AR-0097 - A Guide to the Auto Repair Law for Repair Facilities and Mechanics

AR-0097 (7/05) • 5,000; $665.07; $0.13

Printed under authority of P.A. 300 of 1974

Additional automotive brochures

published by the Department of State:

Auto Repair Rights & Repair Tips

Consumer’s Automotive Information

& Complaint Kit

Consumer’s Guide to Automatic

Transmission Service

Consumer’s Guide to Brake Repair Service

Consumer’s Guide to Buying a Vehicle

from a Dealership

Consumer’s Guide to Collision Repairs

Consumer’s Guide to Engine Replacement

Consumer’s Guide to Vehicle Leasing

Consumer’s Guide to Vehicle Restoration

Michigan Department of State

Lansing, MI 48918

Telephone: (517) 241-6850

TDD: (517) 322-1477

www.Michigan.gov/sos

Click on “Services to Businesses”

MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF STATE

A GUIDE TO

THE AUTO

REPAIR LAW

For Mechanics and

Repair Facilities

■ Provide An Itemized

Invoice

When repairs are complete, Michigan

law requires you to provide customers a ﬁnal

invoice that lists the prices for parts and labor,

the parts that were installed, and tells whether

the parts were new, used or rebuilt.

The invoice must also include the name

and certiﬁcation number of each mechanic

who worked on the vehicle or who inspected

and approved repairs to the vehicle.

The invoice must be signed by the owner

or someone authorized by the owner to certify

that repairs were done properly.

A customer must receive a copy of the

ﬁnal invoice.

■ Return Replaced Parts

Along with an itemized ﬁnal invoice, the

law entitles the customer to all replaced parts.

If the customer neither asks for a replaced

part nor authorizes you to throw it away – in

other words, he or she does not mention the

part – you must keep it for two business days

after the vehicle is picked up.

If you ask and the customer does not want

the part, you may throw it away.

If you have an exchange agreement with

your supplier for a certain used part, you must

show the part to the customer ﬁrst before

giving it to the supplier or hold the part for

two business days. The customer may keep

the part, provided the customer pays you the

core charge.

■ Make Sure Your Shop

Displays "The Sign"

Michigan law requires all registered

repair facilities to post a consumer

information sign where it may be clearly seen

and read by the customer.

The sign must meet certain requirements,

such as size and wording. See the Repair

Facility Manual for details or contact the

Michigan Department of State.

ecause you are a state-certiﬁed

mechanic or a registered repair

facility, Michigan motorists depend

on you to keep their vehicles running safely

and efﬁciently.

By following the guidelines in this

brochure, you can avoid misunderstandings

and problems with customers. It covers such

important areas as written estimates, itemized

ﬁnal invoices, and mechanic certiﬁcation.

For more details, consult the Michigan

Department of State’s Repair Facility

Manual, which is available on the Department

of State’s Web site at www.Michigan.gov/sos

by clicking on “Services to Businesses.”

If you have any questions, contact the

Department of State at the telephone number

given in this brochure. The department

licenses and regulates mechanics and auto

repair facilities, informs customers and

investigates complaints.

■ Be Properly Certiﬁed

You must be Michigan-certiﬁed to do

work in any of the categories of major motor

vehicle repair. It is against the law to work

in areas for which you are not certiﬁed.

Your mechanic certiﬁcate must be displayed

where it can be clearly seen and read by the

customer.

If you are not certiﬁed in a category, you

must hold a trainee permit to work in that area.

A trainee must work under the supervision of a

certiﬁed mechanic at all times.

Some certiﬁcation categories require

periodic recertiﬁcation. For more information

about recertiﬁcation, check the Department

of State’s Web site at www.Michigan.gov/sos

and click on “Services to Businesses.”

Mechanics and repair facilities must

renew their certiﬁcations and registrations

with the Department of State every year.

■ Always Provide An

Estimate

Michigan law requires you to give every

customer a written estimate when the cost

of repairing a vehicle is $20 or more. This

means you must hand-deliver, fax, mail, or

e-mail the written estimate to the customer

– whether or not the customer requests it.

When the job will cost less than $20,

you do not have to provide a written estimate

prior to the repair unless the customer asks

for it. The best advice is to always provide an

estimate, no matter what the job will cost.

A written estimate must tell what work will

be done, the price of parts, the cost of labor, and

an estimate of time to perform the repair. The

estimate must be given to the customer before

the work begins on the vehicle.

If you ask a customer to sign any written

form, you must give him or her a copy of it at

that time. Do not ask the customer to sign a

blank form.

You may not exceed the written estimate

by more than $10 or 10% (whichever is less)

unless you re-contact the customer, either by

telephone, in person, or in writing, and advise

what the added cost (parts and labor) will be.

The customer must approve the added cost.