Mechanic estimate template
A written estimate is the cheapest insurance a mechanic has against “that’s not what you told me.” This page has a general estimate template you can copy for any job, and job-by-job templates with the lines already laid out and a filled-in example for each.
Estimate templates by job
- Brake job estimate template: pads and rotors, per axle, with measurements
- Alternator replacement estimate template: charging system test, core charge, belt
- Starter replacement estimate template: starting system test, cables and grounds
- No-start diagnostic estimate template: the diagnosis approved first, the repair second
- Mobile mechanic invoice template: the invoice that follows the estimate
Prefer to fill it in on screen and print it? Use the free mechanic estimate and invoice generator.
The general estimate template (copy this)
Your business: name, phone, email
Estimate number and date:
Customer: name, phone, email
Vehicle: year, make, model, engine, VIN, odometer
Where the work happens: street address of the driveway, lot or shop
What the customer told you: the complaint, in their words
What you found: test results and measurements, in plain words
| Type | Description | Qty or hours | Rate or unit price | Line total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | ___ | ___ h | $___ per hour | $___ |
| Part | ___ | ___ | $___ | $___ |
| Part | ___ | ___ | $___ | $___ |
| Fee | ___ (service call, disposal, shop supplies) | 1 | $___ | $___ |
Subtotal: $___
Tax: $___ (on the lines your state taxes)
Total: $___
Not included, quoted separately if needed: ___
Customer OK to proceed: name, date
What every mechanic estimate needs
The vehicle, down to the engine. Labor times and parts change with the engine. An estimate that says “Honda Accord” can be off by an hour.
The complaint and what you found. Write the customer’s words and your results side by side. When the customer reads “grinding when braking” next to “front pads at 2 mm”, the price makes sense.
Labor in hours times your rate. Use the book time for the exact vehicle from your labor guide. Hours on the page show the customer how the number was built.
Each part on its own line. Quantity times your price, with new or remanufactured written where it matters.
Fees named in plain words. A mobile service call, a disposal fee or shop supplies each get a line, so nothing shows up on the invoice the customer didn’t see first.
What’s not included. The other axle, the battery, the belt: write down what you saw and didn’t quote, so a later “you never told me” has an answer.
A yes, in writing, before you start. Name and date, or an approval from a link. Then the invoice is the same lines the customer already said yes to.
Mobile mechanic or shop: what changes
A shop estimate and a mobile estimate share every line above. A mobile estimate adds two things: the address where the work happens, and the service call as its own line. Driving to the customer is part of the job, and the estimate should say so before you start the engine.
Build your estimates in GarageSolo
- Start a job with the customer and the vehicle.
- Add labor lines with hours times your rate, part lines with quantity times price, and fee lines named however you name them.
- Mark which lines are taxable. The app adds the subtotal, the tax and the total.
- Turn the screen around: that’s your quote, line by line.
- Back in range, share the estimate link. The customer approves it there, with no login, or declines it.
- When the work is done, create the invoice from the same job and email it to the customer.
You can write up the estimate with zero bars in the driveway. It saves on your phone and syncs when you are back in range. Sharing the link needs a signal.
The Free plan has no card and no time limit, with 5 invoices a month. GarageSolo is built by a mobile mechanic in Middle Georgia: mobile mechanic software.
Estimate template questions
Is this mechanic estimate template free?
Yes. Copy it, print it and change it to fit your shop.
What’s the difference between an estimate and a quote?
In a repair business the two words usually mean the same thing. Either way, write the lines and the total, and get the customer’s yes before you start.
Can I get it as a PDF?
Print this page to PDF from your browser. In GarageSolo, the estimate is an itemized PDF with your shop name on it.
How do I get a customer to approve an estimate?
In writing, before the work starts. On paper, that’s a name and date. In GarageSolo, the customer approves it from a link on their phone.