Originally Posted by Skyline

When your "mate" installed the compressor and added gas, did he properly evacuate the system, then weigh the freon installed?

I have yet to mess with the A/C on the X, but on one of my other cars, if it does not get fed the precise amount of freon, it will display the same symptoms you are describing. Too much freon, and the system shuts down while in traffic when it's really hot out. As soon as you get moving, it's fine. Nothing to do with the fan....underhood heat raises freon pressure to an unacceptable level, (even if the engine is not hot enough to decide it needs the fan turned on). There is a high pressure switch that shuts the compressor off. Same thing if the pressure is too low. And it is virtually impossible to get this car right with just a set of compound gauges...you must have a scale. You can use a seperate scale, or most of the advanced freon machines have one built in. The older and also less sophisticated machines just use pressure...not good enough.