Three Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Car’s Air Conditioner

No one wants to get in their car on a really hot day and turn on the air conditioner for some relief only to wait for a refreshing cool breeze that never happens. Or maybe some semi-cool air manages to get through the vents after a few minutes into your drive, but it’s too warm and too weak to make a big difference. Either way, here are three ways to get more out of your car’s air conditioner.

How to get the most out of your car air conditioner

Some strategies for dealing with inadequate air conditioning in a car, such as parking in the shade or using a windshield cover, focus on keeping it as cool as possible when not in use. And while they do help bring down the temperature inside the car a bit, chances are it will still be uncomfortably hot when you get in.

Here are some other options that might work a little better:

Replace air filter

When was the last time you changed your cabin filter ? If you can’t remember or know it was some time ago, you can check it out. Over time, dirt, dust, pollen, and other particles that your air filter does not allow to blow through the vents accumulate, potentially clogging it and preventing cold air from passing through .

Release hot air

It usually takes 10 to 20 seconds for a car’s air conditioner to start, so turn it on as soon as you get in the car and open the windows for about the same amount of time. This way you purify hot air while the air conditioner cools down.

Set it to the lowest temperature

It may seem like you’re doing your car a favor by setting the temperature somewhere in the middle of the dial, but according to automotive experts at Consumer Reports , that’s not the case.

“In a typical air conditioning system, the air is cooled down to 38 degrees,” the CR editors explain. “If you set the temperature higher, you are actually forcing the system to reheat cooled air, which requires more effort and more fuel.”