Air conditioning
A/C that blows warm, cools weakly, smells or makes noise: finding the cause, including refrigerant leaks, before any recharge.
What this covers
A car’s A/C moves heat out of the cabin with refrigerant, a compressor, a condenser in front of the radiator and an evaporator behind the dash. Weak cooling is often a refrigerant leak, but a compressor that does not engage, a cooling fan or an electrical fault can cause the same complaint.
Anyone who repairs or services a car’s A/C for payment must be trained and certified under section 609 of the Clean Air Act. A label under the hood names your car’s refrigerant: older cars use R-134a, and the EPA says HFO-1234yf is now used in the majority of light-duty vehicles.
How the problem is found
Recharging a system that leaks only buys time; the refrigerant escapes again. Finding and fixing the leak is the lasting repair.
Cold at speed but warm at idle often points to airflow over the condenser, such as a cooling fan that is not running. No air at all is a blower or electrical fault, not refrigerant.
Makes this often comes up on
Air conditioning by shop
No shop has confirmed individual services online yet. Everything listed here is on TRUE’s list for all 5 shops; call the shop to confirm before you go.