Ask what it will cost before it is apart
Air conditioning is the repair with the widest gap between the smallest possible answer and the largest, and the one where people most often feel they were not told.
A leaking seal or a hose is one kind of job. A condenser is another. A compressor that has failed and sent debris through the system is a third, and that one can involve replacing components downstream of it because leaving contaminated parts in place would take the new compressor with them.
None of that is unreasonable, and all of it is better understood before work starts.
Ask two questions when the diagnosis comes back. What is the repair, and is there anything that would change the price once it is opened up. A good answer tells you which of the three situations you are in, and whether there is a realistic chance of a surprise.
When a repair may not be worth it
On an older vehicle, an air conditioning repair can be a meaningful fraction of what the vehicle is worth. That is a legitimate thing to weigh, and it is your decision rather than the shop's.
What you should get is the number and an honest view of whether the rest of the system is likely to follow. A compressor replaced on a system with a tired condenser is a different proposition from one replaced on a system that is otherwise sound.
Before any of that
The national A/C service page covers why a recharge without finding the leak is temporary, and what the system does in winter as well as summer.
Worth ruling out first: a clogged cabin air filter, which presents as weak cooling and is not a cooling fault at all.
About this store
The Mabelvale store runs seventeen services and is managed by Corey Germany.
See the national A/C service page for all 33 locations.