I have no cold/cool air generated by my 300E's air conditioning. The system seems to have failed over the winter as last summer the system cooled very well. I went to a reputable A/C repair facility and they said there was not enough refrigerant in the system to test the system. As well, they couldn't tell where the leak was because of low refridgerant and there was no obvious leak at any visible fittings. As they were not familiar with the Mercedes A/C process they declined to do further work and advised taking the car to the dealer. The dealer stated it would take 2 hours and $200 for diagnosis only. Repairs are extra.

The A/C shop stated that I have to recharge the system just to find where the leak is. Being in Canada - this also means conversion to R134 refridgerant. Although there is plenty of advice to not convert - this may not be a viable option as I would have to travel to the US for this work. I presume that I can live with reduced efficiency of R134 but I am concerned with the remaining longevity of the A/C components? Is it worth driving the 200 miles to the US to keep the system with R12? Besides being recharged what else should be changed out or checked when the work is being done? It appears that the prevailing advice is to change, at least, the drier/dessicant canister. I'm hoping that the leak is minor and accessible!

I've read lots on this website on Mercedes A/C and now just would like some comments on how best to proceed with my problem.

Thanks for the help!

Regards,
Paul