The summer is finally here, time for road tripping and outdoor adventures.
When taking the family out on the road, air conditioning in our cars quickly becomes a must-have. There is nothing worse than a mobile oven causing us to perspire in the car seat and kids in the back getting cranky and restless, so if your AC isn’t in tip-top shape for the season – give us a call at Dodson’s Japanese Partsworld and we will sort you out with that component your car needs.
There are many reasons why your Air Con isn’t working properly. There is general wear and tear on the cooling system and the refrigerants (often Freon gas) might have just run empty. Some people pursue getting the most power out of their vehicles at the least amount of weight and opt to take their aircon, thus trading comfort for greater fuel efficiency and a slightly lower kerb weight. As the most common type of traffic accidents in New Zealand is the ‘nose-to-tail’, engine cooling and air conditioning parts are often the first mechanical victims of an impact, positioned right up front for greatest cooling and airflow. If you’ve had a frontal, chances are you will need to replace some of your cooling system. Perhaps a previous owner of your vehicle has had this happen to them and chose to keep the repair costs down by omitting the air conditioning system. Whatever the reasons are, we at Dodson’s have you covered for keeping cool this summer.
In principle, your car’s air condition system works much the same as the one in your home or your workplace. It not only cools the ambient air inside, but also lowers the air humidity. There are several components making up the air-con systems and they are: Compressor, Condenser, Receiver, Expansion Valve and Evaporator.
The compressor drives your AC. It is connected to the engine via drive belts and pumps the refrigerant under high pressure to the condenser. A Condenser often looks like a thin radiator and is normally mounted to the front of your radiator. It condenses the refrigerant vapour into liquid form and sends it to the Receiver. The receiver then takes the refrigerant and removes moisture from it, preventing any blockages in the system due to ice formation or mechanical damage. The Expansion Valve then removes pressure from the liquid refrigerant and sends it on to the Evaporator, which sits tucked up above the footwell in your car. This device absorbs heat from inside the car and a blower fan mounted behind it spreads the cool air inside the car.
The older the age of your vehicle and the more mileage it travels, the higher the likelihood of parts of your climate control needing some attention to keep operating well. Many AC parts are relatively straightforward to repair and replace, some needing specialised care. Whenever dealing with refrigerant gasses or any components which operate under high pressure, we recommend that you seek the advice of professionals. The capable team at Dodson’s can help steer you in the right direction and provide the right bits to keep you cool and comfortable this summer season.
Call us today at 09 441-3152 to get the right part at the right price.