Your vehicle’s heater core — a small radiator found under the dashboard that relies on hot coolant and fans to distribute warm air inside the cabin — works hard all winter long to make sure your drives are comfortable. However, you probably don’t think about this car part until it no longer functions correctly. While this failing can sometimes be identified by a cool cabin, there are often other signs that will arise beforehand to indicate it’s breaking down.

How to Tell If Your Heater Core Is Failing

1. Extreme Fog

Surprisingly, one of the first signs of a faulty heater core is not a cold interior. It’s actually a thick layer of moist fog on every window inside the cabin. This usually indicates the car part blew as you were driving and the warm coolant inside the lines is now exiting through your vents and turning into steam. 

2. Fruity Smell

If the heater core blows and coolant starts pouring into the cabin, you will most likely notice a disgustingly sweet smell. To some people, the scent is reminiscent of melons, but others state it’s more like syrup. In either case, you should visit a car repair shop to have the part replaced to use your heater again.

3. Floorboard Puddle

When the heater core blows and starts leaking coolant, sometimes the car part will leak inside the cabin. If the system was cold when the leak began, it won’t appear as fog but will start dripping beneath the dashboard. If you’ve recently noticed the vehicle’s coolant intake going up but can’t identify a leak, check the floorboards for puddles.

If you’ve noticed your car exhibiting any of these signs, bring it to Anderson Automotive Repair to have the heater core and cooling system inspected. This total car care center provides quality auto repair services to Cincinnati, OH. They also offer free check engine light diagnostics, so there’s no reason to ignore that orange indicator when it appears on your dashboard. Visit their website to learn more about their comprehensive auto air conditioning and other specialties, or call them today at (513) 231-2444 to schedule a car part replacement.