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 Not Doing It

Because we see the same pattern with estimate requests over and over again.

Someone calls and asks, “How much to do this or that?” We spend our limited time preparing an estimate — sometimes a complex one, sometimes several — only to have the vehicle arrive and discover that it doesn't even need half of what we were asked to quote. Instead, it needs other things, often considerably more important and urgent.

And even when the requested work is actually needed, without seeing the vehicle we cannot account for many important details that may affect the job.

When I say this happens over and over again, I am not exaggerating. It happens almost every time.

Sometimes a customer was given a long list of recommended repairs during one of those “free inspections.”

Have you ever wondered why the inspection was free?

Because its cost has to be recovered somewhere, and selling the repairs it finds is the obvious place. I don't commonly see completely imaginary problems or perfectly good parts falsely condemned. What I do see far too often are relatively minor problems exaggerated and presented as serious or urgent, with little consideration given to whether the repair makes economic sense for the customer.

Upsell, people, upsell!

You liked getting that “safety inspection” for free. Then you didn't like the price of everything those wonderful people, so deeply concerned about your safety that they apparently worked for free, discovered your vehicle desperately needed.

So now you call us and ask us to quote their shopping list.

Or perhaps the diagnosis came from your uncle, your neighbour, some guy on the Internet — and, increasingly, ChatGPT. Or maybe you figured it out yourself. Why not? Automotive repair ain't rocket science after all.

And your diagnosis might be absolutely correct.

But I still have to verify it.

Instead, you call and ask: “How much to replace this part? Tell me right now.” Sometimes without even telling us what the original problem is.

Or perhaps another shop actually diagnosed a major problem — a stretched timing chain, a leaking head gasket, or something similar. You saw their estimate, didn't like the number, and decided to “shop around” for a cheaper promise.

But a proper estimate for a complex repair is itself real work. A timing chain job is not JUST a timing chain. A head gasket job is not JUST a head gasket. There may be a long list of parts, fluids, seals, hardware, outside services and labor to research. Preparing a realistic estimate can easily take an hour or more.

Do you seriously expect us to spend an hour researching a vehicle we haven't even seen just to compete for your business with the cheapest number?

No.

And why, for a complicated repair, are you looking primarily for someone who is cheap rather than someone who is good? Are those two things supposed to mean the same thing?

The shop that diagnosed the vehicle had one enormous advantage: they actually saw it.

We haven't.

We cannot see corrosion, previous repairs, broken hardware, modifications, leaks, damage, or anything else that may affect the job through a telephone. Nor can we possibly remember every detail of every repair on every make, model, engine and configuration.

Get real. Bring the car in and let us see it first.

And what if the other shop's diagnosis is wrong?

Suppose you ask us to replace the component they diagnosed. We do exactly that, you receive a four-figure bill — and the original problem is still there.

Who is responsible?

If we accept the job, it will ultimately be us who are expected to stand behind the result. Saying “Well, that's what you told us to replace” isn't much of a professional standard. If we are expected to stand behind the repair, we need to verify that the repair makes sense in the first place.

We have enough work preparing estimates for vehicles already in our shop. We do not have time to research hypothetical repairs on vehicles we haven't seen for people shopping around for the sweetest price promise.

It may sound rude, but it is what it is.

We don't have time for these games. Seriously.

We Don't Gamble on Repair Costs

You know what that “quote” you can get over the phone really is?

In many cases, it is essentially a bet.

Unless we are talking about a highly repeatable job — something a particular shop or mechanic performs frequently, on the same vehicles and under reasonably predictable conditions — a repair “estimate” made without seeing the vehicle is often little more than an attempt to pick a number.

The number has to be low enough to get you through the door, but high enough that the shop still hopes to make a profit after the actual costs are known. That has very little to do with genuinely estimating the cost of the work.

It is gambling.

The shop picks a number before knowing the actual scope of the job and hopes reality fits the bet.

But what happens when it doesn't?

Perhaps they call you halfway through the repair and ask for additional authorization because the job is going to cost more than expected. Now that attractive price that brought you through the door isn't so attractive anymore. You may be angry. Worse, you may not even have enough money available to finish a repair that is already underway.

And that isn't necessarily the worst possible outcome.

What if, instead of changing the price to fit the actual work, someone starts changing the work to fit the price?

There are plenty of ways to do that in automotive repair, particularly when the customer usually has very limited ability to verify what was actually done.

Use cheaper parts. Use used parts where new ones were expected. Use cheaper materials. Skip cleaning and preparation. Reuse hardware or components that should have been replaced. Skip procedures that take time. Ignore proper torque specifications. Rush the job.

Or, at the extreme, simply don't perform everything that was quoted and billed.

Would you actually know?

A shop made a bet. Now the shop discovers that the bet isn't going to pay. Are you certain that everyone will simply absorb the unforeseen costs, work the additional hours for free, and still perform the job to the same standard? I'm not saying nobody will. I've done exactly that myself in the past.

But it isn't sustainable.

Eventually, one of two things has to happen: you start finding ways to make the job fit the price, or you become more conservative and realistic with your estimates.

And once you choose the second option, you inevitably become “expensive” compared with somebody who is still willing to make the sweeter bet.

Other shops are free to play in that casino.

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.