Getting an estimate for repaiur

Is requesting that my friend pay $40 for engine power cleaning prior to getting a repair estimate to determine a problem leak?
I have never heard of such a thing.

It can be hard to find a leak on a dirty engine. Much more like to see and find leak on a clean engine. So, this is money well spent.

I agree. Also, the shop should make sure not to over-spray the electronics under the hood. Yes, they do get we during a rain storm, but the water is not directed at the engine with the same force as in power washing. Since they won’t like taking direction from a customer, it might be better to have them explain the process. If their explanation doesn’t cover the precaution sufficiently, then ask about how the electronics are protected.

I pressure-washed the engine in my Crown Vic ONCE…Cost me 3 ignition coils to get it running right…

It’s always a good idea to include year, make, model, mileage when asking a question on this board…

Mechanics get paid for what they physically do on the flat rate clock. Why should they spend time cleaning an engine for free?
The shop owner who faces that mountain of bills every month doesn’t want time being given away either.

As to power washing, I’m not a big fan of doing that due to modern electronics, coils as Caddyman mentioned, and so on.

$40 is less than half an hour’s time around here. If the engine is quite dirty/oily/messy, the best way to determine what and how many leaks there are is to clean it off and start over. I’d be hard pressed to clean an engine, remove any covers and shields, and run it long enough to check for leaks in less than half an hour.

If you go to the dentist for a toothache, he’s going to do a cleaning and exam before he does anything. And it’s going to cost a lot more than $40.