Quick Tips
- Consult friends, family or co-workers for garage recommendations.
- If you don’t have a personal referral, shop carefully.
- Ask for references and check them.
- Go to the repair shop and speak with the service manager or owner. Ask to see the mechanic’s licence (if it isn’t posted in plain view) and be wary of low estimates.
- Question any special discount offers – the lowest price may not be the best deal in the long run.
Your Rights
Under Ontario law, a car repair shop is required to offer you an estimate, unless you decline it. If a fee is charged for the estimate, the consumer must be told in advance what the cost is. If the repair shop proceeds with the work, it cannot charge a fee unless the authorization to do the work has been unreasonably delayed. Besides identifying the vehicle, the consumer and the repair shop, the estimate must include:
- an exact description of the work to be done;
- a list of the parts to be installed (whether they are new, used or reconditioned) and the price for each part;
- the number of hours of labour to be billed (and how the labour is calculated, such as an hourly rate, a flat rate or some combination);
- the total amount to be billed.
Repair Estimate Scenario
Her car was making a terrible noise, so a young woman took it to a repair shop on her way home from work. Once inside, she noticed there was no sign indicating the rate for estimates.
Mechanic: Sounds like trouble. Let me take a look.
Woman: It just came up out of the blue.
Mechanic: Yup, it's your muffler. Don't worry, I can fix it for you.
Woman: How much is it going to cost me?
Since the woman had no idea what a muffler job usually costs, she agreed to the mechanic’s verbal $200 estimate. The mechanic offered to take care of it on the spot, and she happily agreed to the price. She did not receive a written estimate.
What’s wrong with this picture?
The consumer’s first clue that the repair shop was not on the up-and-up was that no sign was posted in a visible place, as required under Part VI of Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act, 2002. The sign must include the following information:
- the repairer must not only offer a written estimate but must also inform the consumer whether or not there is a fee for providing the estimate;
- that if there is a fee for the estimate, it will not be charged if the work or repairs are carried out, unless authorization for the work or repairs is unreasonably delayed by the consumer;
- the basis on which the repairer charges for labour, such as on an hourly or flat rate, or both;
- whether there is a charge for diagnostic time and, if so, the amount that will be charged;
- whether commissions are paid to mechanics;
- that replaced parts will be available after the work is done, unless the repairer is told that the consumer does not wish to have the parts returned;
- any other charges that the consumer will have to pay, such as storage, pickup or delivery of the vehicle, or providing the consumer with a "loaner" vehicle.
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