Ruined condensor connector - repairable?

[RustyUK]

This may be one to file under 'stupid questions', I'm replacing the condenser in my C5 X7, all set to be a fairly simple job. My intention was to do this in one evening, vacuum it down, and if it holds, have a garage with AC facilities to charge it up. All going well.

Then I discover the lower pipe connector has been utterly destroyed by the cowboy who last replaced the condenser. Unbelievably, most of the part that fits inside the condenser and carries the O rings is totally missing:

I can't imagine how anyone's done that. There was a tatty torn O-ring squashed up on the couple of mm or so that's left protruding. I always suspected a slow leak since the last repair!

So my dumb question is, is this fixable by a proper AC engineer without replacing the entire length of pipe? And would anyone be able to recommend any automotive AC engineers in West Yorkshire? I live near Wakefield / Pontefract and I can't find anyone who specialises in AC.

The pipe part no. is 647773 and I see one or two on eBay for about half the dealer price, but removing / refitting this rigid length of pipe that's contorted into every direction looks 'difficult'.

[bobins]

That takes skill and determination to screw something up that badly I can't even think why the previous bod would actually want to cut the end of the pipe off.
I'd say that, realistically, even if you could get someone to fix it (unlikely), they'd still want the pipe removed to fix it on the bench, so you might as well get a new one. Though it does look a bit of a PITA to remove.

[RustyUK]

It was a real PITA to remove, but it's done now! If anyone wants to remove the high pressure line, I'd suggest it'd be trivial if you can remove the engine mount. Unfortunately the ram in my engine hoist is shot so I couldn't really do that (I don't like supporting engines by the sump, plus the undertray is still on with no prospect of driving the car onto ramps).

Remove the auxiliary belt. With the pipe prised free of all its clips and removed from the expansion valve (much much easier than pulling it from the condenser!), it's quite easy to tilt it front end down, pull the back up and over the low pressure port, and then prepare to sacrifice yet more skin and blood as the front flexi end is wrestled further downwards, between the various pulleys. With much twisting and cursing, it eventually finds a narrow path to withdraw it upwards behind the engine mount, still with a worrying amount of friction. It looks less harmed than I was. You need to reach right down there and keep freeing the front section from getting snagged on various bits.

Of course if it's shot you may as well chop it out, but I wanted to find a path to remove it by which I can install a new one. I've risked ordering what looks like a cheap aftermarket pipe from a Polish place on ebay, so it'll be next week before I can attempt re-fitting. Which means leaving the system opened to the atmosphere for many days more than the hour or two I anticipated.