What's your comfort zone?

As car owners, we push a few buttons or turn some knobs, and voila, we have warm air blowing on our feet or cool air chilling our face. How does all that happen? Well, it’s all thanks to the air blend box. This box lives behind the dash and conveys just the right temperature of air right where it is wanted.

Let’s break it down. First there is the blower fan that circulates the air through the heating/air conditioning system. The fan can blow at different speeds, depending on how much hot or cold air is required to be comfortable. The blend box can either deliver fresh air from outside, or recirculate air from inside the cabin. Saskatoon auto owners often choose to recirculate air when first starting the vehicle until it starts to either cool down or warm up. In recent weeks it was recommended to only recirculate air in the vehicles due to the forest fires and the high air quality health index.

The next thing the blend box does is convey airflow over the heater core to warm the air, or over the air conditioner evaporator core to chill it – it can also blend both hot and cold to get it just right. From there the blend box can direct the air out into the passenger compartment through the floor vents, the panel vents, the defroster, or a combination. All of this allows drivers to customize the climate just the way the like it.

Some vehicles have different climate control zones, like one for the driver and one for the passenger – or even more zones for the back seat. Additional blend boxes are used for this. Climate controls could be manually adjusted or computer controlled depending on your vehicle.

The blower motor and all of the little actuator motors that open and close the various blend doors can fail and need to be replaced. Most new vehicles come with a cabin air filter. This filter cleans the air before it gets into the blend box. If you neglect changing the cabin air filter, it can get clogged, smelly, and even allow mildew and other microorganisms to build up in the blend box.

At Crestview Auto Service, we can carry out a heating/air conditioning system-cleaning service that will clean and disinfect the system, restoring a fresh clean scent. If you are not getting enough hot or cold air, let us inspect your system, diagnose the cause and set things right. Also, don’t forget to replace the cabin air filter on schedule. Keep in mind; if you live and drive in dusty conditions or where there is a lot of pollen or other pollutants, you may need to replace your cabin air filter more frequently. We are here for you.

Crestview Auto Service
24 23rd St E
Saskatoon, SK S7K 0H5
306-244-6522

www.crestviewautoservice.ca

Summer And Vacations Go Hand In Hand

Start your summer vacation off on the right foot; have your vehicle properly serviced and ready for the trip ahead. Hot weather and cold weather have one thing in common, your vehicle doesn't like either one. Ever notice the vehicles sitting on the side of the highway are usually a long way from home? That’s because the shorter trips we normally take don’t get all the moving components up to temperature like a longer trip does. Even a 1 or 2 hour trip to the lake can be enough for some vehicles to succumb to the heat and pressure created from an extended drive. Belts, hoses and cooling systems take a real beating with the added heat generated which can leave you stranded for a few hours or days if you haven’t been fortunate to stop in time, ending up with a serious mechanical failure and your car undriveable. Cooling system failure can happen very fast with devastating results, this is also a major cause of engine damage; and that’s never cheap to repair. While you are driving be sure to keep an eye on the temperature gauge, if you see it rising beyond its normal position to the “hot” zone you can try turning off the air conditioning. If that doesn't help and the gauge is at or in the hot zone, pull over as soon as possible to avoid creating any additional problems from the heat.

Start your trip out the safe reliable way; have a comprehensive inspection performed to make sure you don’t have any surprises when you least expect them. Routine service inspections are intended to identify potential trouble areas that should be addressed before they become problems. This helps have a stress free holiday or even a weekend away.  

Let the Crestview team get your vehicle ready for travel. To book an appointment and read more about us visit us on line at crestviewautoservice.ca