DIY Solution for Aging A/C Systems in Older Cars

AC Technologies Corporation Provides DIY Solution for Aging A/C Systems in Older Cars

New research shows that the average age of cars and light trucks in operation have increased to a record high 12.1 years in 2021 and have been steadily increasing every year since the early 2000’s. As the cost of new vehicles increases due to higher cost of materials, increasing supply chain costs, labor increases and material shortages, vehicle owners are holding on to their cars longer. *

The Impact of COVID-19 on Car Ownership

Additionally, COVID-19 has accelerated the increase of vehicle age. In the early 2020’s, the pandemic caused many buyers to stay indoors as car manufacturers scrambled to modify and update their distribution systems to adhere to social distancing norms. With the decline in new car sales, owners opted to keep their older cars longer increasing the average age of cars by nearly two months in 2021 compared to the year prior.

The pandemic also shifted the lifestyle of many households and limited travel or mileage on owned vehicles to record lows. With many families adopting a more home-based work environment with less driving and commuting, the pressure of upgrading or updating vehicles diminished. Post pandemic, many households are starting to return to normal; however, their work requirements of office-based work have permanently changed with many families opting to work from home either part time or full time. This shift in local travel has caused many car owners to keep their cars longer.

An Aging Car’s Air Conditioning System

With the age of cars getting older, the demand and need for maintenance increases. One such increase is the automobile’s air conditioning system. As cars age, so do their parts. While much of your air conditioning system is made of metal, including the high-pressure lines, rubber is still a key component. Rubber O-rings, gaskets, grommets, hoses and other parts tend to degrade over time with exposure to heat, humidity and seasonal environmental changes. As that happens, the rubber parts start to harden, crack and fail. Those failures can cause loss of refrigerant in your A/C System. Most leaks are very minor and may not be visible to the naked eye. This is why you usually notice your car’s vent temperature increase in the spring as the leakage of refrigerant has been ongoing in the fall and winter, while the A/C is not in use.

The Importance of Refrigerant

Why is refrigerant important? Refrigerant is used in your car to help cool the cabin temperature. The most common type of refrigerant used today in your car is R134a, as it has low flammability and is safer compared to other refrigerants. It’s gentle on the environment. Your vehicle’s A/C system cycles this refrigerant from low pressure (gas) to high pressure (liquid) and back. It’s this change in form of refrigerant from high pressure to low pressure that has the cooling effect for your car’s cabin air. When you have too little refrigerant, there is not enough pressure differential between the high and low pressure to create that cooling effect as there is not enough pressure in the system. Alternatively, when there is too much refrigerant, there also isn’t enough pressure differential to create that cooling effect as there is too much pressure in the system. It is important to have the right amount of refrigerant in your system to operate efficiently to cool your vehicle.

Mister Freeze is the Solution

If your car’s A/C is not cooling properly, AC Technologies Corporation is the solution to your A/C refrigerant needs. We specialize in cutting-edge DIY solutions for your car A/C refrigerant needs and strive to provide viable DIY solutions to save time and money, compared to similar products and services. Our Mister Freeze brand of refrigerant along with our Patented AccuFill® Recharging tool is a universal solution to all vehicles in need of refrigerant. To learn more about the benefits of Mister Freeze, visit MrFreezeAC.com.

* IHS Markit (2021) https://news.ihsmarkit.com/prviewer/release_only/id/4759502/

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