Estimate & Authorization: the full procedure

Give every customer a clear written estimate and get their authorization before any work starts — including disposal and TPMS fees — so there are no surprise charges.

• Applies to: Service advisor / front-counter staff.
• Frequency: Every job before work begins.
• Scope: Covers building and presenting the written estimate, getting authorization, and re-authorizing added work. The legal specifics of written estimates and authorization defer to your state’s auto-repair law and the FTC.

What you need

• Shop-management / estimating software
• Written estimate / work-order form
• Customer contact log
• Current price / labor sheet

The procedure, step by step

1. Build the written estimate — Itemize tires, mounting/balancing labor, TPMS service or sensors, valve stems, and the tire-disposal fee so the total is complete and visible.
2. Separate parts & labor — Show parts pricing and labor as distinct lines, and note any diagnostic or shop fees up front.
3. Explain it plainly — Walk the customer through the estimate in simple language so they understand what each charge is for before they decide.
4. Get authorization first — Obtain and record the customer’s approval — signature or logged verbal/text consent — on the estimate before any work begins.
5. Set the "call before exceeding" rule — Note on the order that you will contact the customer for approval before exceeding the authorized amount, per state law.
6. Re-authorize added work — If a tech finds added work (bent rim, seized lug, extra TPMS sensor), stop, call the customer, and get fresh approval before continuing.
7. Document every approval — Log who approved, how, and when for both the original estimate and any change.
8. Match invoice to estimate — Confirm the final invoice matches the authorized estimate so there are no surprise charges at pickup.

Quality check before you finish

• Estimate itemizes tires, labor, TPMS, and disposal/shop fees.
• Parts and labor shown separately.
• Customer authorization recorded before work started.
• "Contact before exceeding" amount noted on the order.
• Added work re-authorized and logged before proceeding.
• Method, person, and time of each approval documented.
• Final invoice reconciles to the authorized estimate.

This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Tire Shop business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.

Sources

• FTC — Auto Repair Basics (Written Estimate & Approval) (consumer.ftc.gov)
• California Bureau of Automotive Repair — Write It Right (bar.ca.gov)
• Virginia Code 59.1-207.3 — Written Estimate Before Repair (law.lis.virginia.gov)