I agree - if you are doing work and charging for it, you need an ACCURATE SIGNED work order.
But if I free up a customer's sticky door handle and don'r write a work order and don't charge for it, what liability do I have? The guy has to be a jerk to try to claim any damages and he has no proof I did anything, authorized or not, and he hasn't paid me anything.
Wouldn't go far in court.
As for Mechanic's lien, what lien do you put on a car for something no-one can prove you did and you didn't charge for????? The red herrings are starting to look like Asian Carp in the mississipi!!!
If you do anything to the vehicle and for what ever reason and there are damages you are liable plain and simple. That does not necessarily mean that the vehicle is damaged as a result of your handling. There are dozens of thing that could happen inside the shop. A mechanic backs into the vehicle with another vehicle. Air hose develops a leak and beats the day lights out of the vehicle. While not likely to happen, it does happen. The busier the shop, the more likely. I know, you are being very careful and following all the safety rules but shit happens and you are responsible simply because you chose to did something.
His proof will be the damage and a shop full of mechanics that witness the incident.
Writing the work order protects you.
It probably would not make it to court, the dealer would handle it internally an pay out of his pocket. Keep in mind that I am not talking about a faulty repair so much as something totally unrelated happening to damage the car. For example the customer brings rear view mirror adhesive into the service drive and asks to have the mirror base reglued to the windshield. You don't write a work order, get in the vehicle to move it out of line and open the door against a metal post that protects the building. The door is scratched and or dented. You are liable to repair the vehicle whether you were going to charge for regulating the mirror base or not. That absolutely will go against you in a court hearing.
I mentioned nothing about a lien. but as Swingman mentioned, if you have the signature on the work order and do the work the customer is liable to pay for the repairs whether the vehicle is damaged or not. Technically if you repair the vehicle before a work order is signed the customer is under no obligation to pay the bill. He can simply deny that he authorized the repairs. That too will hold up in a court hearing.
It is just too much of a risk to not have a 15 cent repair order signed whether you charge for the repair or not.
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