Gino, Mike and Andrew,

Okay, my WRX is about 2.5 years old, and the AC isn't working very well. About two months ago, I noticed that the AC wasn't running very cold at all. So I purchased a can of R134-a (refrigerant and oil) in an attempt to 'racharge' the system. It seemed to fix the problem, but now the AC is performing just as poorly as it did two months ago before the recharge.

I have deduced that there is a leak somewhere in the system, and I suspect it is somewhere along those lines that are closest to the firewall -- I'm guessing somehow damaged by the installation/presence of my Cusco strut tower brace.

Can I replace the entire fragile aluminium tubing assembly with some flexible, durable stainless braided hose (like the kind used for brake cables, just bigger)? Or will the refigerant have an adverse reaction to the type of rubber that is usually at the core of those types of hoses?

If you would reccommed this modification to correct my problem, how much would you charge for this procedure (ballpark)? plus the appropriate Earl's (or other HQ) line and fittings?

any help or info will be greatly appreciated

thank you

D

...I found this stuff:
http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=190130&prmenbr=361

If I buy the parts, can you redo the AC hoses by the firewall?

thank you,

D