With summer in full swing, you want to ensure that your car’s air conditioning is fully functional. The following tips from Jiffy Lube, a leading national provider of automotive preventive maintenance, will help your car air conditioning keep you cool all summer long.
Know It Works Best When Your Car Is Driving
One important thing to know about your car air conditioning is that it will work best while driving. This may be annoying while waiting for someone in your car, but it is good news while on the move. This is true because your engine running faster lets the AC compressor run more quickly. That, in turn, lets the system cool with more efficiency.
Open the Windows for 10 to 20 Seconds Right Away
In the summer, the inside of your car will always be hotter than the air outside of it. Opening your windows for 10-20 seconds when you get in the auto lets the hottest air out and some slightly cooler air from outside in. As a bonus, your car air conditioning takes about ten to 20 seconds to start cooling. So, you can turn it on, open the windows for a few seconds, close them, and enjoy the cool air.
Stick to the Lowest Setting
If your goal is to be as cool as possible, you have likely put your car air conditioning in the lowest temperature setting. But there’s another reason to do this. It makes the system the most efficient and dries out the air less. It can even reduce your fuel use compared with other temperatures. That’s because the AC will cool the air to about 38 degrees, then reheat it if you want a higher temperature.
Don’t Recirculate If You Have Rear-Seat Passengers
If anyone is sitting in the rear seat of your car, turn off your air conditioner’s recirculation mode. This mode will remove some of the air from the front portion of the cabin to put it through the system again. This is great for the front passengers but bad for those in the second row. So, only use recirculation if no one is in the rear seat.
Keep the Filter Clean
As with any other part of your vehicle with a filter, your car air conditioning will run the best when the filter is clean. Get in the habit of regularly checking the cabin air filter. These are easy to change yourself, or you can have our Jiffy Lube technicians do it for you.
Schedule AC Maintenance at Jiffy Lube
In addition to the above tips, you can keep your car air conditioning in good shape by stopping in for service at Jiffy Lube. Our service crew will inspect and test your system and maintain the various components, so they can continue to function properly. We can also change your air filter for you at the same time. So, visit one of our more than 2,000 locations nationwide today.
