I bought my petrol auto Forester XTen '56 last December and I love it, I bought it to take me out to skiing in Italy and I've done that drive twice now. It really is great, though I always have to remind myself that the low price I paid is because it's a thirsty car and a*se-kicker when I need it. But I've had a/c problems, intermittent running of the cold air, turns off when it's really hot outside. I had a Subaru dealer in Germany look at it but all he did was service and top-up and after a few hours of freezing a/c in the recent heatwave, the cold switched off again and has returned to its on/off dithering. I don't know whether to go to a Scoobie dealer, or an air-con specialist or a trusted mechanic I know who is up the other end of the country. My caution in going to another Scoobie dealer is that the US Subaru owners forum suggests this problem is very often the clutch inside the a/c compressor, which can be much more cheaply fixed. I'm no mechanic and I don't want the whole compressor replaced if it doesn't need it. I want to talk over the problem with the guy who is going to fix it, not have someone fob me off and then do whatever they want to with the car. Any suggestions for a great mechanic or Scoobie enthusiast in or near SW London? 

Wotcha and welcome - could you pull the compressor yourself and then send it to your trusted mechanic?