2010 SafeHouse Golf Outing

This September, the Ann Arbor SafeHouse Center held their annual golf outing/fundraiser at Lake Forest Golf Course.  For those unfamiliar, the Ann Arbor SafeHouse Center is a local non-profit serving as a safe haven for those that have been victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault.  They also provide 24-hour response to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.  The golf outing is a fundraiser for the center, as well as a celebration of what SafeHouse does for the community.

This year's golf outing marks our 3rd annual "Change Your Oil, Change A Life" program, where we donate 3,000 oil changes to support Safe House.  With a donation of at least $25 to Safe House, we will cover up to $50 of your oil change.  So far, we have raised over $18,000 over the years, and with the support of Castrol Oil and Mahle Oil Filters we can continue to help support a great local organization.  We set up a tent near the 18th hole's tee box to get the word out about this program and provide refreshments for the golfers.

Overall, the day was a great success.  Detroit Tiger Brandon Inge came out for the day, and Team arborMotion even managed to pick up a skin with an eagle on the 18th hole.  We did see some wind and rain, but with the outing directed toward helping SafeHouse, it passed with little complaint.

If you would like to participate in our "Change Your Oil, Change A Life" program, please give us a call at (734) 761-1088 to set up an appointment.  For more information about SafeHouse, their website can be found at http://www.safehousecenter.org, or you can email Julaine LeDuc at [email protected].

Welcome to the arborMotion blog!

Introducing:  arborMotion's Tip Center 

We want to show you what we do here at Arbor Motion.  In an effort to exhibit what goes on in our shop, we are presenting a blog featuring auto tips and insight into our service, our company and our staff.  Look for posts depicting various auto repairs, as well as accompanying information to help keep your car on the road.  Our first post shows the replacement of a leaking evaporator in an A/C system.  You can also find some helpful tips for keeping your A/C system working and your car cool as long as possible.

Keeping Your Summer Cool with A/C

NOTE:  This video is for educational purposes only.  It is not meant to be instructional.  This process should only be done by a certified technician.  Do not try this at home.

Hot?  Wondering why your car's A/C system doesn't work as well as it did last summer?  Although we can't fix your A/C with this tip alone, we will shed some light on how your vehicle's A/C system works, and also help you understand why it might not be working as well as it used to. 

The automotive air conditioning (A/C) system functions off of the same principles as the common household refrigerator, but instead of keeping your milk cold, it cools the air coming out of your vents.  The system is comprised of the following components on practically every car with A/C:  the compressor, condenser, either an orifice tube or an expansion valve, evaporator, and either a receiver-drier or an accumulator.  These components work together with the refrigerant to cool the inside of the car to colder temperatures than its surroundings.  This process is driven with a belt by your car's engine.  This is why A/C use can lead to lower gas mileage (although it's not as large of an effect as you might think).  

However, because the A/C systems are complicated, there are many reasons it might not work as well as you would like — or at all for that matter.  One of the most common problems that you can run into is having too little refrigerant in the system.  Refrigerant levels can slowly drop over time through very small leaks (the refrigerant is a gas at room temperature).  This can be fixed by "recharging" your A/C, or in other words evacuating and refilling your system with refrigerant (pictured here to the left).  However, if there is a more significant leak, a recharge will only provide a temporary solution and soon you'll have to revert back to the joys of open air motoring.  At this point, the leaking component will need to be replaced.  This can be seen in the video at the top of the page where we replace an evaporator.

How do you keep these things from happening?  What can I do to help my A/C system last longer?  It is hugely important to make sure that your system contains the proper level of refrigerant.  Having too little refrigerant decreases the cooling power of your A/C.  The refrigerant also contains oil that lubricates the components of the system.  This is especially important for maintaining the condition of the compressor and making sure everything is sealed properly.  

It can also be helpful to run your air conditioning every now and then during the winter to re-lubricate the system.  If the system is left dormant for too long, the o-ring seals can dry out and this can allow refrigerant to escape from the system.  The best method of making sure your A/C runs properly is to check its functioning regularly and if you are finding that it can't cool as well as it could, take it in to be checked out.  This will make sure that the proper level of refrigerant is in the system, keeping the components lubricated and allowing the A/C system the cooling power it is intended to have, as well as check for any leaks that may exist.  

If you have any questions regarding your air conditioning system or if you would like to have it checked out, please call Arbor Motion at 761-1088.