Free auto repair estimate template
Auto repair estimate template
In most states you cannot legally exceed a written estimate without the customer's authorisation. This layout gives you the paper trail that makes that straightforward instead of awkward.
From
[Your business name]
[Phone] · [Email] · [License #]
Estimate #
[0001]
Date: [__/__/____]
Prepared for
[Customer name]
[Job address]
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic — scan and inspection | 1 | $120.00 | $120.00 |
| Labor — 3.2 hrs @ book time | 3.2 | $135.00 | $432.00 |
| Parts — brake rotors (pair) | 2 | $96.00 | $192.00 |
| Parts — brake pads, ceramic | 1 | $88.00 | $88.00 |
| Shop supplies and disposal | 1 | $34.00 | $34.00 |
| Estimated total | $866.00 | ||
Terms
- Authorisation required before any work exceeding this estimate is carried out.
- Estimate based on book labor time; actual time may vary if seized or damaged fasteners are found.
- Parts carry the manufacturer warranty; labor guaranteed 12 months / 12,000 miles.
- Old parts available for return on request.
Customer signature
Date
Copy the block above into a document, or skip the copy-paste — QuoteFlow fills it in, totals it, and gets it signed on the customer's phone.
Stop re-typing the same estimate
QuoteFlow keeps your line items, builds the PDF, and gets an e-signature before you leave the driveway. First 10 quotes free, then $29/month for unlimited.
Start using QuoteFlowThe written estimate is a legal document
Most US states have an auto repair act requiring a written estimate before work begins, and forbidding you from exceeding it by more than a set percentage without fresh authorisation. That is not red tape working against you — it is your protection. A signed estimate means the customer cannot later claim they never approved the brake job.
Separate diagnostic from repair
You cannot quote a repair you have not diagnosed. Charge the diagnostic as its own line and quote the fix afterwards. Many shops fold diagnostic time into the repair and then eat it when the customer declines the work — which means you did an hour of skilled labor for free.
Write down what might change
Seized bolts, snapped studs, a caliper that will not retract. Book time assumes everything comes apart the way the manual says. Note on the estimate that additional time will be authorised before it is billed, and you turn the most common source of counter-arguments into a process the customer already agreed to.
More free templates: browse all trades