The cool air from the AC feels like heaven during summer time until it starts to malfunction or the AC is somehow not as cool as it should be. This situation brings too much discomfort. Hence, you must have the basic knowledge on how to make car AC colder.
Fortunately, there are a few ways you can get your car AC to blow out extra cool air, unless there is a bigger technical problem with the AC system in your car.
How to Make Car AC Colder: Few Solutions
The solutions we will discuss are those that you can handle yourself.
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Turn AC to the Fullest at First
On a hot sunny day, when you sit in your car and turn it on, put the AC fan to the highest number or setting. This will allow the hot air to blow out quickly and the AC to start giving out cool air. Since the weather is too hot, it will take a few minutes for the air to cool. Nevertheless, you will have very cool air blowing out once you drive.
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Park in the Shade
If you can find a shaded place, park your car there. You can also use a window sun blocker. When parked in the sun, the inside temperature of your car can reach as high as 140 degrees Fahrenheit, even higher during summer. Obviously, that means your car’s AC will take longer to cool the car and you will probably sweat the whole time it takes to blow out cold air.
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Use a Single Vent and Point It Towards Yourself
If you are driving alone with no passengers, you can shut off the passenger side vent. There is usually a control wheel that lets you control the airflow rate. Shut if fully so that all the air can be transferred to the vent on the driver’s side.
Point the vent’s direction to yourself, one down and one directly towards your face. If there is nothing wrong with your car’s AC, but you still wish it would be cooler, this could be your solution for those hot days.
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Turn on Outside Air instead of Inner Circulation
If it is relatively less hot outside than inside your car, you can turn off inner circulation. This basically allows your car to pull in fresh air from the outside and cool that. If outside temperature is lower than the inside temperature, the AC has to work less on cooling that air. Inner circulation takes the air from the inside of the car and throws that out again.
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Change the Air Filter
A common reason behind AC’s mediocre cooling is a clogged cabin air filter. It could get clogged up with debris and need to be replaced once in a while. When you get your car serviced, get the air filter checked if it needs replacement. This can have a direct impact on the cooling of your air conditioner. Refer to your car’s manual to find out more about the air filter and when it is due for a change.
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Recharge Refrigerant
The refrigerant is a vital component of your AC system. It is the one that actually helps cool the air. If the AC is low on this, the air flow will not be cool enough. In fact, if your AC blows cold air at the start, but then blows less cold or even warm air, then you have a low refrigerant level.
It is easy to recharge the refrigerant (R134a for cars after 1995 and Freon for cars older than that). All you need is a refrigerant recharge kit that comes with a can, hose, and gauge. With the gauge, you would know when the refrigerant has filled up your car’s AC system.
To do so, you need to fill it through the low service side port. You can use the car’s manual to locate that if you are not familiar with the engine hub of your car. Once you refill the system with a new refrigerant, your car’s AC cooling will be so much better. In fact, at the highest setting, it could get freezing cold.
Refrigerants may need refilling after a year or longer. You can find out if this is the underlying cause of the cooling issue by inspecting the system for leaks and seeing if the compressor is running fine. If everything is good, the refrigerant is the main issue.
Even though most people go to car repair shops for this, you can also do it by yourself. Doing it yourself is, of course, cheaper as all you have to pay for is the kit. However, if the problem is more than a refrigerant recharge, you might want to consult a technician for that.
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Look for leaks
Leaks can mean mayhem in your AC system and should be fixed immediately. If your AC does not do enough cooling even after applying the above solutions, what you may be facing is a leak problem.
There are leak detection kits in auto supply stores and online that you can use at home. Alternately, you can have a technician look for a leak.
Leaks are bad because not only do they stop your AC from cooling your car, but also introduce moisture into the system. If a leak goes undetected for a long time, moisture may build up inside and create havoc in the entire system. If it is too bad, you might need to get the whole compressor replaced and that can be quite expensive.
How to Make CAR AC Colder: The Conclusion
AC systems are made up of several key components that all work together to make the air cool or warm. You can try all these solutions and see if any of it works in your case. The difference will be very distinct, not to mention pleasant.
If it still does not cool the car’s interior, take it to a service center and get professional help. Also, it is a good idea to get it serviced once a year, even if it works fine.
