Compare the estimate versions
List additional parts and labour against the original estimate, keeping the technician's explanation attached. Preserve the version identifier on every decision. A general approval message should not be applied to later work unless the relevant person confirms what it covers.
Separate approval from coverage
Track the customer's decision and the insurer's recorded response separately. Neither should be inferred from the other's status. If the response is unclear or applies to an earlier version, prepare a specific question rather than promising that the additional cost is covered.
Explain the remaining dependencies
Combine confirmed parts receipt, workshop status and outstanding approvals into a factual update. A supplier's expected date is not a completed delivery. The service adviser decides what timing can be communicated and records the next update when completion remains uncertain.
Work you can get help with
Illustrative scenario using sample information.
Compare the estimate versions
- What you provide
- Original estimate, revised lines and recorded decisions.
- The useful result
- A change summary showing the work that still needs a decision.
- When the task is complete
- The authorised reviewer confirms the applicable estimate version.
Separate approval from coverage
- What you provide
- Customer approval, insurer response and document references.
- The useful result
- A decision register showing who has responded to which version.
- When the task is complete
- The office resolves the required decisions through its normal process.
Explain the remaining dependencies
- What you provide
- Parts status, workshop notes and open decisions.
- The useful result
- A customer-update draft with confirmed facts and remaining dependencies.
- When the task is complete
- The adviser checks the update and records the next agreed action.
Questions you may have
Does insurer approval replace customer authorisation?
Keep them separate and follow the requirements applicable to the job. This record does not decide what authorisation is legally sufficient.
Can the assistant infer repair completion from an invoice?
No. Use the workshop's checked completion record and distinguish it from billing.
Sources and further reading
- Write It Right: Documentation and authorization requirements for automotive repair dealers
California's Bureau of Automotive Repair describes the original estimate, a revised work order with additional parts and labor, and documentation of additional customer authorization.
This official source applies to California; its requirements should not be transferred to other jurisdictions. Customer authorization does not establish insurance coverage.
2026-11-04
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