Air conditioners in newer cars break after only three years

Traffic experts warn that a driver who drives a car whose cabin temperature is 35 degrees has the same reactions as a person with 0,5 per thousand of alcohol in his blood. In addition to the safety aspect, passenger comfort is also very important, for whom driving in an overheated vehicle is real torture.

Of course, today the vast majority of cars are equipped with air conditioners, but be careful: even if you have a newer car, it does not mean that you will be spared unpleasant surprises.

A specialist in automotive air conditioners, Vlatko Vukovic, the owner of the "Frigomax Vuković" service, says that with the new generation of compressors, which are the most important parts of air conditioners, problems occur en masse already around the third or fourth year of use.

"With modern compressors, the rubber bands and bearings on the compressor pulley, as well as the electromagnetic valves on the compressor, quickly suffer. It's already starting to break down after three years of use," says Vuković.

The failure of the bearing or rubber on the pulley is manifested by an unusual sound of the engine, so the driver can feel that something is wrong. Replacing the bearing costs 40 to 45 euros, and on this occasion it is necessary to replace both the freon and the oil in the system.

"When solenoid valves fail, the only symptom is a complete lack of cooling. Replacing the valve costs from 80 to 100 euros, and also requires replacing the oil and freon".

That's why Vuković recommends regular control of the cooling system in the car, regardless of the age of the vehicle, and adds that the inspection is free in his service.

"The control includes an inspection of all components of the air conditioner, starting from the amount of freon in the system, through the operation of the compressor, to checking the air conditioner filter. In the event that we find any irregularities, in agreement with the client, we immediately resort to repairs, because a failure on the bearing, which is relatively cheap, can lead to the destruction of the compressor, which is the most expensive part of the system", explains Vuković.

However, drivers most often remember "air conditioning", when they press the AC button on the dashboard during the first hot days, and then realize that hot air is coming out of the vents.

Given that most drivers only use the air conditioner during the summer, they find out about the problem at the most inconvenient moment, when most air conditioning service centers are too busy.

"We manage to meet the clients, but we also expect understanding from them, because during the first summer days we work without rest, sometimes until midnight," says Vuković, whose service is also authorized to service cooling systems manufactured by Carrier and Thermo king, which are installed in commercial vehicles. During the diagnosis, be with the masterIn the "Frigomax Vuković" service, replacing freon and oil costs 35 euros, and the warranty is 6 months. "Customers often ask to only top up the freon, because such a procedure costs a little less, but we are reluctant to do it, because if there is not enough oil in the system, the compressor will fail, which can cost over 200 euros. In addition, along with the complete replacement of freon and oil, the system is vacuumed and tested with nitrogen under pressure, which allows us to determine where the system is losing freon."

"If the compressor cannot be saved, and the customer does not want to buy a new part whose price goes up to 1.000 euros, we offer repaired compressors that cost from 150 to 220 euros, and for which we give a guarantee of 6 to 12 months. When determining the fault, it would be desirable for the customer to be with us, because these are very tricky things, and we want to maintain the maximum trust of the clients.A dirty filter contributes to unpleasant odors

The climate filter should preferably be changed once a year. Dirt accumulates on the evaporator, mold and fungi accumulate, and unpleasant odors and possible problems for the health of passengers occur. The filter costs from 5 to 25 euros, depending on the type of vehicle and the material from which the filter is made.

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