Maintaining Your Car's AC During the Winter

It may seem counterintuitive to prep your car’s air conditioner for the winter. After all, the last thing you would need while driving in the winter is your AC blowing in your face. However, your AC does a lot more than just pump out cold air. For your safety while driving, it is important to prepare your car’s air conditioner for winter and maintain it throughout the season. Here’s why.

Your car’s air conditioner does much more than blow cold air on hot days. It is also responsible for removing humidity from the air. Because of this, it is able to perform tasks like defrosting and defogging your windshield to improve visibility.

Having improved visibility is especially important during the winter as the days are shorter. You will find that you are driving in the dark more often than usual. Even if your windshield is slightly fogged, you won't be able to see out due to the lack of light. Using the defogging function of your AC should clear up any fog present on your windshield.

One of the easiest ways to maintain your car’s AC is by turning it on at least once a month, even when you don't feel like you need it. Inside of your air conditioner’s compressor is some lubricant. When you turn on your AC, you turn on the compressor. What this will do is keep the compressor lubricated for future hot days and foggy nights. If you allow your air conditioner to sit for long periods of time without use, it may not work the next time you need it.

When fall is coming to an end and winter is ramping up, check all of the functions of your air conditioner. Turn it on and let it run for a couple of minutes to ensure everything is working as it should.

While inspecting your air conditioner, check that your heater works too. If you notice your car warming up normally but your blower motor is rattling, there is a chance that something has worked its way into your heater box. Do not dismiss this as a normal car sound. Check the blower for twigs, leaves, bugs and even small animals.

Your air conditioner is one of the more expensive components in your car. It is very expensive to repair or replace. Fortunately, if you are properly maintaining it, you will dramatically extend its working life. By performing simple preventative maintenance, you will also save yourself some money. The concept is simple: the less you have to take it in to have it repaired, the less you have to spend on repairing it.

Another reasons to maintain your air conditioner in the winter is that if enough condensation builds up in your vents without you clearing it out, you will start to notice a very unpleasant, mildew smell in your car. But if you perform regular checks on your air conditioning system, you won’t let any condensation build up and will avoid this odor.

At the end of the day, there is only so much that you can do to prepare yourself for winter. If you have any other problems with your car, contact the professionals at Kell Radiator Service. No problem is too big or too small for us; we want to be your one-stop shop for all your auto needs.