We Don't Provide Estimates Before Seeing Your Vehicle

We do not provide repair or maintenance estimates before we have seen the vehicle. First, bring us the vehicle so we can inspect it, verify what it actually needs, and diagnose any problems where necessary. Only then can we provide a meaningful estimate — not a guaranteed quote. The final bill will be based on the parts, materials, and labor actually required to complete the work, not on a price guessed in advance.

If you want to understand why we work this way, read on.

Why We Are Doing It That Way

A recent phone call provides a good example of how we handle estimates at AB Automotive.

A customer called about a 2020 Honda CR-V. The vehicle was displaying maintenance code “01239,” and she wanted to know how much the required maintenance would cost. She wanted a price immediately, over the phone.

We gave her the only correct answer:

Bring us the vehicle first. Let us look at it. Then we can discuss what it actually needs and what that work is expected to cost.

She didn't like that answer and said she would call somebody else who could give her a price. And that's perfectly fine. But providing prices for vehicles we haven't seen simply to get them through the door is not how we work.

This was actually a relatively simple example. It was only a maintenance reminder code, not a malfunction code requiring diagnosis. But even a maintenance code does not tell us everything we need to know about the actual maintenance needs of a particular vehicle.

We still need to see the vehicle, consider its condition and service history, determine what maintenance is actually appropriate, and then determine what the work is reasonably expected to involve.

Simply producing a dollar amount over the phone because somebody wants one would not make that number accurate.

We Don't Gamble on Repair Costs

The problem becomes even more obvious when an actual repair is involved.

A customer calls with a trouble code, a noise, a leak, or perhaps a diagnosis provided by somebody else and asks: “How much will it cost?”

But we haven't seen the vehicle. We haven't verified the concern. We haven't inspected its condition. We haven't diagnosed the problem ourselves. Giving a firm price under those circumstances isn't serious estimating.

It is gambling.

The shop picks a number before knowing the actual scope of the work and hopes that the job can be completed within that number while still making a profit. That number may help attract a customer. But making bets on unknown repair costs in order to attract customers has very little to do with serious technical work.

Other shops are free to play that game.

We won't.

How We Do Estimates

Our process is straightforward.

First, bring us the vehicle.

We inspect it. We verify the concern or determine its actual maintenance needs. If there is a problem, we diagnose it. We determine what work should reasonably be performed and what conditions we are likely to encounter while performing it.

Only then do we discuss the expected cost.

What we provide by then would be an estimate — our best assessment of the expected cost or cost range based on the information available at that point.

It is not a hard quote or a guaranteed final price.

There is a simple reason for that: the exact cost of the work does not become known until the work has actually been completed.

Before the repair, we can estimate what parts and materials are likely to be required and how much labor the job is reasonably expected to take. But those are still expectations based on the information available before the work begins.

Once the work is completed, those unknowns become known. We know which parts and materials were actually required. We know how much labor was actually necessary to complete the job properly. At that point, we are no longer estimating the cost — we know the cost.

That known cost is what determines the amount you are charged on the final bill.

The final cost may be considerably lower than the estimate. We deliberately try to be careful and conservative when estimating work rather than presenting an unrealistically low number simply to make the job more attractive.

The final cost can also exceed the estimate if the reality of the work turns out to be different from what could reasonably have been expected beforehand — for example, if additional problems become apparent during disassembly, components are seized or damaged, previous repairs create complications, or the work simply requires more time than could be determined during the initial inspection.

That is precisely why it is called an estimate.

Before the work begins, we can make a reasonable assessment of what the job is likely to involve. After the work is completed, we know what was actually involved. You are billed for the work that was actually required — not for our earlier prediction of what that work might cost.

We understand that this approach may seem less convenient — and perhaps even less reassuring — than getting a firm price in advance. But we know it is the only right approach to serious technical work. We are here primarily to maintain and repair vehicles properly, not simply to sell some parts or services at whatever price gets a customer through the door. That is why we will continue to base our estimates and final charges on the actual vehicle, its condition, and the actual work required, even if that approach does not appeal to everyone. If you prefer to shop around for the cheapest promises, you called the wrong number; we are not selling these.

Vehicle in the shop first. Inspection and diagnosis second. Estimate third. Actual completed work determines the final cost and the bill amount.