“You can pay 150 euros to fix your air conditioning or you can do it yourself”: Scotty Kilmer, mechanic

It is the song that returns to your head again and again. That, without any reason, comes to your head early in the morning, while showering. And that does not abandon you for days. And although the situation is more than known, and we know how it works, it does not cease to surprise us.

A summer. And another. And another one. The same goes for air conditioning. Summer arrives and the air conditioners break. It is always at the worst moment and, almost always, it is because We have not looked at it well for the rest of the year. Without correct maintenance, car air conditioning cools for spring temperatures but is not enough to a heat wave.

It is there when we demand most and, pum, it breaks. The Calvary arrives to look for someone who can repair a system that seems essential to travel on vacation. All this experience is well known by my partner Amparo Babiloni, who has left in writing Everything that has happened to him and how he has had to act.

To prevent this from being repeated, the council is simple, short and direct: maintenance.

Maintenance that we can do ourselves, which will take some time but that taking the appropriate indications can save us good money in the pocket.

Do it yourself

That is the message of Scott Kilmen, an American mechanic who with decades of work behind him has a YouTube channel with more than six and a half million followers how we can keep our car in the best possible state, some tricks to avoid and how to act in case of breakdown.

In the video you can see in this link, explain what to do if your air conditioning does not cool enough. Something common when we have been making a timely use of it with temperatures softer.

Among the tips that Kilmer provides is, in the first place, to replace the air conditioning filter. This filter is recommended to replace each car review but if you do not make it difficult to pass the cabin. Only this small detail will significantly improve the amount of air that arrives and the quality of the same.

It is a simple operation And it usually has easy access, so we can change it without much difficulty for a handful of euros (less than 20 euros, generally). In addition, this not only has its advantages in summer, it is also especially useful for Avoid allergies in spring.

Then, Kilmer proposes to improve the quality of the air we breathe. It is as simple as using An antibacterial product Since, as he explains, a dark and humid place such as the cooling system of a car has everything so that bacteria and microbes are developed that fall from the air we breathe. Especially if we live in a wet zone.

With the air lit at full performance, select the air inlet outside. Now, Kilmer recommends going to the air intake under the hood and spraying it with the antibacterial product to reach all corners of the system. He also recommends throwing it overnight and letting him act without fear until the next day.

Finally, if all this has not ended by solve the matter We only have to recharge the air conditioning gas. In that case you have to buy a Compatible with pressure gauge and apply it to the low pressure system. The pressure gauge is important because it will give us an immediate response of system pressure. While it is green, says Kilmer, you can continue adding gas and we must stop if it reaches the red zone.

In spite of everything, remember that these are more or less simple tricks that require a minimum of knowledge. Each driver is the one who must value whether or not it is worth investing money in a professional mechanic.

Photo | Magnus Östberg

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