Why a Car AC Diagnostic or Low Pressure Test Can Fool You & Your Mechanic!

So, your car's AC is blowing warm air, but you had it pressure tested at your local auto repair shop. So what’s going on? The most common AC pressure test used worldwide is a low pressure AC test. Essentially vacuuming out the lines, adding dye, and recharging the system to hopefully find the leak. They hook up a gauge, try to see where the dye is leaking, and replace or repair the part. Looks good and off you go thinking the problem solved. Right? So why is your car’s AC blowing warm or hot air a few days or weeks later? 

That’s the fatal flaw in low pressure AC testing which has been the industry standard. It’s been more of a wait and see approach often requiring more than one visit to the shop. But maybe there is a better way!

Why does a car AC Low Pressure Test often miss leaks?

Like a Balloon with a Tiny Hole

Think of your car's AC like a balloon filled with cool air (that's the refrigerant). When your AC is running, that air is under a lot of pressure, like when you blow up a balloon really hard. It's way more pressure than when the car is just sitting there.

The low pressure test your local auto shop performed only checks the pressure when the AC isn't really working hard. It's like checking the balloon when it's just half inflated and not puffed up much.

Here's why that can be a problem:

• Tiny Holes Stay Hidden: Imagine that balloon has a super tiny hole. When it's not puffed up much, barely any air might leak out. The low pressure ac test says the balloon is holding air. But what happens when you blow it up really hard? All that pressure pushes air out through that tiny hole! It's the same with your car's AC. In essence, the low pressure test may catch the large leak but miss the smaller leaks. Once your car's AC is back up to pressure and especially on hot weather days it’ll leak like crazy. That is the reason you may find yourself back at the auto repair shop soon thereafter.

• Temperature Tricks: Extreme weather like we have in San Antonio, Texas really pushes your car’s AC to the limit. On a cool day, a tiny leak might not leak much. But on a super hot day, things expand, and that tiny hole might get a little bigger, then a little bigger and so on. A low pressure AC test won’t catch that..

• Sometimes It Just Happens: Some leaks only happen when the car is shaking or when it gets really hot. A low pressure AC test often doesn’t show those kinds of problems because your car is just sitting there. 

Why Kool2U Mobile Auto Repairs MaxKool AC Diagnostic Does It Better: The High-Pressure Secret!

At Kool2U Mobile Auto Repair, we know that industry standard (low pressure AC test) isn't always good enough. That's why we perform a high-pressure AC diagnostic test.

Here's why it’s better:

• We Make It Work Hard (But Safely!): We pump a special air-like gas into your AC system at a really high pressure, so it mimics when your AC is actually running. This puts stress on all the parts – the hoses, the seals, everything. If there's even a tiny leak, that high pressure will force it to show itself.

• Finding the Sneaky Leaks: Because we use that high ac pressure test and special dyes, we can find those super small leaks that the low pressure AC test often misses. Our MaxKool system finds the leaks. It's like really puffing up that balloon to see even the tiniest pinhole. This helps our certified AC technicians fix the problem correctly the first time. 

• We use only modern, state of the art equipment: Besides the high pressure, we also use the latest, state of the art AC repair equipment that is available only through Kool2U. Our patent pending gas mix, special dyes, and high pressure test equipment isn't available to most local San Antonio area shops. We service R12, R134, and R1234yf systems. We won’t even attempt to explain how expensive R1234yf refrigerant is to test and recharge in modern car AC systems in this article. That’s a whole other story. Long story short, it's good for the environment BUT it's very expensive!

Don't Get Fooled by the results of a low pressure AC Test!

That quick, low-pressure test might seem easy, but it can miss the real problems with your car's AC. If you want to make sure your AC is really fixed right and stays cool here in San Antonio and surrounding areas, you need a more thorough check.

If your car’s AC is acting up, contact us at Kool2U Mobile Auto Repair. www.kool2u.com 210-374-5727. We really are Auto AC Repair Experts and We Come To You! Our high-pressure MaxKool AC Diagnostic test and state of the art equipment will help us find the real problem so you can stay cool and comfortable on the road! Set up your appointment today!

Stay Kool!