Hi all! New (used) Prius owner here and all around ignorant about cars. I'm wondering what the cheapest and best route is to improving the A/C would be. It works fine while the car is fairly cool, but as soon as it gets hot, it just blows hot air. This is a big problem in Texas! I'm willing to do some fairly basic recharging on my own, if that is an option. I've seen things like A/C pro, but I'm not sure if it is an option with a Prius, and if it is an option, what type of refrigerant we would need, what to do once we figure that out, etc. I really can't afford to spend more than $200, I've been looking up some rates and they are outrageous! So I'm hoping to avoid that.. Any advice would be appreciated, thank you!
congrats and welcome! i don't know anything except that the a/c is high voltage electric, and you need to be cautious about refrigerants/oil. even many of the indies mess them up, which can be expensive. there are quite a few threads here, on the subject. all the best!
Is there good air-flow from the vents at all times? (thinking blocked vents - older cars often had bits of foam would disintegrate and block vents). For maximum cooling in hot conditions, you need to 1) open vents and windows to allow it to initially cool down, then 2) close up, put the a/c on recirculate. On my present car, putting 15% of air to the floor helps cooling of the whole car. But sometimes, it gets to the stage where it just needs repairing - but seeing you're getting cool initially, it must be working at that stage. How many miles has the car done? Have you read the owner's manual where it describes the a/c?
