This isn't necessarily a knock against the Legacy itself, but rather my bad luck as of late.

One hot day in early August my AC just stopped working altogether. I immediately brought the car in thinking it needed a recharge, but when I told the mechanic it stopped working rather suddenly he took a deep breath and told me that's not a good sign.

After an $86 dollar diagnostic service, in which the mechanic had to use smoke and special glasses to check for leaks, I was told there was a hole in my AC condenser! The condenser, as I found out, sits near the front of the engine to help cool the air faster and is a bit susceptible to being hit by road debris such as rocks.

I probably should have tried ordering the part myself, but I opted for the easy route and had the service shop order the new part for me. I quietly weeped as the bill came back:

* $398 for the new condenser * $90 in labor costs to put the new condenser in * $70 in labor costs to recover, evacuate and recharge the AC system * $20 for new refrigerant and AC dye injection

I blasted the AC as soon as I pulled out of the parking lot, I wanted to get my money's worth for this hassle.

Update from Jun 11, 2011: Less than a year later and the condenser has busted again. This time, however, it was not due to rocks but a faulty part that led to multiple leaks of coolant, at least that's what the "mechanics" at Meinekee are telling me. Thankfully the condenser was covered under a 1-year warranty because the cost of the part went up nearly $100 (from $398 to $495). I did still have to pay an additional $270 for labor and fluids.

My advice to anyone with condenser problems is to not mess around with a national chain like Meinekee; take your car to a specialized mechanic and get the job done right the first time.