The A/C in my 95 Golf has gone missing. (The A/C was working, but seemed to be fading a little, then my wife drove it for 3 days and when I got it back it was dead.) The shop diagnosed the problem as a bad compressor and recommeded that, plus accumulator, and an expansion valve and they gave me an estimate of $800 for parts and labor.
After checking online for a cheaper alternative, I found Autozone had the cheapest compressor at $184 (rebuild) vs. $400+ for a new one at germanautoparts.com or vwparts.com. The other two components can be had for $119, bringing the parts to $303.
Any thoughts to me replacing the parts myself and taking it to a shop for a evacuation and recharge? Does anybody have experience with Autozone compressors? What is the most common A/C problem on this model Golf? Maybe this is just the expansion valve?
Thanks in advance for any tips.