Repair order template for auto repair shops
A free repair order template for mechanics and garages: customer and vehicle details, the concern, diagnosis, authorisation, parts and labour, and sign-off.
Updated
A repair order is the record a workshop opens when a vehicle comes in: who owns it, what the customer says is wrong, what you found, what the customer agreed to, and what was done. It protects you as much as the customer: if a bill is ever disputed, the repair order shows what was authorised and when.
The sections every repair order needs
Section | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
Customer | Name, phone, email, how they prefer to be contacted | You will need to call for authorisation |
Vehicle | Make, model, year, registration, VIN, odometer reading on arrival | Identifies the vehicle beyond doubt |
Concern | The problem in the customer’s own words | Stops the job drifting from what they asked for |
Diagnosis | What the technician found, with test results and photos | Explains the price you are about to give |
Authorisation | The work and price agreed, who agreed, how and when | Your evidence if the bill is questioned |
Parts and labour | Each part with its number and price; labour hours and rate | Becomes the invoice |
Recommendations | Work found but not done, and how urgent it is | Tomorrow’s booking, and a record you warned them |
Sign-off | Road test, technician, date out, odometer on departure | Closes the job |
The template
Copy these fields into your own form, or use them to check the one you have.
- Repair order number and date in.
- Customer: name, phone, email, preferred contact.
- Vehicle: make, model, year, registration, VIN, odometer in, fuel level.
- Customer concern: in their words, for example “grinding noise from the front when braking”.
- Condition on arrival: existing damage, warning lights, items left in the vehicle.
- Diagnosis: findings, tests run, photos attached.
- Estimate and authorisation: work proposed, price, authorised by, method (in person, phone, signed link), date and time.
- Parts: part number, description, quantity, price.
- Labour: operation, hours, rate.
- Recommended work not done: item, urgency, price if quoted.
- Sign-off: road test done, technician, odometer out, date and time out.
Tips for using it well
- Record the odometer and existing damage before the vehicle leaves the customer’s sight.
- Get authorisation before starting any work beyond the diagnosis, and record it with a time. Some places require a written estimate and the customer’s authorisation by law; check the rules where you work.
- Photograph worn parts before replacing them. It answers most “did you really need to” questions.
- List declined recommendations. It is the start of the next booking and a record that you advised it.
- Pair it with a vehicle safety inspection checklist for inspections.
Repair orders in Primemgr
With the automotive pack switched on, Primemgr calls jobs repair orders and adds vehicle fields such as registration and VIN. Each repair order keeps the customer, the vehicle, the checklist, photos, parts and time in one record, and turns into the invoice without retyping. See work orders and software for automotive workshops.
Official guidance
- Automotive service technicians and mechanics (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Getting an MOT (GOV.UK)