Air conditioning faults set to soar
Repairers could see the number of air conditioning faults entering the workshop surge in the coming weeks.
The hot weather this summer has seen online searches for ‘car AC broken’ rise by 350% since April, and that could rise again with the UK braced for its fourth heatwave of the summer.
Meanwhile, data from National Scrap Car has revealed that just 7.5% of drivers regularly service their air conditioning systems, meaning they could be more vulnerable to faults when used excessively.
Saul Turner, end-of-life vehicle specialist at National Scrap Car, said: “We’ve already had four heatwaves across the last few months, and it’s no surprise that drivers have been relying on their air conditioning far more than they normally would. That’s often when hidden faults start to show up, especially on older vehicles that have years of wear behind them.
“If your air conditioning isn’t blowing as cold as it should, the airflow feels weaker than normal, you notice unusual noises when it’s switched on or there’s a damp, musty smell coming through the vents, don’t ignore it. Those are all early warning signs that something isn’t right, and they’re much cheaper to investigate than waiting until the system stops working altogether.
“Some air conditioning problems are relatively inexpensive to fix if they’re caught early. A simple re-gas or replacing a blocked filter might only cost a few hundred pounds, but leave it too long and you could end up replacing the whole compressor, which can cost up to £1,000.”
Common faults:
- Air conditioning not blowing cold
- Air conditioning re-gas
- Air conditioning leaks
- Blocked cabin air filters
- Broken cooling fans
- Air conditioning compressor replacement
- General air conditioning fault diagnosis.
