Car repair estimate drivers can say yes to

What goes on an auto repair estimate template

Write a car repair estimate your customer can approve line by line: parts with quantities, labor hours at your shop rate, diagnostic time, shop supplies, and recommended work they can tick or leave. The same layout works as an auto repair estimate template for brakes, suspension, engine and electrical jobs. Precision Auto’s brake job is preloaded in the quote maker, or download it as a Word, Excel or PDF vehicle repair estimate.

A repair estimate is an authorization document. The customer approves specific work at a specific price before anyone picks up a wrench, so it must identify the vehicle, the complaint, what you found, the parts and labor for each repair, and any work you recommend but have not yet been asked to do.

1. Vehicle identificationYear, make, model, engine, VIN, license plate and odometer reading at check in. It ties the estimate to one vehicle and the parts lookup to the right engine and trim.
2. Customer concernThe complaint in the owner’s words, such as grinding when braking, or check engine light on with a rough idle. It guides diagnosis and keeps you from fixing things nobody asked about.
3. Diagnosis and findingsCodes read, tests run and measurements taken: rotor thickness, pad depth, fuel trims, battery load test. Findings justify every part on the list.
4. Parts with part numbersEach part with quantity, brand or grade (OEM, OE equivalent or aftermarket) and price. Say whether a part is new, remanufactured or used.
5. Labor hours and rateHours per repair from a labor guide or your own times, multiplied by your shop rate. Show labor per job, never as one lump figure.
6. Shop supplies and feesBrake cleaner, rags, small hardware and disposal of fluids and old parts, as a flat fee or a percentage with a cap.
7. Recommended workItems found during inspection that are not urgent today, such as a brake fluid flush or a worn serpentine belt, as optional lines the customer can approve.
8. Authorization and limitsA signature line, the approved total, and a statement that you will call for approval before going over it.
9. WarrantyParts and labor warranty terms, for example 12 months or 12,000 miles, printed on the estimate so they carry onto the invoice.

Sample vehicle repair estimate with example prices

Precision Auto Repair estimates a front brake service and a check engine light diagnosis on Mustafa Celik’s 2017 sedan. Parts are a set of front pads at $68, two rotors at $74 each and $18 of shop supplies. Labor is 1.5 hours of brake work and 1 hour of diagnostic scan and testing, both at $120 an hour. The subtotal is $534. A $95 brake fluid flush is a recommended optional line, outside the total. Example prices only.

Edit the Precision Auto Repair estimate

6 lines are filled in, from front brake pads to brake fluid flush. Put in your own car repair rates, then download the PDF.

Open the car repair sample

How to price a car repair

Most shops price repairs as parts plus labor: parts at cost plus a markup, and labor as guide hours times the shop rate. Diagnostic time, shop supplies and disposal fees are added separately. Pricing the same way every time keeps estimates consistent from one service writer to the next.

1. Flat rate laborCharge the hours listed in a labor time guide for the job, whatever the clock says. A quick technician earns more; a seized bolt costs the shop. Widely used in independent and dealer shops.
2. Actual timeBill the hours actually spent. Fairer for diagnosis, electrical faults, custom work and restorations where no guide time exists.
3. Parts markupParts priced at cost plus a markup, often on a sliding scale: a higher percentage on cheap parts, a lower one on expensive parts. The estimate shows the selling price, not your cost.
4. Diagnostic feeA fixed fee for the first hour of diagnosis, sometimes deducted from the repair bill if the customer goes ahead. Say which on the estimate.

Check what your parts markup returns as margin with the markup calculator, and read the materials markup guide for ways to build a sliding scale.

Worked example: rear pads and rotors with a sliding parts markup

This brake job shows how a sliding markup, guide labor and a supplies percentage combine into the estimate total. The rates are examples, not recommendations.

1. Parts costRear pads cost the shop $42 and two rotors cost $55 each, so $152 at cost.
2. Mark up the partsWith 50% markup on parts under $50 and 40% on parts from $50 to $150: pads $42 x 1.5 = $63, rotors $55 x 1.4 = $77 each, or $154 for two. Parts sell at $217.
3. LaborThe labor guide gives 1.3 hours for rear pads and rotors. At $130 an hour, that is $169.
4. Shop suppliesAt an example 5% of labor: 5% of $169 is $8.45.
5. Estimate total$217 plus $169 plus $8.45 is $394.45 before sales tax, which you apply under your state’s rules.

Rusted hardware, seized caliper bolts and parts prices that differ by supplier are what move a brake estimate, so name the parts brand you priced and say you will call before adding anything.

What the repair estimate covers and excludes

Auto repair estimate mistakes

Comebacks and payment disputes in a repair shop usually start at the counter, not in the bay. These estimate habits cause most of them.

• Writing one lump labor figure, so the customer cannot compare your brake price with another shop’s.
• Starting extra work on a verbal okay with no record, then facing a dispute when the bill tops the estimate.
• Leaving out the VIN and odometer reading that tie the estimate and any warranty to the vehicle.
• Quoting parts without saying OEM or aftermarket, letting a cheaper estimate look the same as yours.
• Charging for diagnosis without saying whether it comes off the repair bill.
• Burying recommended work in the total instead of offering it as lines the customer can approve.