It’s that wonderful time of the year when we start planning and going on summer road trips, holidays, camping trips etc.. It may be that you use your car – all throughout the year- or maybe you store it away in the garage over the winter. Either way, nothing beats driving with your family and friends, blue skies – with perhaps some of your favourite music for the journey.
When it starts to get hot in the car, opening the windows is usually the best option. However, on motorways, due to your speed (usually between 55-70mph), having windows open will cause drag. Which means you’ll end up using more fuel than if you kept your windows closed and used air-con instead. As we all know, and certainly at the moment, fuel does not come cheap so you don’t want to waste it!
Is your air-con gas topped up?
Air-con was first introduced into cars in 1939 and it is a great feature. It works wonders in newer cars, cooling everything down very quickly. However, it is important to check if your air-con actually works properly and blows out cold air, otherwise, you could find it’s blowing out warm air instead.
If your air-con unit starts to run out of gas then you may notice that the air it’s blowing is not as cool and refreshing as it once was. This will normally happen around every 2 years if you regularly use your air-con.
New air-con gas for cars
Air-con in the past, (usually for cars prior to 2013) used a gas called R134a. This gas has been recognised to be bad for the environment – and with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) rating of 1,430, it is very high. Carbon dioxide, for example, only has a GWP rating of 1. The scale can also go way above 12,000 for some far more damaging pollutants as well.
Laws over recent years have required vehicle refrigerants to have a GWP rating of 150 or lower.
Recently produced cars use a new air-con gas called HFO-1234yf. This gas started to be introduced in 2013, and is now widely used in cars made from 2017 onwards since it has a low GWP rating of 4.
Need your air-con regassed?
If you need your air-con regassed, or would like to get it checked in case it’s due, just pop down to Tivoli. A friendly member of our team will be happy to help get your car topped up so you can stay cool on your journeys!
Tivoli Auto Services
We are an independent garage based in Hastings, St. Leonards. If you have any issues with your car, or need a new service and MOT, bring your car down to Tivoli and a member of our friendly team will be happy to help.
Contact us today on 01424 442277 to get your car booked in. We are here to give any advice to help you get the most out of your vehicle.
