AC Condensor Change

[RedbeautyIS]

I will need to change my AC compressor soon. It makes intermittent tappett type sounds but still puts out way cool air. I have been told that waiting till it completely craps out I am risking a much more serious job of having to flush the system. Is there any truth to this? Being really strapped for cash I am thinking about either used or aftermarket. Has anyone changed this on a 3 series and if so was OEM or aftermarket used. Also I found a new compressor on e-bay for a good price but they said in order to validate a 1yr warranty a new drier had to be replaced at the same time. Is this necessary?

[325isBaby]

Yes actually there is truth to that statement....if you wait until the thing actually craps out you risk it shooting metal frags all thru the system and costing you WAY more $ to have everything all flushed out to make sure those frags don't compromise other componants or your new compressor. The Drier should be replaced incase the compressor has started to flake metal

[RedbeautyIS]

Thanks, I guess I will change it as soon as I get the dough.