How To Maintain a Car Air Conditioner

A car air conditioner is a very important feature in a car. However, it is often neglected, and most people don’t know how to properly maintain it. Here are some methods of how to maintain a car air conditioner to make it work better and last longer.

Refer to the car’s manual. Maintaining a car air conditioner involves knowing about the specific features of your car. Know the instructions on how to maintain the parts of the car air conditioner. Always keep the car manual in a safe place so that you can refer to it whenever you have to maintain your car air conditioner.

Clean the air filter. A dirty air filter clogs up the airway and lessens the coolness of the car air conditioner. Check whether the air filter is still clean or if it needs cleaning. Take off the air filter. Clean the air filter using water and mild soap. When the air filter is very dirty, or if it has become damaged, replace the air filter with a new one.

Get rid of moisture. Excess moisture causes odor and encourages the growth of mildew. Dry the evaporator core by running your car air conditioner for about an hour. Activate the defrost system for 15 minutes to rid moisture easier.

Maintain the coolant pressure. Prevent the car air conditioner’s hoses from hardening up and the seals from being ruined by maintaining the coolant pressure. For once a month, run the air conditioner at the coolest temperature and the fastest fan speed for 20 minutes.

Prevent leaks. Leaks lessen the cooling effect of the air conditioner and damage the unit over time. Things to check are the gasket seal, the drainage holes, and the hoses. The car’s gasket seal is located above the air conditioner. If it is damaged, replace it to prevent the air conditioner from leaking. Clean the drainage holes found in the condensation pan. Clean the pan as well. Check all hoses for signs of wear and tear. Replace damaged hoses.

Maintain the evaporator coils. Check the status of the evaporator coils. Replace damaged evaporator coils to ensure the efficiency of the car air conditioner. If the evaporator coils have become dirty, clean them using a soft, clean brush.

Maintain the condenser fins. Check the air conditioner for bent condenser fins. Straighten up these fins to promote air circulation. Correct bent condenser fins with the use of a sturdy tool such as a condenser fin comb or any blunt metal instrument. Clean these condenser fins by wiping it with a clean cloth.

Have your air conditioner inspected. Go to a mechanic to have your car air conditioner inspected. The mechanic is experienced in inspecting the parts of a car air conditioner. He can determine whether repair needs to be done. If you don’t have the time or skill to inspect and remedy a car air conditioner, go to a mechanic for at least once a year.

Maintain your car air conditioner regularly to ensure its proper working condition. Never overuse your car air conditioner to prevent it from acquiring damage. When your car air conditioner is still not working efficiently after doing the methods mentioned above, consider having your car air conditioner replaced with a new unit.

adapted from http://www.howtodothings.com/automotive/how-to-maintain-a-car-air-conditioner

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Removing road tax stickers from windscreen

First, determine if you’ve got a layer of window tint on your vehicle windshield or otherwise.

It tends to be a little easier if there isn’t a tint applied as the adhesive residue from the road tax would be easier to remove.

Otherwise, extra care is recommended when removing expired road tax stickers from tint.

Assuming you do have a layer of window tint applied on your windshield, use the following steps:

1. You’ll need cotton-towels/microfibres, a solvent, for example alcohol-swabs (from the pharmacy) or lighter fluid (i.e Zippo) and a detergent. A basic pen-knife and a spare plastic card would suffice as tools.


2. Place soft cotton towels or microfibres on the dashboard area below the windshield.

3. Paste a few layers of quality cellophane tape on the back of the road-tax sticker overlapping the each layer by about one centimetre so that the entire sticker is held together in one piece. It’s a simple trick but will make your job removing the road tax sticker so much easier.

4. Using the pen-knife, carefully pry open a small gap under the edge of the road-tax. Leveraging carefully, begin to peel away the sticker slowly.

Spread even pressure widthwise so that you can retain as much of the road tax in one-piece to make for easier cleaning later on.

5. Once the sticker is removed, wipe the alcohol swab or using an older disposable towel, apply some of the lighter fluid onto the leftover adhesive residue. Gently rub in a circular motion and the residue should come off easily.

6. Next use a piece of newsprint and wipe away any of the solvents left over during the removal process. Immediately spray some detergent onto a cotton towel/microfibre and clean the affected area. Wipe with a clean damp microfibre. That should remove any streaks and unsightly marks.

7. When you apply the new road tax, try using a clear thick film for the adhesive portion to stick onto first. This would make it easier to replace the next round. They are usually provided by service centres, tint-installers or detailing facilities.

If you can’t find one, try buying them from hypermarkets and stationary or accessory shops.

Things to avoid

1. Don’t use a hair dryer to heat up the expired road tax sticker as the windshield might crack if there is excessive heat in a localised spot. Tint installers use heat guns/hair dryers but understand how to control their usage better.

2. Heavier duty solvents should be avoided as they might deform or cause the tint film to degrade.

3. Avoid using polishes/compounds to remove residue on tint as they might abrade the material. They are suitable for windshield’s that aren’t tinted as you’ll be working directly onto glass.

adapted from http://star-motoring.com/Features/Finishing-Touches/Removing-road-tax-stickers.aspx