Car Heater Repair

Have you recently encountered a cold day where you have needed to use your car’s heater, and it isn’t working, or it is only blowing cold air? Unfortunately, without the proper maintenance, a car heater can encounter several different problems that can cause it to not operate how it should.

This situation can be incredibly frustrating, and if you don’t get it repaired, it can cause many unpleasant cold winter days. If you want to do something about your broken heater, it’s often best to let a professional take care of it. The auto specialists at the Island Auto Group have the necessary experience required to repair car heaters. They can help you identify the problem and tell you how you can prevent it from happening again.

How Is A Car Heater Supposed To Work?

Have you ever wondered how your car heater works? There is more to the process than simply switching it on, but it isn’t as complicated as you probably think. The heating system in your car consists of a heater core, a heater fan, your car’s coolant system, and your HVAC controls.

Your car’s heater will work through the heater core drawing in the hot coolant. Once this process is complete, a heater fan, controlled by your vehicle’s HVAC system, will blow the heated coolant into the cabin of your car. Even though this process is relatively simple, many issues could arise and cause your heater to stop working.

Why Your Car Heater Is Blowing Cold Air

When you first turn on your car’s heater and notice cold air coming out of it, you shouldn’t immediately panic. Your vehicle’s heater needs a few minutes to operate before it can send out the heated air. If, after a few minutes, the air still does not heat up, it’s likely you have a problem with your coolant or one of the other heater components.

Four Reasons Why A Car Heater Stops Working

Below we have briefly spoken about a few of the reasons why your car heater has stopped working.

1. There Is A Bad Heater Core

One of the biggest problems that can be why your car’s heater has stopped working is that you have a bad heater core. A heater core is akin to a compact radiator. Heater cores are made up of aluminum or brass tubes that hot coolant flows through.

Problems arise when coolant fails to travel through the tubing properly or when there is a blockage in the tubing near the heater core. Usually, if you notice that your coolant levels are fine, but your car is still not blowing warm air, then you likely have a heater core problem that needs to be repaired. Below are a few of the signs that your heater core is experiencing issues.

• An odor that smells like fruit.
• Fog occurring inside your vehicle.
• Your car is using coolant at a fast rate.
• Your engine is overheating.

2. The Car Has Low Coolant In The Radiator

Another one of the most common reasons for your car’s heater not to be working is that you have low coolant or antifreeze. When your vehicle’s antifreeze or coolant drops too low, the hot fluid can’t travel to the heater core, which means your car’s cabin won’t receive any hot air from the heater vents. Often the main cause of your car’s cogent dropping too low is that your engine is working too hard and is overheating.

3. There is A Malfunctioning Thermostat

If your heater isn’t working, one of the first things you need to check is if your thermostat is malfunctioning. Often, a faulty thermostat can be why your heater isn’t working because it is either stuck open or closed.

4. Broken HVAC Controls

If your car’s heater is not working, it could be because you have a problem with its HVAC controls. Your vehicle’s knobs, buttons, or haptic feedback touchscreens might not be triggering your car’s heating system.

Essentially, any broken dials, faulty touchscreens, and wiring shorts could lead your HVAC controls to malfunction and not allow you to turn on your heater.

Dealing with a broken car heater can be incredibly exasperating and inconvenient, especially if it has broken during the winter. If you leave your heater and don’t get it fixed, you could risk damaging other parts of your car. That’s why regularly maintaining your vehicle’s car heater is a good idea.

If your car’s heater is broken, you should consider taking it to be fixed by a reputable and professional auto repair shop like the Island Auto Group. At the Island Auto Group, no repair job is too big or too small as we can fix any auto issue you are experiencing. Our committed auto service repair team can help fix your broken car heater quickly and at an affordable rate. You can contact us at (718) 987-7100 for a cost estimate.