With the high price of gas, a lot of people are dedicating themselves to squeezing the most out of every gallon; that includes keeping their air conditioning turned off.

That is, until temperatures start to nudge their way toward triple digits. Suddenly that gas seems cheap enough to crank up the A/C with reckless abandon!

Of course, for most people, the A/C’s been off all winter long.

Air Conditioning Inspection

Cooling System Check - Cottman Man - Cottman Transmission and Total Auto Care

If you think you might be having any car air conditioning problems, here are a few simple checks you can perform to make sure your A/C system is working properly:

  1. First, turn the A/C on. Any unusual noises or vibrations? If so, turn it off and get your car over to your local Cottman center to have the system checked. Don’t play with it any further; you could end up causing even more damage to the system.
  2. Check the air temperature from the vents. If it seems to work without any undue noise or vibrations, then try switching over to the Max Air setting (sometimes that’s simply a matter of switching to recycled air).
  3. Consult with a professional if necessary. It should work okay on normal but get a little colder when you switched to Max. If it didn’t get cold at all or there was a major difference when you switched it to Max, again, get it over to your nearby Cottman center. Both conditions indicate problems with the system; those car air conditioning problems might not be too serious now, but could get more involved if you try to use the A/C without servicing the system.
  4. Finally, check underneath the car. The A/C is supposed to leak water onto the roadway when it’s working properly. If it doesn’t, the evaporator drain may be plugged and needs to be cleared right away, or water could start leaking into the passenger compartment.

Check Your Cooling System

When using the A/C, don’t forget to keep an eye on your car’s coolant temperature. The A/C adds a lot of load and heat to the engine. If the cooling system isn’t working properly, you could end up overheating.

Few systems on your car provide a more critical role for your comfort than the A/C. And these few simple checks will make sure that A/C is working right to keep you comfortable, no matter how high the mercury rises.