Over the last several years, the air conditioning on my E30 has gotten
> weaker and weaker. Now I can't tell if the air is any cooler at all with
> it on. Is this likely to need only a refrigerant recharge?
> Ron
Not exactly. There is a leak somewhere. The problem is finding the leak. Having found the leak, you fix it. It might happen that you lose all of the refrigerant while performing the repair.. If that happens, you need a new drier in addition to the other parts. Finally, you are ready for a recharge.
Of course, you could just recharge it again and again and again. You will eventually get tired of buying more refrigerant though.
Jim