- There is a post somewhere in forum showing how to directly wire the AC to activate it. This way you can rule in or rule out the Clutch issue.

- On the same topic, my 1998 528i AC was noisy at 150K, I was afraid of "Black Death", so I replaced it using brand-new Denso compressor ($250 was the cost). So far so good. I posted the DIY in bimmerfest forum.

- What I am getting at is that if you have more than 150K and the AC Clutch turns out to be the culprit, then at that mileage, it is best to replace the compressor. On the long run, it is cheaper.

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1998 E39 528i 5sp MT
2006 E53 X5 3.0 6sp MT