Originally Posted by Woodrow

I saw your point. Yes many shops do this if they already know what is wrong. It is one thing to give a customer an estimate for an idler pulley and a drive belt replacement. However, this isn't necessarily a free estimate as you don't know exactly what is wrong.

That is a lot of vague information.
Which pulley is making the noise?
Why is the a/c leaking?
Where is it leaking at?
How do you know what to replace without looking at it?
How do you know what the parts and labor costs will be without looking at it?
How do you know if you can source a part without knowing what one?
What is causing the ticking?

Without knowing what is all wrong, you can't write an estimate based on that without someone looking at it. There could also be resultant damage or hidden damage. If a shop wants to look at all that for free, let them. I am saying that a competent Technician worth his pay, will not diagnose all that and give an estimate for free unless he doesn't need money.