One of the most overlooked components in a car during servicing is the air-conditioning unit. If you’re driving a Japanese car like most motorists, it’s unlikely that you’ve even thought about this, since most Japanese makes have air-cons that are so powerful that they’re more like freezers.
Here’s the thing, though. If you regularly have your home air-conditioners serviced, why not the unit in your car?
After all, car air-cons also have filters and condenser units, which can get clogged up over time. That funky odour in your cabin – which you’ve perhaps tried to remedy with air fresheners – could be due to a dirty filtration system.
Dirt, however, is a minor issue. Given our humid climate, harmful bacteria, mould and other allergens are likely to have accumulated within the air-con system’s evaporator coils and cabin air filter. The thought of breathing in all these pollutants is a disgusting one, indeed!
To help your family breathe easier, you should head to your workshop to have your vehicle’s air-conditioning unit serviced every six months. Ask them to use a high-pressure hose to dislodge the gunk in the evaporator coils and replace the cabin air filter. It also helps if you disinfect the air-con vents on a regular basis, too.
If you still smell a funny odour after servicing your car air-con, you could consider having your interior vacuumed and steam-cleaned.
A clean air-conditioning system not only lets you breathe easier – it works more efficiently, too. This helps reduce its load on the engine, which in turn helps lower fuel consumption.
With a clean air-con system, your car will literally become cooler and smell a lot nicer. It should certainly put you in a good mood each time you get in your car. That’s important, because being in a good mood is the first step to enjoying your drive!