A/C blowing hot air

All of a sudden my A/C blows only hot air. My indie mechanic tried to charge the A/C but said that it does not hold the charge. It consumes the cannisters but does not retain it. We ar both trying to determine through this forum what else we should check to fix this.

If your mechanic does not know how to proceed then take the vehicle to an AC shop and get them to diagnose/repair the problem. It could be as simple as service port seals or a more complex (read expensive) part of the AC system. A shop will have the tools/parts and troubleshooting skills to get you back in the cool.

I agree with zulu. Your mechanic is a tard.

Sounds like a leak. Some of the refrigerant cans have a leak detecting dye. You then can use ultraviolet light to determine where it is leaking. Of course, a good a/c guy can find this for you or you can get at your local auto part store. I got mine at our local Pep Boys. Look around connecting points. My 525i had a leak in condensor in the dash so that was a bit harder to find.

When you fix the leak, there is a right and wrong way to put new refrigerant into the system (need to vacuum out all mositure and then put on in the proper amount of refrigerant)