Estimate & authorisation to proceed

What you need to know

The plain-English guidance that comes with this document.

• Get authorisation before you touch the spanner — and before any extra job. If a customer asked for specific work, you can't add to it and bill for it without their agreement. Note the authorisation here (signed, or by phone/text with the time), and if you find more that needs doing, stop and get it authorised before doing it. Unauthorised work is work the customer can refuse to pay for.
• Know the difference between a quote and an estimate — it matters legally. A quote is a fixed, binding price for the listed work. An estimate is your best guess and can go up "within reason" — but not wildly, and not without telling them. Say clearly which one you're giving; the choose-one at the top does that. Springing a big overspend on an estimate is the classic garage dispute.
• "Within reason" has limits. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 your price must be reasonable and your work done with reasonable care and skill. An estimate that lands at double with no warning isn't "within reason" — keep the customer informed as costs move.
• Record phone and text authorisations. Most extra-work approvals happen by phone. Note who you spoke to, what they agreed, and when — a line in the "extra work" table is enough. If it's not written down, it's your word against theirs later.
• You can hold the car for an authorised unpaid bill — but only that. A garage has a lien: you can keep the vehicle until an authorised bill is paid (even if it's disputed), but you can't sell or dispose of it, and the lien doesn't cover work you weren't authorised to do.
• Applies UK-wide. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies across Great Britain, with equivalent protection in Northern Ireland. Clear estimates and recorded authorisations are your best protection against a payment dispute.