Auto Repair Estimate Template
Diagnosis, parts, labour hours and a written authorisation line. Free PDF, no account.
A repair estimate is written from a scan tool and a test drive, on an engine nobody has opened. The fault code names a circuit rather than a part, book time assumes bolts that come out, and half the value of the document is the sentence about what happens when they do not. The document is also a permission: the customer agrees to a figure, and a shop that passes it without going back to them has an argument it cannot win, whatever it found under the cover.
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ESTIMATE
Issued
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Issued by
Fifth Gear Automotive
3820 Livernois Avenue 48210 Detroit, MI United States estimates@fifthgearauto.example |
Bill to
Bernadette Fowler
17 Rosewood Street 48067 Royal Oak, MI United States b.fowler@example.com |
| Description | Qty | Rate | Tax | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Diagnosis — coolant loss, no visible leak Pressure test and dye; credited against the repair if authorised | 1 | $165.00 | — | $165.00 |
Water pump and thermostat housing — aftermarket OEM alternative available at 318.00; your choice on authorisation | 1 | $224.00 | MI Sales Tax (6%) | $224.00 |
Labour — 3.4 book hours at 142.00 Guide time; a further 0.6 hours if the pulley bolts are seized, on your say-so | 1 | $482.80 | — | $482.80 |
Coolant, gaskets and shop supplies Full system flush and refill after the repair | 1 | $96.00 | MI Sales Tax (6%) | $96.00 |
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What this estimate commits you to
- How long it stands
- Seven days on the parts, which are priced from a supplier's live availability, and thirty on the labour hours and the shop rate.
- What it does not cover
- Related work found while the assembly is open but not listed here, fluids beyond the fill stated, and any further diagnosis if a second fault appears once the first is repaired.
- What would change the price
- Opening the engine. A bolt seized or sheared on removal, a fastener that has to be extracted, book time exceeded on a vehicle that has been apart before, and a substitution when the specified part is on national backorder.
- How the client accepts it
- Authorise by phone, text or signature before a wrench turns, and name the number we may reach you on that day: we call you before the bill passes this figure rather than explaining it afterwards, and the car waits on the lift until you answer.
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When the work is done, invoice it →
What to put on an auto repair estimate
- The vehicle by year, make, model, mileage and VIN, because parts prices follow the VIN and not the model name
- Diagnosis priced as its own step, with what it will tell you and whether it comes off the repair
- Parts by name and grade — OEM, aftermarket, remanufactured — each priced as offered
- Labour by book hours, with the guide named, and the rate applied to them
- The authorisation line: who to call, at what number, and the figure above which you will not proceed
- Related work seen but not included, listed as advisory, so a second visit is a decision rather than a surprise
Questions
Can a shop charge more than the written estimate?
Not by much, and not without asking. Many states have a motor vehicle repair act that limits how far above a written estimate a repair may be billed without fresh authorisation from the customer, and several of those require the authorisation to be recorded; check your own state's, because a few have no such statute at all. Either way the estimate is the document a customer will hold you to, so build the call into the job rather than into the invoice.
Should diagnosis be charged separately from the repair?
Yes, and it is the line customers argue about most. Diagnosis is skilled time with equipment behind it, and shops that give it away end up quoting parts blind. Say whether it is credited against the repair if the customer proceeds — that sentence sells the diagnosis.
What do I put on the estimate about a part that might not come out?
Name it. A seized bolt, a rusted exhaust fastener, a bleeder screw that shears — each is an extra operation with its own labour, and an estimate that lists them as possible additions turns a bad afternoon into a phone call you already have permission to make.
Ready to send it?
The template opens in the editor with these lines already on it. Change what you like, download the PDF.
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