90Q - A/C compressor belt necessary?

[Thom Jones]

Hi all.
Weird question:
I've got a bad a/c clutch bearing which, as you know, makes a lot of noise.
And will eventually fail and probably toast something else before the belt
shreds.
The a/c doesn't work in the first place (probably just needs a recharge)
and, since it is almost September anyway, I most likely won't need it for
quite a few months. (even though I found a replacement clutch assembly for
$280).
There is one belt that runs the a/c compressor.
Question is:  can I just remove the belt to disengage the compressor without
causing another failure that relies on it?  Knowing Audi engineering, there
probably is something else connected to that system that I don't want to
lose.

On an unrelated note, can anyone tell me WHY it was thought to be a good
idea to bury the air filter underneath the fuel sending system and behind
the headlamp assembly?

Thanks, as always, for any thoughts/ideas/words of wisdom.

Thom