okay so for the six months i've owned my rex, the clock hasn't worked, neither the aircon ( thought re-gassing, and at $150-200 frankly it could wait) or power mirrors (hey i'm the only who drives my car, so once they're set...) I'd read these things go wrong in FCs anyway so i wasn't too stressed...
anyway, had the battery leads off the other night and when tightening them up dropped the spanned across the battery terminals... car wouldn't start afterwards- would only go *tititititititititititititi* ( anyone know why?) figured might have been the ECU tripping so left battery completely unconected for 45 minutes... reconnect and start-up- notice the clock is on... cool...! girlfriend suggests trying aircon... yay! even the mirrors are back on! question is- anyone know how/why they randomly died and how resetting turned them back on??

 

maybe there's a breaker system in the ecu? and 150$ for an A/C recharge is insane, the stuff costs 20$ from discount auto.

 

ahhh i didn't actually think it was a DIY-possible job- high pressure gassing? i 'll have to check it out- thanks for the tip = )

 

You obviously fixed your loose battery connector. Keep those babys clean and bright in the contact area.

Do a search for posts on "cold solder joints"

Here is a source for an R12 replacement, if that's what you need.
http://freeze-12.com/

 

If you dropped a spanner/wrench across the battery terminals you probably wasted the battery.