Department of Motor Vehicles

The best source for information are the NY State DMV Motor Vehicle Repair Shop Regulations (PDF) (CR-82).

Authorizing repairs

You must have authorization from the customer to make repairs. You can require your customer to

• sign a repair order
• provide a written work order
• authorize the repair by telephone
• you must record the time, the date, and the name of the person who authorized the repairs by phone

 
Final bill more than written estimate

The final bill cannot exceed your written estimate without the consent of the customer. You can charge a reasonable fee to make an estimate.

Customer abandons vehicle

You can try to foreclose a Garagemen's Lien against the vehicle. For more information, read Instructions and Requirements for Filing New York State Garageman's Liens (PDF) (MV-901C).

Storage of a vehicle payment

You can request payment for storage of a vehicle after you notify the customer by mail at the last known address.