Ask Honest John

Most recently answered air con questions
A trusted AC specialist says I need a new condenser for my air conditioning unit and has quoted £400 for a replacement, with three hours needed to fit — including a re-gas. Is this a fair price?
General advice seems to be to run a car's air con continually. How much extra fuel will this use?
The AC compressor in my Skoda Yeti has failed at 29,000 miles. My local dealer has quoted me £1300 to replace. Seems a huge amount. Why did it fail at so low mileage?
How often should I use the aircon in my car? I read blogs and they say it should be used all time. I have a 2016 Vauxhall Astra.
You say that the aircon in Skoda cars should be running all the time. Surely not. Is this peculiar to Skoda? Thank you.
I have a newish Skoda Karoq Scout. Recently, I returned to my car after an evening out and my car was so misted up, the windscreen took 15 minutes to clear. I booked the car into a Skoda garage to check...
I have a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The air-conditioning was giving out hot air on the nearside so I took it into the local independent who I use to service the car. They have found that whilst the air-conditioning...
I own a 2019 Suzuki Baleno. If the car has been sitting for a couple of days, the air con makes a grinding sound when it's first turned on. From then on, the air con just makes the usual click sound on...
Does my air con unit need gas and, if so, where does it go? It doesn't seem to be very good at the moment.
You recently said: "All modern car ventilation systems are designed to be used with the air condition system switched on permanently. Switching it off for long periods will cause the seals and joints to...