B737-300 FLT CREW REFUSED ACFT FOR APU WHICH HAD BEEN INOP FOR DAYS. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; THE ACFT WAS RELEASED BY MAINT. THE APU WAS INSPECTED AND NO DEFECT WAS FOUND.

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ON ARR; WE NOTICED ACFT HAD APU INOP FOR ABOUT 6-7 DAYS. WE OPTED TO REFUSE ACFT. LINE MAINT CALLED AND TRIED TO 'TALK' ME INTO TAKING THIS ACFT WITH APU INOP. SAID WILL BE FIXED WITHIN 10 DAY REQUIREMENT. SAID; 'WE WILL HAVE TO LEAVE 25 PAX BEHIND IF YOU REFUSE ACFT' (TRYING TO GUILT ME INTO TAKING BROKEN ACFT). AGAIN I REFUSED. AS ACFT ASSIGNED FOR OUR FLT ARRIVED (APPROX XA30...XA55 DEP) WE MET ACFT AND DISCOVERED THE SAME ACFT. CALLED OPS AND FODM AND EXPLAINED NOT TAKING ACFT. WHILE SITTING IN BOARDING AREA WAITING TO DISCOVER WHERE WE WERE GOING; THE DEP SCREEN ABOVE CSR'S CHANGED FROM 'DELAYED' TO 'NOW BOARDING.' STUNNED I APCHED CSR'S TO DISCOVER WHAT CHANGED. RAMP CTL SAID MAINT CALLED AND ACFT FIXED. WE WENT DOWN AND MAINT RELEASE WAS STILL OLD/NO MAINT PERSONNEL ONBOARD/NO PAPERWORK EXPLAINING FIX. CALLED AGAIN; TOLD 'PAPERWORK ALL THERE.' I STATED; 'NO IT ISN'T;' AND FURTHER I DIRECTED THAT NO BOARDING UNTIL I KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON HERE (THIS ACFT MAGICALLY FIXED AT XA45 WHEN MAINT SAID NO PARTS AND 10-12 HR FIX). A MECH ARRIVED TO EXPLAIN HIS DISCOVERY. 1) THE APU IS FINE. CLEAN; NO LEAKS AND WORKING PERFECTLY. 2) THE HYD LEAK PREVIEW WRITTEN UP WAS VALID (RESIDUE FLUID) BUT THE LEAK WAS EITHER FIXED (AND NO PAPERWORK GENERATED) OR SELF-SEALED? MY COPLT AND I VERIFIED NO CONTINUED OR NEW HYD LEAKS SO WE BELIEVED THIS MECH. THIS MECH SAID THERE IS A DISTINCTIVE ODOR DIFFERENCE BTWN HYD FLUID AND ENG OIL. SAID HE CANNOT BEGIN TO EXPLAIN HOW THIS ERROR EVER OCCURRED. TO STATE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE THAT MAINT 'MISSED' THIS FLUID SOURCE IS ABSOLUTELY INCONCEIVABLE AS IF THE APU HAD BEEN CHKED IT WOULD'VE BEEN NOTED AS CLEAN AND NOT THE SOURCE. THE ISSUE HERE IS NOT AN INOP APU FOR 6+ DAYS NOR EVEN THE HYD LEAK. NOR EVEN THE FACT THAT SOMEONE SCREWED THIS UP EITHER INTENTIONALLY OR NOT. THE ISSUE IS THAT THE TRUE SOURCE OF THIS ERRANT HYD FLUID WAS NEVER DISCOVERED (AT LEAST NOT ON PAPER). WHETHER SELF-INDUCED PRESSURE OR PRESSURED FROM 'ABOVE' (WHICH CAN CREATE SELF-INDUCED) THE BOTTOM LINE IS OUR SAFETY OF FLT HAS BEEN COMPROMISED.