Salt air is hard on the part you never see
The A/C condenser sits right behind the grille, at the very front of the car. It’s made of thin aluminum tubes and fins, and it takes the full brunt of road spray and the salt air off Possession Sound. Over time, corrosion eats pinholes in it, and the refrigerant slowly leaks out.
That’s why so many systems near the water lose their cold gradually: a little weaker each summer, until one warm day it’s just blowing air. When we check an A/C system for a Mukilteo driver, the condenser and the lines up front are some of the first places we look.
Sitting still is the real test
Air conditioning works hardest when the car isn’t moving. On the open road, air rushes through the condenser and carries the heat away. Waiting in the ferry line, the system depends on the cooling fan alone. If your A/C is cold at speed and fades when you stop, that points us toward the fan, the condenser or a low charge.
Symptoms to bring in
- Air that isn’t as cold as it was last summer
- Cold while you’re moving, warm while you’re stopped
- A click, rattle or groan when the compressor comes on
- A musty smell from the vents
- Windows that fog up and are slow to clear. The defrost setting runs the A/C to dry the air, so this can be an A/C problem too
What we do
- Find and repair refrigerant leaks, then recharge the system to the manufacturer’s spec
- Repair or replace condensers, compressors, evaporators and hoses
- Cooling fans and the electrical side of the system
- Cabin air filters, and the damp smell that comes with a clogged one
- Replace the system when repair no longer makes sense
Our main air conditioning repair page explains how the system works. If the trouble is no heat instead, see car heater repair.