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Important Do’s and Dont’s for your car air conditioning

It is known to most people that the high temperatures inside the car adversely affect the driver’s reaction times. This means that the passenger compartment must be cool and ventilated during driving.

Research has shown that with an internal temperature of 35 degrees Centigrade the driver’s responses are reduced by 20%. That is essentially the same result in the rate of reduction of the reaction if the driver’s blood alcohol concentration was approximately 0.5 grams per litre. 

Recent research has spotted some major mistakes carried out by drivers when it comes to car air conditioning. 

On the hot days of the summer, the internal temperature can even reach 60 degrees Celsius, and we have all found that many times we cannot touch the steering wheel from the heat. One of the most common mistakes is to immediately activate the air conditioning! The corrective response would be to open all the windows so that fresh and cooler air can recycle the hot air trapped in the car. This way, the internal temperature is reduced within a minute. As soon as the temperature drops, the driver can then turn on the air conditioning, which will have an immediate response as we have also given it enough time to allow it to cool down it self. 

Another mistake made by several drivers is to use the recycling option. For “experts” this is another classic mistake. The switch must be set in the “Auto” option, when available, so the air flow is adjusted evenly and effectively. There are some summer mornings, especially in areas at high altitude that are cool. It is advisable to operate the air conditioning even in these places, in order to prevent your windscreen from becoming foggy due to the temperature change as you drive.  

It is also very important that the air vents are in the correct position and that the correct air flow is selected. It is a common phenomenon to operate air conditioning and not feeling cool enough. According to research, it has nothing to do with the temperature, but in which direction the air flows into the cabin. In order to achieve a steady distribution of the air flow, the air ducts should point upward and not towards the passengers or driver. It is also important to change the cab filter at least every 15,000 or 20,000 kilometres in order to maintain a good air flow, and prevent microbes from being developed in the filter. 

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