I had a compressor oil leak at the lower condenser fitting on my 96 S500. I tried tightening the fitting, but that made the leak worse. We evacuated the system, replaced the seal using a similar size seal out of an assortment and after about a week the system lost charge and stopped working. We then evacuated the system again and replaced the seal using the replacement seal from the Mercedes dealer. We recharged the system using leak detection dye and in two days the system lost charge and stopped working again. Inspection with a black light shows that the lower condenser fitting is leaking, we dont find any other leaks. The parts man at the Mercedes dealer told me that the hose that goes from the compressor to the lower condenser fitting has been problematic. He also recommends replacing the drier. Has anyone else had problems with this hose? Is it really necessary to replace the drier? Is it possible that I damaged the condenser fitting when I tightened it? Any advise will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.