That’s book time, not actual time

Mechanic; replacing the dash isn’t really worth it. At least 9 hours of labor if not more, several hundred for the dash itself, and the high probability of a dash rattle developing as a result of the replacement

Depends. I’ve seen coil springs that far out and not misfire

Mechanic here! A/c is controlled by the compressor which is run by the serpentine belt that is run by the engine running. So it’s impossible to have a/c without the engine on