Hi Lisa, You have a lot of questions and I think that I can help by narrowing it down to this. Yes, the coolant system and A/C system use different fluids, not to mention the A/C system has a secondary gas system which helps circulate the freon. The purpose of the coolant is to maintain the engine temperature at manufacturer spec. Now, during typical services, no one looks to see if an A/C system is leaking, why you may ask. Well because in order to accurately tell that it is leaking, they would need to use fancy equipment to measure the freon/gas levels in the A/C system OR insert a UV light activated detection liquid to the A/C system to see where the leak is happening IF any leak is even occurring. So thats just not something mechanics normally go out of their way to do, thats a service all on its own. To sum all of this up, if you suspect foul play, do not go back to this service station. Have the A/C system check by a shop that has the proper equipment to extract and refill the system. I think it would be fair to give the benefit of the doubt first before assuming anything. Also, the cabin air filter would not hinder cold air from being blown, it would affect air quality and even have a distinct bad odor when you turn on the cold/hot air. Hope this can point you in a better direction.
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