Hi all,

First post - forgive any mistakes.

Bought a 2014 e63 amg and the aircon hasn't been working. Checked out at the pre-purchase inspection (measured 4 degrees C). Hasn't worked since day 1 (a few days ago).

Took to the AC guys this morning and they're saying it's the condenser, leaking during pressure test. When emptying the system it only had 150g, and it should be 650g when full (plus or minus 10 apparently).

Few questions - is it safe to drive with a leaking condenser? If I turn the AC/Heat completely off for example. He is recommending that it not be driven as it could put the compressor at risk. Is this true? He does seem to be being overly cautious with that, but I guess he's trying to do the right thing and make sure I don't screw anything further.

Is this normal on a 3yr old vehicle? Imported from UK after about 2yrs of ownership there.

How did it pass the pre-purchase inspection with a value of 4 degrees? The AC guy has said that's strange as this sort of vehicle should read around 6 or 8 degrees at the lowest. I can tell you that from the first time I drove it after purchase (morning after the inspection the day before) that the AC was definitely not working.

last question - what sort of cost is reasonable for parts + labour to fix?

Any answers greatly appreciated. Be good to know today. Thanks very much.

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