Juke AC Failure

Interesting. Had a similar problem with my old BMW 3 series, though it was a petrol engine. AC just quit. Did you check the basics, like if the compressor is even trying to kick on? Could be a refrigerant leak, but those are usually slow fades, not sudden deaths.

The compressor isn't engaging. You mentioned a refrigerant leak – would a leak big enough to cause total failure be visible, or would I need AC diagnostics to find it?

Visual inspection is a crapshoot, honestly. A tiny pinhole leak can bleed out all the refrigerant over time. Since the compressor isn't engaging, and you've already looked at the obvious stuff, I'd say it's time to bite the bullet and take it to a workshop. They'll pressure test the system and find the leak, if there is one. Or it could be something else entirely.

Thanks for the help! I took it to a technician, and they found defective valves in the AC system. Had to replace them. Cost me 1000€.