---
id: KB-CS-032
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/use-cases-by-sector/garages-and-automotive-services
idioma: en
categoria: casos-por-sector
subcategoria: automocion
audiencia: usuario
nivel: intermedio
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-CS-027, KB-IC-012]
citadoPor: [KB-CS-014]
---

# Garages and automotive services

_Approved estimates, warranted parts and customers who do not remember authorising anything._

**Responde a:** signed repair authorisation · garage estimate approved by the customer · parts warranty documentation · customer complaint at a garage

The classic garage argument is not technical: it is about what was authorised. The customer remembers a figure, the garage remembers a phone call, and nothing is in writing because the vehicle was on the lift and a decision was needed there and then.

## The three moments worth putting in writing

1. **Reception** — Vehicle condition, mileage, what the customer asks for and what you observe. With photos.
2. **Repair authorisation** — Amount, scope and acceptance. It prevents 90% of arguments.
3. **And the extension, if something turns up** — A second scope accepted, not a phone call each side remembers differently.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> The third causes the expensive complaints. Another fault appears with the vehicle stripped, the customer is phoned, work continues — and the final invoice doubles the estimate the customer does remember. An acceptance from a phone at that moment costs a minute.

## What the garage gains besides avoiding rows

| Element | What it is for later |
| --- | --- |
| Reception photos | Pre-existing damage later blamed on the garage |
| Authorisation with an amount | Non-payment and consumer complaints |
| Traceability of the fitted part | Claiming from the supplier if it fails under warranty |
| History per vehicle | Seeing what was done last time without digging through paper |

> [!WARNING]
> The third row recovers the most money and is kept the worst. When a part fails under warranty, claiming from the supplier requires knowing which reference was fitted, when, and to which vehicle. If that only exists on a purchase invoice, the claim is lost for lack of traceability, not for lack of merit.

## What can be automated without complications

**En corto**

- Next service or inspection reminders per vehicle.
- A reminder to the customer sitting on an unaccepted estimate.
- And an internal warning when a part warranty is about to expire.

> [!NOTE]
> It applies equally to commercial vehicle workshops, agricultural machinery, marine and in-house fleets. The machine changes; the authorisation and warranty problem is identical.

**Must the customer install anything to accept?**

No: they get a link, read it and accept from their phone.

**Does a phone acceptance count as evidence?**

Yes, and considerably better than a call each side remembers.

**What if the customer does not reply?**

They are reminded automatically; until they accept, the work is not extended.

## Ejemplos

**A garage extends a repair over the phone and the customer disputes the invoice.**

- Sends the extension for phone acceptance before continuing
- Keeps the reception photos

→ Invoices stop being disputed and warranty claims to suppliers become defensible.

**A garage invoices a repair and the customer disputes authorising half the work.**

- Sends the quote for signature before starting
- Records each extension with its authorisation
- Stores the signed copy in the vehicle's file

→ The invoice rests on dated authorisations and the dispute closes by looking.

**The extension is agreed by phone mid-repair.**

- Sends it for signature from a phone on the spot

→ What was agreed stops depending on two memories.

**The vehicle's history sits on paper cards.**

- Stores each job in the vehicle's file

→ The next visit starts knowing what was done.

**A customer complains about a repair from two years ago.**

- Checks the vehicle's file

→ You answer from the history.

**A part is replaced and there is no record of which.**

- Records what was replaced and with what reference

→ The part's warranty can be claimed.

**Photos of the vehicle's condition stay on a phone.**

- Captures them into the file on intake

→ The condition on arrival is demonstrable.

**A customer asks for a copy of everything done to their car.**

- Checks the complete file

→ The handover is prepared in minutes.