Newbie with bad Ac

[Helifletch]

Hi forum members, wanted to introduce myself as new to the forum.

Just bought my first BMW, a 2009 X5 E70 here in Qatar Middle East. As you can imagine no rust with the climate however temperatures do vary from 23 degrees now in winter to 50'C in summer. Any how unlike the rest of the world here tends to believe more in replace parts rather than repair 😢. Thankfully having found Xoutpost and already trawled through countless pages I'm really looking forward to being part of the forum!


So, this brings me to my first problem A/c if any of you could help.🙏🏽

Car when purchased was working fine, then unwittingly I disconnected the battery while out of country for a while. On my return the Ac stopped working (along with no rear view camera or sound from stereo - thankfully due to your forum these are fixed). While the engine is running, when i select Ac the revs increase however I see that the clutch is not engaging and I can only get warm /hot air (heater works fine). The gas in the Ac was ok however any garage I go to now says that they cannot fill /check gas levels as compressor needs replacing is that the case or could it be an electric problem/loose wire?

In desperation in case it was a glitch I've pulled/checked and cleaned the contacts on all fuses frt and back; disconnected the battery both terminals (and touched the wires together to dissipate any current), the battery is original and doesn't appear to need registering.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, Thanks.