Crawford’s Auto Repair provides auto air conditioning and heater services in Chandler AZ, and nearby areas of the East Valley.
Schedule An AppointmentIn the freakin' hot Arizona summers, or cold winters anywhere, the car AC and heater need to perform properly. If you need these systems serviced then contact us. Call 480-201-0740 to schedule an appointment.
For residents of the Phoenix metro area, it may be hard to believe that there are even vehicles in existence that don’t have an air conditioning system. In a region where people may try to fry an egg on the pavement in the summer, it’s certainly going to be hot in the vehicle, where people may also try to bake cookies during the summer while it’s parked. The AC is pretty much a necessity here and it may even be used on certain days in the winter, especially with the greenhouse effect.
The auto air conditioning and heating systems could also be referred to as the auto HVAC system (heating, ventilation, air conditioning), although “HVAC” usually refers to home systems. In automobiles, the air conditioning and heating are two separate systems but of course they share the same ventilation and some electrical components.
The heating system consists of a heating core, which is very similar technology to the radiator in the cooling system. The air conditioning system consists of a compressor, condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator. The AC also makes use of a fluid called “refrigerant” or “freon”. Both heating and AC systems also have electrical components and the ventilation has blower fans.
Note: Although the function of the AC is to cool the cab of the vehicle, it is never referred to as a “cooling system” since there is a separate system called the cooling system which functions to cool the engine while it is in operation. However, the AC condenser and the water pump (which is part of the cooling system) could fail at the same time since they often share a serpentine belt.
Auto Air Conditioning Maintenance And Heater Maintenance – Cabin Air Filter Replacement
The air conditioning system is complex and it’s one of the systems which we recommend only trained professionals handle. Since we like to prevent leaks in the AC system we avoid opening it whenever possible. When handled this way it remains a completely closed system and therefore requires less services and repairs. Other auto shops and auto parts stores like to treat the AC system as something to make more money on, so they are frequently recommending services beyond their expertise, which ends up costing more because more repairs are needed.
Checking the refrigerant level and condition is not part of standard maintenance. A visual inspection is performed with standard maintenance. The only preventative maintenance on an AC system is replacement of the cabin air filter, which is done about every 12,000 to 15,000 miles or according the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation, or whenever it’s discovered to be too dirty.
Also there are no standard maintenance services for the heater; it is generally only inspected and repaired when it fails, and in Arizona it’s often not even detected.
Signs That You May Need AC or Heater Services
The following are signs and symptoms that you need AC or heater services:
- Poor AC performance
- Poor heater performance
- A leak is detected upon visual inspection
- White steam coming out of the vents that fogs the windows indicates heater problems
- A sweet smell while the heater is on can indicate a heater core leak
- Air is not blowing at the vents
Free AC Check
The Free AC Check is one of a few free services that we offer. Since we try to avoid opening the AC system, the AC Check consists of an outer visual inspection of the AC system and a temperature measurement at the vents. If it is not cooling sufficiently then we discuss options with you for moving forward to improve the AC efficiency. When poor AC performance is observed then we may mix a dye with the refrigerant to make a leak more visible. If the leak can’t be detected on the initial visit then you’ll drive the vehicle and come back in a couple days. By then the dye should make the leak more detectable.
Learn more about the Free AC Check.
Auto Air Conditioning System Services & Repairs
While the air conditioning system is supposed to be a completely closed system, it is not absolutely air tight; so there can be some refrigerant loss over time. Also, a normally operating air conditioning system can still seem insufficient in the extreme Arizona heat, so it’s not uncommon for customers to want to improve it.
AC Recharge
When the AC has poor performance then an AC recharge can be performed. This is probably the most common AC service. A recharge is also needed whenever a leak is repaired.
The refrigerant is removed with a recovery device. Removing the refrigerant is called “recovering” the refrigerant. Then we charge the AC with a specified amount of refrigerant. “Charging” the AC means that we put the previously recovered refrigerant back in after the refrigerant has been “recycled” (or cleaned and filtered) through the recovery device.
AC Leak Repair
As mentioned before, the leak is often detected with an AC dye mixed in with the refrigerant. Once the leak is identified the refrigerant is recovered and the associated part(s) are replaced. Then the AC is recharged (i.e. recovered refrigerant is filtered and re-installed)
AC Retrofit
Older vehicles which once used Freon R-12 may need an AC system retrofit to handle the new R-134 refrigerant. This involves changing seals, hoses and even the compressor so that they are compatible with R-134.
Serpentine Belt Failure
If the air conditioning, the cooling system and the recharging system all fail at the same time then it’s mostly likely an issue with the serpentine belt. This belt is connected on pulleys that rotates the compressor for the air conditioning, the water pump in the cooling system, and the alternator at the same time.
Auto Heater Services & Repairs
Corrosion can cause the heater core to leak. This may be accompanied by steam leaving the vents and fogging the windows along with a sweet smell while the heater is turned on. The repair for this is a heater core replacement which is a challenging repair since it’s usually in a tight space under the dash.
The following is a more complete list of auto AC services, auto AC repairs, auto heater services, and auto heater repairs:
List of Auto AC Services & Repairs
- Free AC Check (air conditioning inspection)
- Ventilation and blower inspection
- AC belt replacement
- AC air filter replacement
- Cabin filter replacement
- AC accumulator replacement
- AC clutch cycling switch replacement
- AC compressor replacement
- AC condenser fan replacement
- AC control switch replacement
- AC high pressure hose replacement
- AC low pressure hose replacement
- AC cycling switch replacement
- AC receiver dryer replacement
- AC repair
- Blower motor relay replacement
- Blower motor switch replacement
- Expansion valve replacement
- Orifice tube replacement
- Serpentine belt replacement
- Evaporator temperature sensor (switch) replacement
List of Heater Services & Repairs
- Auto heater inspection
- Sweet smell inspection (could also indicate cooling system issue)
- Auto heater repair
- Auto heater core replacement
- Heater blower motor replacement
- Heater blower motor resistor replacement
- Heater control valve replacement
- Heater bypass tube replacement
Call 480-201-0740 Or Email Us To Schedule An Appointment For AC or Heater Services
If your vehicle is exhibiting poor AC performance, poor heater performance or any of the symptoms listed above, then bring it to the shop for repairs. Get a free AC check to see what’s going on. At Crawford’s Auto Repair we never try to sell unnecessary repairs. Get affordable 5-star service. Call 480-201-0740 to schedule an appointment.
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