So for the past year I havent had AC, when I push the button the light doesnt even come on. Sometimes I hear a metallic sound coming from the engine compartment as well as a ticking and after tracking it down, its definitely the AC. Under heavy acceleration there is a whine that lasts until the car shifts. So since i know absolutely nothing about AC I figured I'd ask. My mechanical engineering side says that its screwed and I will need to replace the condenser (for $4-500) or get a bypass pulley and live without AC, which my gf is wicked against. My hopelessly-optimistic-toy-story-3-loving-naieve-side is praying that I can just get it recharged or its a blown relay situation. Anyone have any input?? TIA

 

You should take it to a shop where they can test the system for leaks. They'll put a die into the AC lines and see if there are any leaks. If that's okay, then the next thing to do will be to have them recharge the AC for you. You will have a good idea of what's wrong after that (like a bad compressor or condenser).