Are you tired of driving around in a vehicle that feels like an oven? Has it been a long time since you had a mechanic look at your air conditioner for potential issues? Just like any other car part, your air conditioning system needs regular inspection and repair. If that hasn't happened for a while, there could be a number of reasons why your air conditioner no longer works as it should. Some of these reasons include the following.

Refrigerant breakdown

As the refrigerant in your air conditioner starts to break down, it's no longer able to lubricate the inner workings of your compressor. Without assistance from a shop specializing in automotive air conditioning services, the air conditioner compressor parts will start to rub against each other, creating microscopic metal flakes inside the compressor. These flakes, in turn, will cause even more wear until the compressor is finally totally disabled. Fortunately, compared to replacing the entire compressor, replacing the refrigerant should be much less expensive. If your air conditioner has already quit working, it may be too late for this compressor but you can still prevent it from happening to the next compressor that you have installed.

Mold

Mold may sometimes create strange smells coming from your air conditioning vents, but not always. Condensation moisture can cause mold to build up within the tubing and ductwork that lead to your vents, eventually becoming so thick as to restrict airflow. This restricted airflow may be the only sign that you have a mold problem. If your air conditioner is struggling to put any air at all into the passenger cabin, your local automotive air conditioning services shop will run a check for mold. There is really no easy way to remove mold from the inside of tubing once it grows, so they will likely have to remove and replace any sections that are showing signs of mold growth.

Old age

Another reason you might have low or no airflow within the passenger cabin is that the air conditioning system has sprung one or more air leaks. Much of the air conditioning system is made up of rubber parts. Rubber doesn't mix well with moisture and hot and cold extremes. The temperature difference between the hot engine and the cold air inside the tubing may cause small cracks to form due to thermal stress. Over time, these cracks will grow until there is eventually a large enough crack for air to escape. There's not much you can do to prevent this from happening, except to have your local automotive air conditioning services shop, such as Auto Air Clinic Inc, check the system for stress fractures at the beginning of summer and replace any worn or damaged parts they find.