Is a Car Air Conditioning Service Necessary?

Yes, aircon servicing is a necessity that, if ignored, will lead to your vents blowing hot air. Like any sealed system under pressure, it needs checking to make sure it’s still doing what it should. Your air conditioning isn’t checked during an MOT and isn’t included as part of a standard service either, so unless you book it in specifically, nobody looks at it.

That’s why most drivers only find out there’s a problem when the vents start blowing warm air, usually on the first properly hot day of the year. Aircon isn’t just a summer system either, it pulls moisture out of the cabin air, which is what clears a fogged windscreen quickly on a cold morning. If yours takes ages to demist, that’s often the aircon rather than the heater.

So a system that’s left unserviced for years is costing you all-year round, not just in the summer.

What Does a Car Air Conditioning Service Include?

Our car air conditioning service starts with a performance test that tells us how well the system is actually cooling, and picks up problems like poor airflow. From there we carry out a full system check, covering the components from the compressor through to the condenser, and regassing the system back to your manufacturer’s specification.

Anti-bacterial odour treatment is available as an add-on. That’s the one to ask for if you’ve noticed a musty smell when you first switch the aircon on, because the cause is bacteria on the evaporator behind your dashboard and fresh gas won’t clear it.

We work on all makes and models, from hatchbacks and family SUVs through to vans and older cars. Brands we commonly see for air con servicing include Volkswagen, BMW, Vauxhall and Audi (amongst various others).

How Often Should You Service Your Car’s Air Conditioning?

Most manufacturers recommend every one to two years, but your car’s handbook will confirm what applies to your car. Older vehicles often need it more often because seals harden with age and lose gas faster. If you’ve already needed one regas, that’s usually the point to start checking annually.

Not sure whether yours is due? The signs to look out for will give you a good idea, and we’ve covered what happens if you leave it in a separate article.

If My Aircon Still Blows Cold, Do I Need It Serviced?

It’s a fair question, but a service on a system that still works is the cheapest version of the job. Waiting until your AC system stops entirely is an expensive repair.

Air conditioning loses refrigerant gradually, at roughly 10 to 15% a year through normal seal permeation. You won’t notice that happening because the system compensates until it can’t, so the drop feels sudden even though it took three years. By the time the vents are warm, the system has been running low on gas for a while.

That matters because refrigerant carries the oil that lubricates the compressor. Run the system undercharged and the compressor wears without proper lubrication. A regas is a modest bill but a compressor is a considerably larger one.

What’s the Best Time of Year to Book an Aircon Service?

Most drivers book their aircon in to be looked at when it stops working, much the same as going to the doctor only when you’re sick. But air conditioning fails when it’s under load, which usually means on the first hot spell of the year. Garages across Peterborough go from a normal diary to a waiting list within days of the temperature climbing because every driver in the city has just discovered their vents are blowing warm.

If you book in autumn, winter or early spring, you’ll have more luck choosing the date. The car goes in when it suits you and you’re not sitting in traffic in 28°C heat waiting for a slot that’s a fortnight away. It’s the same logic as sorting your MOT early.

When It’s a Repair Rather Than a Service

Some faults need more than a service, so if your aircon stopped cooling within a few months of being regassed, gas is escaping faster than normal wear accounts for. If the compressor is noisy, or it won’t engage at all, that’s a component fault. The system needs diagnosing properly because refilling a system that’s leaking just puts refrigerant into the atmosphere and leaves you back where you started.

We handle car air conditioning repair in Peterborough as well as servicing, so if the performance test turns up a fault, we can diagnose it and quote you in the same visit. Give us a call on 01733 788887 to book your car in.