Mechanic quote template, and how to get extra work approved

A quote is the price the customer agrees to before you pick up a spanner. Below is a copyable quote template, the same template filled in for a brake job with the GST worked out, and the rules on authorising extra work once a job is under way, with a phone script and an SMS for that call.

Mechanic quote template

Paste it into a doc, an email or a text. The two lines that matter most are “What this quote covers” and the extra-work promise above the signature line. Those are the two lines a dispute turns on.

QUOTE

[Business name] · ABN [11 digits]
[Phone] · [Email]

Quote no: [Q-0001]       Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]
Valid until: [DD/MM/YYYY]

Customer: [Name] · [Mobile]
Vehicle: [Year Make Model] · Rego [ABC123] · Odo [km]

What you told us: [the concern, in the customer's words]
What we found: [inspection result, one or two lines]
What this quote covers: [the repair, plainly]

Description                     Qty    Unit (ex GST)   Amount
Labour: [task]                  [hrs]  [$/hr]          [$]
[Part]                          [qty]  [$]             [$]
[Part]                          [qty]  [$]             [$]

                                 Subtotal (ex GST)     [$]
                                 GST (10%)             [$]
                                 TOTAL (inc GST)       [$]

Not included: [anything you checked but haven't priced]
Parts: [new / genuine / aftermarket / reconditioned]
Warranty: parts [terms], workmanship [terms]

If we find more work once the job is under way, we will stop and
contact you with the cost before doing it. We won't do extra work
without your OK.

To accept: reply YES with this quote number, or sign below.
Name: ______________   Signed: ______________   Date: ________

Worked example: front brakes on a Corolla

The business, customer and prices are invented to show the arithmetic. Use your own labour rate and parts prices.

QUOTE

Ridgeline Mobile Mechanics · ABN 12 345 678 901
0400 000 000 · accounts@example.com.au

Quote no: Q-0212        Date: 06/10/2026
Valid until: 20/10/2026

Customer: Sam Taylor · 0411 111 111
Vehicle: 2016 Toyota Corolla Ascent · Rego ABC12D · Odo 148,300 km

What you told us: "Grinding noise from the front when I brake,
worse in the morning."
What we found: Front pads below 2 mm, both front rotors scored.
What this quote covers: Replace front pads and both front rotors.

Description                     Qty    Unit (ex GST)   Amount
Labour: front pads and rotors   1.5    $130.00         $195.00
Front brake pad set             1      $85.00          $85.00
Front rotor                     2      $95.00          $190.00
Workshop consumables            1      $10.00          $10.00

                                 Subtotal (ex GST)     $480.00
                                 GST (10%)             $48.00
                                 TOTAL (inc GST)       $528.00

Not included: rear brakes (inspected, 6 mm remaining, no work needed).
Parts: new aftermarket pads and rotors.

If we find more work once the job is under way, we will stop and
contact you with the cost before doing it.

1. Ex-GST lines: $195 + $85 + $190 + $10 = $480.00.
2. GST at 10%: $480.00 × 0.10 = $48.00.
3. Total: $480.00 + $48.00 = $528.00. Check: $528.00 ÷ 11 = $48.00.

The “Not included” line earns its place. Writing down that you inspected the rear brakes and found 6 mm stops the “but you said the brakes were done” conversation three months later.

Quote or estimate

Queensland’s consumer guidance puts it simply: estimates are often verbal and approximate, while quotes are more specific and itemise the work. Source: qld.gov.au, Get your car repaired. NSW tells car owners to get a cost estimate or quote in writing that includes parts and labour, and says the repairer should be able to explain any minor increase (nsw.gov.au).

A range doesn’t give you room to do more work unasked. The industry guide to the Australian Consumer Law, written by the ACCC and the state fair trading offices, describes a customer told a service would cost $350 to $450 who was then charged $4,500 for a reconditioned transmission nobody discussed. The guide says he didn’t have to pay for anything beyond what he agreed to. Source: ACL guide: Motor vehicle sales and repairs, 2018.

Charging to inspect

NSW says a repairer can charge for time spent diagnosing, and the owner has to pay that fee even if they don’t go ahead with the repair (nsw.gov.au). Queensland and WA tell owners to check whether there’s a cost before they leave the car. Either way, say the inspection fee out loud at booking and write it on the job card. A fee the customer hears about first on the invoice is a fight you’ll lose on goodwill even if you win on the rules.

Authorising extra work mid-job

The rule is the same in every state guide checked. NSW: “The repairer must only conduct work you have authorised.” Queensland: the owner must approve all repairs, including the inspection and work additional to the original quote. WA: owners authorise work based on the original quote and any agreed additional work. Victoria tells owners to make it clear they must be called before any unauthorised repair (Consumer Affairs Victoria).

The phone call

Call first. An unplanned price lands better in your voice than in a cold text, and you can answer their questions on the spot. Keep it to five points.

The new total is the old one plus the extra: $528.00 + $192.50 = $720.50. The extra is $175.00 ex GST (boot kit $45.00 plus one hour at $130.00), and $175.00 × 1.1 = $192.50.

The text that goes with it

Send this straight after the call, or instead of it if they don’t pick up. It says what happens if they don’t answer, so you can keep working on what they did approve.

Record the yes

• Who approved it (owner, or the person they sent with the car; NSW notes the owner still pays the account).
• When: date and time.
• What exactly, and the price including GST.
• How: their reply text, a signature, or “phone, 2:14 pm” written on the job card.

Then add the extra work as its own lines on the invoice, labelled as approved additional work. The customer can see the original quote and the add-on separately, which matches the itemised account Queensland and Victoria tell owners to ask for.

How long a quote should stay valid

None of the state guides checked set a validity period, so it’s your call. Pick one and print it on the quote. Fourteen days suits most repair work, because parts prices and the car’s condition both move. For anything with a price-volatile part, like an engine or a gearbox, write “parts price held for 7 days” on that line. If a customer comes back after expiry, re-check the parts price and reissue the quote with a new date rather than honouring a stale number at a loss.

If you send quotes for jobs that need pricing before they’re booked, GoFolio can mark a service as quote-first: you build the quote from the job’s draft lines, the customer accepts or declines it on a web page, and you get notified either way. Once a quote is accepted, the job card template and invoice template cover the next two steps.