Probably a wise move on your part Gene with the regularity these compressors are biting the dust!
Had a bit of a result - contacted a local well respected VW specialist and told him of my air con compressor problem and the problems I was having with VW - after calling VW all the names under the sun - he told me he thought there was a recall on all the compressors mentioned in this thread !! Is this true?
Anyway we spoke in depth about the problem and the upshot is he has a batch of the new VW compressors (Sanden) which he got from a local VW parts supplier which recently went out of business - he will supply the new compressor, fit it ( about 3/4 hours work) and do a full system check and air regas for £400 all in!! (including VAT)
Got it booked in asap! This isnt a back street garage but a well respected Indy with rave reviews on this and other forums!