.

When you ask for a quote, give us the make, model and year, whether the air is warm, weak or smelly, any noises, and whether it ever worked well. It also helps to run the air con for ten minutes every few weeks, even in winter, since that keeps the seals lubricated.