Common Car Air Conditioning Mistakes to Avoid

There’s nothing better than cruising around Dubai and the UAE in your Lexus, soaking up the scenery with your air conditioning blasting through the hot summer months. However, it's not uncommon for drivers to encounter common mistakes with operating their air conditioning system, which can reduce its effectiveness and cause other problems. Take a look at drivers’ most common air conditioning mistakes and how you can avoid them.

Don’t turn your air conditioning on straight away

When entering a hot car, reaching for the air conditioning controls is a natural reaction. However, turning on the air conditioning immediately will only blow the hot air around the vehicle. The air conditioning system will take longer and use more fuel to cool the car down.

To avoid this, roll down your windows and open your doors to let out the worst of the hot air first. After a minute or so, close the windows and doors and crank your air conditioning to its lowest temperature.

Keep your windows closed while driving

Having your windows rolled down while your air conditioning is working is counterproductive to its effectiveness. Having your windows down makes the air conditioning compete with the air blowing in from outside the car.

Keeping your windows closed allows the air conditioning to spread cool air throughout your car evenly, and saves on fuel consumption as well.

Turn on the ‘Auto’ setting

Many drivers keep their car air conditioning on at all times, which can lead to their windows regularly fogging up, reducing visibility.

Most Lexus cars come with an ‘Auto’ setting. This setting helps the air conditioning system to regulate itself by only turning on the air recirculation option when needed. This can help to reduce window fog while keeping the driver, passengers and car cool.

Point the air jets upwards

In the baking heat, it can be tempting to have the air conditioning blasting right at you. However, this prevents the car from receiving an even distribution of airflow.

By pointing the air jets upwards, the cool air is forced all around the car. This helps cool the whole car quicker and maintains a stable temperature.

Turn the air conditioning on in the morning

Sometimes, a hot day can be preceded by a cool morning. In these cases, it may be tempting not to turn your air conditioning on as soon as you enter the vehicle. However, this can cause a couple of problems.

Firstly, your air conditioning will have to work harder, take more time, and consume more fuel to get up to speed when you need it turned on. Also, you may find that your windows start to fog up as the outside temperature rises.

Turning your air conditioning to its lowest fan speed as soon as you get into the car can reduce the energy and time required for the air conditioning to perform at its optimal level. Additionally, you will prevent the car windows from becoming fogged up due to the external temperature.

Keep on top of your air conditioning system maintenance

There are many parts to an air conditioning system in your Lexus that will need to remain well maintained. Without periodic maintenance, you can end up with an air filter that is clogged and stops the flow of cool air. Furthermore, your coolant will be depleted the more you use the air conditioning system, reducing its effectiveness.

By regularly cleaning or replacing your air filter and refreshing your coolant levels, you can ensure that your air conditioning system has a longer lifespan and constantly provides cool, refreshing air.

Lexus uses the very best in air conditioning technology in all of their cars. Visit your local Al-Futtaim Lexus showroom to see the range of new andused Lexus cars that are available to buy today.