Fall fast approaches and many of us in Dedham might be thinking more of making sure our heater is working when it comes to auto repair rather than air conditioning repair. It’s still reaching some pretty warm temperatures up here, however, and air conditioning repairs are still being done throughout the area. You might be looking at an A/C recharge or something more intense for your own upcoming auto repair.

When it comes to auto repair, there are a few things to keep in mind. Fixing a small problem is a lot less than fixing a big problem. Air conditioning repair for your car used to be simple. You had one type of refrigerant. You had your core system, your compressor, and your fan. As any auto mechanic in Dedham—or anywhere else for that matter—can tell you, auto repairs even simple air conditioning repairs, have gotten a lot more complicated over the years. There’s all these new electronics, computer chips, and miniscule settings that weren’t there some years back. It’s not getting any easier, either.

One of the worst problems we see when people decide to go ahead with their own auto repair and air conditioning repair is those who try the simple recharge. People buy the wrong refrigerant or they put in too much. This can cause some serious issues, often requiring the whole auto air conditioning system to be replaced. Even if your owner’s manual tells you what kind of refrigerant to use, be sure to check the label near the access port. Those manuals were written for a number of vehicles made by the same companies. In some cases, mistakes like what type of oil or refrigerant to use could have been overlooked.

Another popular issue we see is those who have a cap to cover their car’s air conditioning system. They go to do a simple auto repair like an A/C recharge and then they lose the cap and dirt gets in to an improperly sealed system. Or, better yet, they over torque the cap or cross thread it, so the next time a recharge or repair is made, it takes longer and cost more.

If you are in need of auto repair—even if it’s just simple air conditioning repair—there is no need to wait for it to get hot before you consider having it done. The problem with you’re A/C could be a blockage, which is also going to affect your heating system. You might have a short or a computer issue, which could travel, causing issues with other systems. You might try and wait until it gets hot next year, and by the time you take your car to your favorite auto repair service, they’re already swamped with air conditioning repair requests.

If you’re in need of air conditioning repair and you’re not quite sure you’re ready to have it done, take your car in to a good auto repair mechanic. Most aren’t going to charge you a thing to look at it and figure out what’s wrong. If they do, the cost is going to be minimal. And, most aren’t going to misquote you or over-diagnose, because they know that’s not the way to keep getting business.

Central Automotive offers services to the following towns:

Boston,

Hyde Park,

Dedham,

Roslindale,

Dorchester,

Milton,

Mattapan,

Jamaica Plain