We've see things like this on a regular basis.
Larry's 2004 Mini Air Conditioning was not working. The dealer said it needed a compressor replacement at a cost of over $1500! We fixed his Prosche earlier last year so he gave us a look at the Mini. We found the AC compressor clutch coil not working. From the BMW dealership the cost of the new compressor alone was over $800! Because of our long experience in auto air conditioning, we knew what we could do. While replacing the compressor coil only we found the main shaft seal leaking and replaced that also. Now the air conditioning FREEZES the passengers at much lower cost than previously quoted. We like working on air conditioning!