As I have pointed out many times the R12 in your A/C is still the cheapest part of it. To settle for crummy A/C to save money on the cheapest part there is poor economics.

I'm sorry but I would have to say that someone who has settled for no A/C for four years is a poor judge of whether it works as well. I have done over a thousand retrofits and still do a number every week. I give a customer what they ask for. Some I spend the time telling them the way it is. Some think this means I'm selling something. They get what they ask for.

The hardest part of being a competent tech is getting people to listen to you.

I'd love to see this car in a year or two. How in H*** can a tech tell that a system is good if it doesn't work. Or did you just turn it off for four years on bad advice. Unless there is no refrigerant in the system WHY would one change the refrigerant?? If there is no refrigerant whats going to keep that new stuff in. R134a leaks about 4 times as easy as R12. It will definitely find a way out of the compressor in a couple years unless it is new now.

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Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician