AC Maintenance

[Bambritt]

So in ten years I have never done anything to my HVAC system except change the in-cabin filter and pick a few items out of the fins on the condenser coil while changing the filter.
The weather is starting to get warm here and I know that I will be kicking on the AC very soon, and figured some preventive maintenance might be in order. On the other hand is this one of the systems that you don't fix till it broken? My defrost has worked all winter but thats a pretty low load on the compressor.
Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks.

[Towncivilian]

I'd leave it alone, just keep an eye on the cabin air filter. If you notice things starting to get warm, I'd have an A/C shop evacuate & recharge it. I wouldn't use those refrigerant in a can things since it's easy to add too much, and any "stop leak" nonsense can cause problems.

[Bambritt]

Thanks TC, don't mess with it unless its broken, got it.

[lzrj]

A question about the compressor? There is no A/C button to press to turn the air on, just the dial to turn up and down the temp. So does the compressor run all the time when the climate control system is on? Or does it just turn on when the temp is set at a certain degree. It seems like compressors go out a lot on Nissan vehicles compared to other makes and maybe this is why if it is running all the time.

[Towncivilian]

I am not certain when exactly the compressor operates on automatic climate control equipped models. The owner's manual and FSM should contain this info. I personally prefer the manual knob and switch system due to its simplicity and ease of repair should it ever fail.