The car AC blows cold on one side and warm on the other, but sometimes it doesn't work.
An intermittent A/C problem is one of the most difficult to diagnose.One day your car's A/C is cold, the next it is warm.
It's ironic that the very thing that makes an air conditioning system convenient, easy to use and reliable is electronics.
More and more features have been added to automotive air conditioning and heating systems over the last ten years.Taking notes is the first thing to do if you have an intermittent auto air conditioning problem.Everything related to the event should be recorded.
1.How long did you drive before the system failed?2.Did the air vents start to get warm?3.Is the air conditioning control panel working?4.How often does the system fail?Completely or partially?5.Does it fail on the highway or in stop-and-go traffic?
The list goes on and on.To make it easier to record the information, download the air conditioning diagnostic sheet.
The basics have to be right.Ensuring that the refrigerant system is fully charged, there are no leaks, and the pressure readings are within the specifications is what this means.The electronics are checked for fault codes.It will cost between $120 and $250 for this service.
If there are leaks, they should be fixed first.The next step is to see if there are any common problems that match the data you have provided and the technician has collected.We use a data base and hotline to do this.The technician will hook up monitoring equipment to see if he can reproduce the problem if this doesn't uncover it.We recommend that you drive the vehicle to see if the problem shows up as well as to identify if any of the symptoms have changed.Intermittent problems can be a challenge for both the customer and the automotive technician.Both parties have to work together to find a solution to the problem.
The electronic control head and the sensors that give input to the heating and air conditioning computer are common electronic problems.
People ask if it is worth checking online to find a solution.If you are good at doing your own repairs then you may want to try some inexpensive suggestions.If the problem is not properly diagnosed, you may end up repairing something that isn't causing it.
Brian England, the current president of BA Auto Care, got his start with an auto apprenticeship in a small town in the northwest of London.After working for a Land Rover dealer in Rockville, MD, he came to the U.S. and started British American Auto Care with his wife.Brian's philosophy is to encourage and educate drivers on the benefits of following a regular maintenance plan.