Unless my muffler was falling off while on a road trip, I would never go to a Meinecke shop or any other 'chain'. Have your daughter look for a Volvo shop in her area, it may cost just a bit more but at least the shop would be familiar with Volvo quirks. If she finds one she likes, get oil changes there and get to know the staff.

To test the clutch, I have used a stick to press the clutch in while the engine was running and the AC controls set to very cold. Beware of the spinning belt and other parts - see if you can easily insert a stick with the engine turned off first, the engine bay gets tighter every year. If the clutch engages (starts to spin) with very little pushing effort, the clutch needs to be shimmed.

The compressor only needs replacing if the bearings on the compressor go bad. When that happens, you will hear terrible noise when the clutch engages and tries to turn the compressor.

Shimming the clutch with zip ties does work. It is not "professional", but it is fast and cheap and should last a few years. The "professional" approach would involve taking off the clutch and moving the shims behind the clutch to get the correct gap, about 2-3 hours of work in a garage. No R134a is released in the process.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new