Rises by almost 80%

Autodata the UK’s leading supplier of technical automotive information has reported a 76 per cent rise in air conditioning (AC) services since the UK’s weather warmed up in May.

Immediately following the UK’s first ‘flash heatwave’ this year, UK workshops reported and an influx of customers requesting AC servicing and repairs.

In a statement, Autodata said: “UK drivers tend to only associate air conditioning with warm weather and therefore don’t use or check their vehicles’ AC system, only to find that it’s not working properly because of irregular maintenance, when they need it the most.

“This is a great opportunity to be proactive and encourage your customers to add air conditioning service to their annual services to avoid being caught up in a hot traffic jam without a working AC system.”

To find a leak in the system, Autodata say technicians should add a small amount of dye to the gas when re-gassing.

Too little or too much gas (R134a) will cause the AC refrigerant pressure sensor to stop the AC compressor from working to protect the system.

Autodata’s service air conditioning module provides the correct air conditioning refrigerant quantity for each vehicle and illustrates how and where to find the low and high AC service connectors to connect a gas test gauge.

For further information about Autodata, click here.