is it risky to use the air conditioning in your car?

With the return of summer temperatures, we tend to push the air conditioning all the way in our cars to prevent the cabin from turning into a sauna.

The first air conditioning was installed in our cars in 1939. It is the American Packard, now disappeared, who is the first manufacturer to offer air conditioning as an option, for a small fortune. The equivalent of 4,500 euros. Appeared in the 1980s as an option in France, and which was a luxury at the time just like electric windows. Air conditioning has now fitted almost all new cars for a decade …

So can air conditioning spread Covid-19 disease? Theoretically no. The World Health Organization explains that studies to date indicate that the virus responsible for Covid-19 is mainly transmissible by contact with respiratory droplets, rather than by air. It is therefore not advisable to use air conditioning. Even if you have to be careful, especially if you are traveling with others … The best solution is to ventilate the cabin regularly by opening the windows, to circulate the air.

Especially since our cars have been immobilized for long weeks … A poorly maintained air conditioning can in any case have health consequences, especially when your car gets older. Why ? Because its filters get dirty. A real nest of germs. And this because of fungi which can proliferate … And yes your air conditioning works in a closed circuit in which the humidity is very high. Dust and bacteria love it!

What are the signs that should alert?

If the production of cold is insufficient or that you smell an unpleasant odor approaching that of a wet mop or that you notice a water leak in the car at the level of the passenger’s feet … In this case a visit to your garage or to a car center is essential.

Count between 50 to 200 euros depending on the interventions. But the longer you wait the more it will be expensive … Especially if you are driving around town where the filters get dirty quickly. An investment, of course, but with an air conditioner in good condition, not only will you protect your health, but you will save fuel … because an air conditioning that malfunctions is 15, even 20% more fuel. It is therefore worth the cost of going to have your air conditioning revised. Especially since you can take advantage of special offers before going on vacation.