Hot Weather And No A/C

A/C Button

It’s almost May and hot weather is coming to Arkansas and Oklahoma. We are used to that kind of weather, but that doesn’t mean we want to suffer without cool air in the cars we drive. That’s why it seems like every other phone call we take at our shop has to do with air conditioning. It just isn’t cold enough to be comfortable and therein lies the tale. There are a few things you can do to make sure your car’s A/C is cooling as efficiently as possible.

The first thing you want to do is to make sure you have your A/C set correctly. It is important to set it on either MAX or Recirculate. The image on the right shows what that setting looks like in one A/C control panel. The button on the lower right of the panel is the Recirculate button. Note that it shows a circular arrow. Some control panels have a different button, labeled MAX. Either one performs the same function.ac-max

Using the MAX or Recirculate is a must if you want cold A/C in your vehicle, but there is one other thing you can do to make sure your vehicle’s A/C unit has a good chance of cooling down the interior so you do not melt into the seat. Stop and think about something. If you have been at work all day long and your vehicle has been sitting in the sun, you can rest assured the interior is much hotter than the ambient temperature outside. If it is 95° or above and the vehicle has been in the direct sunlight, it will be well over 100° inside the cabin. That temperature can be amplified if you have leather seats. In other words, it’s going to be HOT when you open the door.

So, what can you do to help your A/C cool down the interior? The first thing you should do is roll down at least two windows. This will help dissipate a lot of the hot air that has accumulated while sitting in the sun. After the vehicle is started, turn your A/C to MAX or Recirculate and turn the blower on the 2nd level of air flow. Let it work like that for a few minutes and you will feel the air ac-recirculatecoming out starting to get cooler. When you feel that, roll up the windows and crank up the blower to the next to the highest setting. This will allow your vehicle’s A/C unit to work as efficiently and effectively as possible.

If the suggestions I have listed in this post have been followed and your vehicle’s A/C unit still refuses to cooperate and keep things cool to your satisfaction, feel free to contact us at 479-478-1991, or email us via the contact page. Or, you can always swing by the shop at 6800 Phoenix Avenue in Fort Smith and let us take a look. We will be glad to help you in any way we can.

Author: Larry