Getting the most out of your car's A/C

THIS TIME, lets us talk about one of the important accessories in a modern car - the air-conditioner. The system of a car air- conditioner is only about four decades old. Imagine how our grandfathers and "brown sahibs" must have felt while travelling by car wearing 3-piece suits and hats without anything to keep them cool! One often has heard stories of how ice-packs had to be carried in cars to keep them cool. Today, an air-conditioner is not merely about effective cooling but is a complete climate control system known as HVAC (heating, ventilation and air- conditioning).

A car air-conditioner is a relatively sophisticated piece of equipment and I need to give you a piece of advice on how you can look after it and get the best out of it. Remember the following tips always for optimum performance from your car's air-con.

If you have an a/c car which is more than a year old, then the first thing you do is to have the front end of the car thoroughly pressure washed. This means removing the front grill and exposing the a/c condenser and radiator and subject them to a heavy pressure of water - you will be amazed at the amount of muck, grime, flying insects and other flying objects that come out! Now fix the front grill back, top up the air-conditioner gas and you are ready to roll. Do this at least twice during every hot season, you may not have to top up the a/c gas every time; you will notice a marked difference in your car air-con's cooling capability!

lBefore moving off after a long halt in the sun, roll down the glasses, put the a/c on full blast, put your air circulation switch to "fresh air" and drive for 500 metres or so and then roll up the windows. By doing this the car's inside cooling process is hastened and the hot-air will be blown out.

lMake sure that your car has tinted glasses or else have a light- tinted film put on them. However, make sure that whatever tint film you use complies with the law. Currently, the law dictates that 70 per cent transparency be maintained.

lCarry some stick-on shades - the ones you get at traffic crossings these days and stick them on the window glass so that the occupants are not exposed to direct sunlight.

lTry and park your car in the shade as far as possible or else try and cover the front windscreen from inside with a thick cardboard/opaque paper to protect the dashboard and the steering from getting hot. Direct exposure to the sun not only makes them hot to touch but tends to make them brittle as heat is bad for plastic.

Once the a/c is more than two years old, have it thoroughly serviced by a competent air-conditioning specialist shop. Make sure that the evaporator or cooling coil is thoroughly cleaned and the pipes and hoses checked for leakages. Especially prone to leakages are rubber seals known as O-rings. Have these seals thoroughly checked along with the thermostat and the compressor. Refill gas after all this is done but make sure that you have put in the right kind of gas. Newer systems use R-134A refrigerant (an eco-friendly gas) while older systems use R-12. Look under the car hood for details before topping up a/c gas, although according to safety norms, the filler inlets are different.

All this is applicable in case your car is already air- conditioned. But if you want to air-condition a car for the first time, be careful of what you fit. The size of the compressor as well as other components like condenser and evaporator have to be compatible with various parameters including the size of the engine. Some car owners have put heavy compressors in smaller cars with disastrous results.

Today, kits can be obtained directly from suppliers like Sanden Vikas and Subros. Make sure you pick the right one for your car.

Some air-conditioning specialists have developed innovative ideas such as the use of two condensers for that extra cooling. Other novel ideas include mounting the condenser at the rear and using electric fans on it, thereby ensuring that air-flow to the radiator is not blocked, and the engine stays as cool as the passengers inside the car.

A lot of research and development work by car makers has ensured that not only have air-conditioners become more effective but different temperature zones can be maintained for individual passengers.

These, however, are very complex systems found only on ultra expensive cars such as the Mercedes-Benz. In-car climate control has indeed come a long way from the ice box days of yore.

Tutu Dhawan

(The author can be contacted at: anything@tutudhawan.com)

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