Most cars are equipped with air conditioning (A/C). However, if you feel like your A/C isn’t functioning correctly (there is not enough air coming through it, or you don’t notice the car getting cooler/warmer), you may want to test it in this straightforward way.

While driving, turn on the A/C to its maximum setting and select recirculate mode (the button features an orange light and an arrow bent back on itself). Within a minute or two, the air from the vents should be noticeably chilly. If you have a digital thermometer at home, bring it along so you can measure the air temperature coming from the vents. The temperature should be around 6°C

While looking under the bonnet, you can check if the air conditioning compressor works. With the engine running and the A/C set to maximum and in recirculation mode, listen for a clicking noise accompanied by a slight rise or fall in engine revs. This compressor engages and disengages, and it is what you want to hear. You may need to turn the A/C on and off to make this occur on demand.

Lastly, if you are unfamiliar with cars, be aware of the metal air conditioning pipes. You should be able to locate a thick pipe (low pressure) and a thinner pipe (high pressure). When the air conditioning has been running for a few minutes, the thicker pipe should be nice and cool (almost frosty to the touch!). Be cautious when reaching into the engine bay while the engine is running. You don’t want to burn yourself or put your fingers into a spinning fan, as this would obviously hurt a lot!

If the testing for this has failed and you can’t notice the cooler/warmer air flowing through the car, your air conditioning may be faulty, so you’ll need to repair it as quickly as possible. Here at Ultra AC, we can repair and even install a brand-new air conditioning system if necessary. Whatever the fault in your vehicle, we can help and offer a solution, whether it's a repair or a new system altogether. If your air conditioning has failed, we’ll fix it for you.

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