I have a 2002 E320 mercedes with approximately 25,000 miles. The air
conditioner has stopped cooling on two occasions. The first a year ago
and again this month. The dealer recently said the drive belt needed
to be replaced as it was worn.

Why would this happen and has there been a similair problem on other
E320s.

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Request for Question Clarification by alexander-ga on 01 Nov 2002 12:53 PST

Were the air conditioning issue and drive belt related? If not, what
reason did the dealer give for the loss of air conditioning, and what
issue are you concerned with (A/C or belt)?

The reason I ask is because these cars appear to use a serpentine
belt, which presumably also runs the air conditioning compressor. If
the belt was the cause for the loss of air conditioning, you would
have lost a lot of other things at the same time.

The Belt Is Held Tught By A Belt Tensioner. In Audi's, The A/C, And
Other Things Are Run By The Belt To Save Space. I Think The Merc Is
The Same Setup.

I searched the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Database. There have been no complaints of the nature you're
discussing with that vehicle reported to NHTSA.