A/C blowing warm at stop lights but cool on the highway

Maintenance/Repairs
,
1

Good Morning:

I have a 2010 Honda Fit with 53K miles and recently the a/c is blowing warm air when I’m at stop lights. However, when I’m on the highway, it blows cool but not cold. Coolant has been added so I don’t think it is low unless I have a leak that I’m not aware of.

Can any of you mechanics (or mechanically inclined), members help me? I would like to know some possibilities before I take it to the dealership so I don’t get overcharged for something I don’t really need.

Thank you in advance for your help.

2

I would think not enough air flow over condenser or low on refrigerant . With the engine running & the ac on the radiator fan should be running , look & see if it is .

2 Likes
3

If you needed to add refrigerant (if that’s what you mean by “coolant”), then you have a leak.

4

If that is coolant - sometimes called anti-freeze - in the radiator, it has nothing to do with the AC. I’d check the electric radiator fan as @Sloepoke suggested as it sounds like might not be running. Or it could be low on refrigerant in the AC system which means a leak.

Please keep in mind, if you tell them to “fix” something, they will and what is actually wrong with your car won’t get fixed. You wouldn’t go to your doctor and tell him to remove your appendix because some posters on WebDoc said you need to have your appendix out, right? You are taking the car to someone who knows more about cars than you do. Tell them what you told us here and anything else you can remember and let them use their expertise to fix it.

BTW If you don’t trust the dealer to be honest with you WHY are you going there? Find a well-rated independent shop and go there. Cheaper and more honest if the reviews are good. Good car repair isn’t cheap and cheap car repair isn’t good.

1 Like
5

I strongly recommend that you do not take it to the dealership. Dealerships typically cost two to 2-1/2 times the cost of a private shop, and this is the type of work that privately owned and operated shops that specialize in AC work (often they’re also radiator shops) have the equipment, expertise, and certification to do. Due to fed requirements for dealing with the refrigerant, I suspect all states require certification to legally work on AC systems.

Your symptoms are typical of a slightly aging AC system that’s lost refrigerant via leaks. Diagnosing and repairing this is a job that Do It Yourselfers cannot do at home.