Been away with my bucket and spade for a week, and have returned to deal with the continuing saga.
Just before I went, I replaced the receiver/drier. I followed Marks DTM Calib's instructions and, as usual, he was spot on. Removing the rad made the job a doddle....well a time-consuming doddle at any rate.
So that just left me with the damn compressor seals. After I got back, I located an aircon company about 20 miles away that said they could replace the seals and regas for £85. Off I went, full of hope. It took them an age to get the bolt off the top of the compressor. In fact, I was the one who had to undo it as one of the two mechanics disappeared to do some tyres! Anyway, the remaining mechanic crawled under the car and reported that:
1) The old seals were "melted" onto the pipes
2) They couldn't shift the refrigerant pipes up high enough to get new seals in...
and:
3) They didn't actually have the right replacement seals. They think they are special GM seals which are part rubber/part metal. Can anyone confirm?
Fortunately, they didn't charge me, but I wasted about 4 hours of my day and I am back to square one again.
I'm tempted to just forget the aircon but, then again if I don't get it repaired and use it, the system will dry out.
Bloody thing is getting on my t*ts!