AUTO AIR CONDITIONING
Since the beginning, Cap-A Radiator has specialized in air conditioning. Although we've transitioned into a shop that also does general repair work, air conditioning is still one of the special repairs we most love to do.
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We are the Island's top air conditioning specialists. No matter what the problem that's causing your air conditioning to fail, or simply not put out cold enough air, Cap-A Radiator is your best bet.
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Insufficient cooling
Refrigerant leaks
Intermittent problems
Blower problems
Automatic Temperature Control not working
Just not cold or not cold enough.
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In 40 years of specializing in automotive heating and air conditioning, we've seen pretty-much everything and we know that we can help you run cool again! We can diagnose and repair just about any air conditioning problem on any car, so if your 1976 Impala has a bad thermal limiter switch or your 2011 Mercedes needs an evaporator or anything in between, we can help!
Especially with the complexities of modern air conditioning systems, you don't want to take your problems to the local shadetree mechanic with an "air conditioning fixed here" sign on the curb. We've heard all the horror stories because they often come to us for the final, correct repair – unfortunately, it's often after they've wasted hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars that they'll never see again.
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Don't Waste Your Money
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Our A/C technicians have the best training! Too often, we've seen people buy brand new compressors because the old one went bad. If they bought it from some backyard mechanic or a lube shop that doesn't understand exactly what happens when a compressor goes bad, they're going to have problems. The unfortunate truth is that metal shavings from inside the compressor are flung through the system. In most vehicles, the debris spit out by a failing compressor will clog the A/C condenser.
Once you install the new compressor, these shavings remain in the system – until they get back to the new compressor, find their way into the cylinders and bring everything to a grinding halt. This takes minutes to days, but if you didn't take your car to a properly-trained A/C mechanic, you'll find yourself spending a lot of time arguing with a person who is going to blame the problem on everyone from you to the manufacturer. Is this how you envision spending your summer?
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While most of the systems on modern cars have become better and more dependable, the A/C system isn't always changing for the better. Leaks can occur anywhere and in today's cars, the A/C system components are located in both the front *and* the back of the car, connected by multiple underbody hose connections. Due to the length and location of these hoses, they are more susceptible to leakage than in the older systems. When you bring your air conditioning problems to Long Island's A/C professionals, you'll have your entire A/C system tested, not just the parts that are easy to find.
Air Conditioning History
Air conditioning has been factory-installed in some cars since the 1940s, and the principles haven't changed a lot since. Contrary to popular belief, an A/C system does not put coldness into the air. What it really does is remove heat and moisture from the air using a complex system of changing the chemical in the system from a gas to a liquid and back again. One of the bigger changes came in the 1990s when car makers changed over from Freon (R12), a chlorofluorocarbon known to destroy the atmosphere, to Suva (HFC-134a), which is much less harmful. However, most people still refer to all refrigerants as "freon."
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If your car's air conditioning system is on the fritz, come on in and one of our A/C specialists will get you chillin' again quickly! And if your vintage vehicle never even had an air conditioning system, chances are good that Cap-A Radiator can still help you. We are one of the very few remaining shops in the country that installs complete air conditioning systems! Call us at 516-293-9026 to see if we have - or can get - an air conditioning system for your classic vehicle.
There are numerous words and phrases used in the air conditioning industry, many of which have absolutely no use outside of it. Because of this, A/C mechanics will often find themselves describing parts and services to their customers who don’t understand what they’re talking about. Sometimes this is done intentionally and other times, as happens on occasion here at Cap-A Radiator, it is done accidentally, because these are terms that we use every day (sometimes twice in the summer).
Here are three main components to an A/C system. For a much more in-depth look at the parts of the system, and information on how they benefit you, please click here:
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The compressor is essentially the "motor" of the
A/C system. It pumps the refrigerant through the system and compresses it from a low temperature, low pressure gas to a high temperature, high pressure gas. The compressor also pumps the refrigerant through the system. That hot gas is pumped to the condenser, where it will be turned back into a liquid and cooled off.​​
The condenser is mounted in front of the radiator. This is where the high temperature gaseous refrigerant is cooled and causes it to condense back into a liquid form. The condenser is cooled by air going through the grille when the vehicle is moving and by either a mechanical or an electric fan when the vehicle is not moving.
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The evaporator, located inside the passenger compartment, just inside the firewall, is where the refrigerant evaporates from a liquid form back into a gaseous form. As the refrigerant evaporates, it draws in heat and removes it from the interior of interior of the vehicle.
There are also hoses and lines that carry the refrigerant around the system, as well as other components, such as thermal expansion valves, pressure regulating valves, clutch-cycling orifice tubes, accumulators, receiver/driers and more (depending on the manufacturer of the system) and climate controls inside the vehicle. Click here to learn more.
Cap-A Radiator can solve just about any vehicle's climate control issue, so bring your A/C problems to us at 994 Fulton Street (Rte 109) in Farmingdale or call 516-293-9026 to make an appointment! Remember, with Global Warming, summers are going to get hotter and stay hotter for much longer.
