[TpaBenZo]

Well, unfortunately, I am back to this problem...

If you recall last week, we almost had it all diagnosed out and ready to fix...but still no cold air yet!! (well..sometimes its still cold.. lol)

My problem was the A/C would work SOME of the time, but not all of the time.

A few of you helped me out, and we thought it may be the A/C speed sensor on the back of the compressor.

I was able to get the part, and then I brought it to a local MB specialist. (had never met this guy)

He took the car in, looked at it, and told me that it was not the a/c speed sensor that needed replaced but instead the entire compressor...

He claimed that the compressor had a "wabble" in it, causing it to send a signal to the speed sensor to shut it off.
Basically he was saying my speed sensor was fine. And the compressor needed replaced.

He quoted me 1600$ US for the job....Claiming that most of the expense was in the parts.

So I called the guy who got me the speed sensor and he was willing to sell me a remanufactured A/C unit with a year warranty for a mere 250$!!

Excitedly, I called the repair shop, and told them I had found the part myself, and how much would he charge for the labor...?

His response both startled and shocked me at the same time....
" Well, we were going to make money on both the parts and labor....so if you bring in the part...Ill have to charge you more than our standard labor rate...Ill have to charge you 1.5x the amount we normally charge for labor..."

WHAT!??
Ok, I know thats insane, and i'm not going to let someone take me to the cleaners just because he couldn't rip me off the first time...

Anyways.....

I called my local a/c repair shop, and explained the entire situation to him.

His first reaction (besides disgust at the other guys labor rate ) was :

."How the hell could the guy know the a/c had a wabble unless he had x-ray vision ?? "

He claimed it was impossible to see in side a compressor even in a MB and that there was no way the man could have known that without doing more extensive work.

He then called his a/c rebuilder, who claims to know MB well. And this gentleman, thinks its the actual control unit (at the dash)

He asked if the a/c will work if I shut the car off and back on (maybe a few tries) but that I have to turn the car off to get it to work.

That does work sometimes, so I answered "yes".

He said that is what makes him believe its the a/c control unit, nothing wrong with the speed sensor, or the actual compressor....

So NOW, I'm turning back to you all, my friends, my comrades, and my fellow enthusiasts to help me settle this matter...

Is it the whole compressor I need replaced??
Or is this a/c guy correct in his assumption that it is the control unit ??

Either way, I am going to have to shell out a few bucks for this, and I don't have the money to guess wrong unfortunately....

ANY help or insight into either the control unit, or the compressor would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!