New Orleans Auto Repair

Have you ever been curious about the Do-It-Yourself A/C refrigerant charging kits? It may be tempting when you are cruising around in a hot car, BUT it is NOT a good decision.  Here are 3 Reasons to Say NO to DIY A/C Charge Kits:1) They are a very inaccurate way of adding refrigerant.  A/C systems are made to operate with a very specific amount of refrigerant and oil in them. Adding refrigerant out of a spray can with a hose till it "feels right" can lead to an incorrect charge in the system. Your A/C system can be damaged by being used with too much or too little refrigerant. The temporary relief may be causing bigger problems! 2) They almost always contain a Stop Leak chemical.  Your A/C system was not designed to have Stop Leak in them. A/C systems have very small passages in some areas and very delicate moving parts in others. The Stop Leak will restrict the small passages and gum up the moving parts. Th ... read more

The compressor is an essential part of your vehicle’s A/C system. It has the job of turning your refrigerant from a low-pressure gas into a high-pressure liquid. Without a functioning compressor, your A/C system will not work properly. Here are Some Signs of a Bad A/C Compressor: 1) Lack of Performance from Your A/C System If you notice your A/C is not cooling the way it used to, it is possible that your compressor has either electrically failed or is internally worn. 2) A Sharp Tapping Noise Under Your Hood when the A/C is On If your vehicle makes a fast sharp tapping noise, only when your A/C is on, it is possible that your A/C compressor has failed. It may have some metal-on-metal contact internally. 3) A Burning Smell from Under Your Hood when the A/C is On If you notice a burning smell from under the hood of your vehicle only when your A/C is on, it is possible that the compressor clutch has failed. It may not be able to en ... read more

After months of cooler weather it can be a surprise, on that first warm day, when you realize your car A/C isn't blowing cold. What happened?! What causes your A/C to blow hot air? It could be many things – the refrigerant level, a fan failure, a compressor issue, or a variety of other concerns. If any part of the system is not working properly, your A/C will not function to its potential, leaving you hot in your vehicle. At Tim’s, we start with our A/C Performance Check. It is an all-inclusive service that we offer to determine the source of the problem. Here is what we do: We evacuate the refrigerant out of your vehicle in order to see how low the charge was. We then hold the system under a deep vacuum to test for any large leaks. After that we allow the system to sit under vacuum to check for smaller leaks. We also use UV dye so that we can use a black light check for very small leaks. We then charge your A/C system by weigh ... read more