hi our 318's air con has packed up,had a local chap look at it and he has said that it will not hold a vacuum and so without throwing loads of money at it he advises to do without. does anyone know of any way to try and pinpoint the problem leak? looking on ebay the rads are not to much money a tall and i suspect this would be the weak link?.thanks rich

The best way is to pressure test with oxygen free nitrogen.

Find your local refrigeration wholesaler and get them to recommend a friendly fridge engineer to pressure test it. Search for Climate Centre or FSW. Shouldn't cost much for cash. Avoid the garages that offer a/c charging.

Don't assume where the leak is, you'll just be throwing money away.

If it has been recharged at any time it's likely to have had a dye put in with the oil and gas which shows up under ultra violet light as a lime green stain, easier and more reliable than guessing

Packed up, does this mean working well then gradually went down hill or died overnight?

It's an old car I would be inclined to shove a couple of disposable canisters into it and see how long it last, you can get ones with leak sealant, have not got a clue if this stuff is any good, you never know.

I did this on a range rover and it lasted all summer, not PC of course.