So the other day it was extremely humid and raining like mad. Windows were fogging up so I turn the defrost vents on and the AC to dry things out. Of course when I needed it the most the A/C decided not to work. So I'm driving down the road in a monsoon with my t shirt in my hand wiping the windshield down... Good times. So I buy one of those r134a kits with a gauge and the gauge reads no pressure whatsoever. After installing the entire can and only getting up to about 30 psi I get in the car to check the temp. and of course it's not cold. I then hear a small hiss. Crawl over the engine bay high and low and finally find the source. Seems to be coming from my condenser in the front. I'm guessing that a rock or some road debris went thru one the grill openings and made a pinhole in the condenser. Sound reasonable?
I checked acura and a new condenser is $164. Checked around at some aftermarket places and found some from $60's all the way up to $160. Any thoughts on going aftermarket on a condenser or should I stick with Acura?
One last question. When/if I replace the condenser are there some o-rings that I should replace on the inlet and outlet?