Back story: I've had a nagging problem I've been trying to diagnose for a bit. Sporadic weird (and sometimes very awful) sounds around the serpentine belt (knocking, gringding) and some lugging issues. They came and went sporadically. At one point it seemed related to engine temp but wasn't really consistent. I took the car to a mechanic and explained the issue best I could but we couldn't figure it out. This week the issue reared its head in a strong but controllable way, which lead me to a potential underlying cause, a faulty AC compressor.

Is it odd to describe what I've observed to my mechanic, ask them to check it out for me, and if I'm right ask them to bypass my compressor (or whatever comparable fix)? I'm poor and cheap and I don't want to pay for a new compressor for my shitty old car now that I live in a colder climate.

Someone please tell me if this is bad etiquette or insulting or something.

Just for completeness:

• 2009 Ford Focus SE
• 2.0 L
• Automatic transmission
• ~135k miles