On a hot New Mexico day, you depend on your AC to chill the cabin air. Like all other mechanical systems, the AC and its components can become worn or damaged over time, reducing its effectiveness. As your Volkswagen dealer, we want to tell you some signs you need to visit us for an AC service.
Signs You Need an AC Service at Your Volkswagen Dealer
Noisy AC
An AC shouldn’t make any sound when it’s working, so it is a sign of trouble if you hear rattling, clunking, rustling, or other strange noises. Air isn’t the only thing drawn into the AC air intake. Leaves, dirt, gravel, and other debris can be carried in with the air and left behind in the ducts. As the cold air moves through the ducts, it disturbs this debris and makes a noise.
Metallic sounds like clunking or rattling can be made by loose components or damaged bearings. Our technicians will need to investigate to find the cause of the problem. Dirt and debris in the ducts are quick and easy to remove, and we can replace damaged bearings or fix the cause of any other strange sounds.
Wet Floor
Air contains moisture, and this moisture is removed from the air before it is chilled and blown into your cabin. The water accumulates in the evaporator heater box and drains out via the drain pipe. The heater box is positioned behind the fireboard in front of the front passenger seat. Bacteria can grow in the damp conditions of the heater box and block the drain pipe.
A blocked drain pipe means the heater box will fill with water and overflow through the fireboard onto the front passenger carpet. We’ll remove the blocked drainpipe and sterilize the heater box to remove the bacteria. Once this is done, the water will drain normally again. We then clean the carpet with an antiseptic cleaning solution to remove the last traces of the bacteria.
Cold Air Only at Speed
The AC speed is controlled by the dials on your dash, not your vehicle’s speed. If you only feel cold air when you accelerate, your compressor is in trouble. The compressor is responsible for pushing air through the AC and controls the movement of the refrigerant that chills the air. A lack of pressure in the compressor reduces the refrigerant’s movement and ability to chill the air.
When you accelerate, the serpentine moves faster, and the serpentine belt causes the compressor pulley to spin faster and speed up the compressor. This causes a worn compressor to work harder. We’ll examine the compressor and repair or replace it to fix this problem.
If you have an AC problem, visit the experts at Sisbarro Autoworld Volkswagen in Las Cruces, NM.
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