It is always unpleasant when the car contains malfunctions such as the broken air conditioner. Although it is not a crucial problem you may heavily miss it nonetheless.
Drive Up to Service Center
If your bumper to bumper warranty isn’t void yet, you need to go to your dealer; they should fix the air conditioning for free because bumper to bumper warranties cover it. In other cases, you may contact other automotive service networks like Goodyear Tire & Service Network, Firestone Complete Auto Care, or any other. Expenses may vary depending on the type of failure. If it is an ordinary leak, the cost of repair will be considerably cheap. However, the problem can affect the compressor, the evaporator, or the condenser. Their replacement will cost about $500-$600.
Fix it Yourself
You can try to fix the car air conditioner yourself. There are online instructions and guides; you may check the nicely illustrated thematic article on WikiHow, for instance. However, this implies that you have to be cautious because the improper repair can damage compressor or another expensive part of air conditioning system. Besides, you will still need to spend a couple of bucks: buy instruments for diagnostics, replenish the refrigerant (a substance called R-134a; older cars may use R-12 “freon” that requires a license nowadays).
1931 Cadillac Series 452A V-16 Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton – a luxury car without air conditioning. The first automobile air conditioning system was invented a couple of years later. © General Motors
If Your Car is Old and the Repair is too Expensive
The answer may look harsh, but… Do nothing. The air conditioner is not the vital part of a vehicle. It is a nice-to-have supplementary adjustment, nothing more. If your car is worth $2,000-$3,000, the new air conditioner will cost you half of that. Is it an appropriate investment? Of course, not. Just do it in old-fashioned way: drop the windows, if the weather is hot, and dress warmly, if it is not.
Importance of Regular Maintenance
The situation changes radically if we talk about relatively new cars with still working air conditioning. Regular maintenance reduces the risk of premature compressor failure. Besides, car air conditioner may lose 0.3-0.6 ounces of refrigerant yearly, which is why it is recommended to perform the maintenance once a year/two years. Better safe than sorry, as they say.