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The folks at Don Duncan's All American Auto & Tire has seen more than a few hot Montgomery summers and we know how important it is to keep your air conditioning in good working order.  Here are some of our suggestions to make sure your A/C can beat the heat:

1. Clean the Air Intake - Ventilation ducts at the base of your windshield bring air into your car, pass it over a cold air conditioning coil and blow it out of your dash vents.  Your A/C may be working great, but if these ducts are blocked by debris or a worn out fresh air filter you won't get the volume of cold air your system is capable of providing.  Check the intake area for debris and have the pros at Don Duncan's All American Auto & Tire check for a fresh air filter, inspect it and replace it if necessary.

2. Freon Level - Your air conditioning system is a complicated array of components whose sole purpose, in the end, is to pressurize Freon and then allow it to depressurize.  When Freon depressurizes it releases chill inducing cold.  Lose Freon and you lose your cool, literally.  As systems get older the hoses lose some Freon naturally.  A professional tech at Don Duncan's All American Auto & Tire will be happy to check your car's Freon level and top it off if necessary.

3. Clear the Condenser - If you look in front of your radiator you will see a smaller, secondary radiator called the condenser.  This component is key to making cold air and can easily get gummed up with bugs, leaves and debris.  Clean the outside of the condenser with canned air or a hose, but don't be too rough.  The cooling fins on this part are very thin and easily damaged.  We will be happy to do this for you if you prefer.

4. Take Control - Your AC system has two main settings, standard AC and "Max AC".  This  is one of the most ill understood aspects of vehicle controls.  Standard AC cools fresh air from outside the car, Max AC shuts the fresh air vents and re-cools the air inside your car.  When you get in your super hot car and hit Max AC you are trying to cool air that is much hotter than the outside air, which can delay your comfort by several minutes.  When you hop in the car, choose standard AC first and let the air in the car get cooler than the outside air, then hit Max AC to cool it even further.  This is the fastest way to get your passenger compartment cool.

Some simple at home DIY on your part can make a good air conditioning system work great.  Follow these steps and then come see the pros at Don Duncan's All American Auto & Tire. They will take care of the hard stuff and help you get your summer cool on.