A customer leaves a car with a noise, a budget and a phone number. Before your mekaniko starts, you need a record of what the customer reported, what you found and what they agreed to pay for.
That is the job order’s purpose. Attach an inspection checklist, then keep both with the completed work. When the customer returns, you should be able to follow the story without asking everyone to remember it.
Here is a suggested automotive job order form, field by field, with a 20-point inspection checklist and a 40-point extension. Adapt them to the vehicles and work your talyer accepts.
Give every job a written authorization the customer can read.
Record the complaint, the plate number, the approved items and the findings in one job order, and keep the vehicle’s history searchable. Garage does not issue your Philippine registered tax invoice. From ₱1,199 a month, one user, up to 100 job orders a month.
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Build the job order around a clear sequence
Keep intake, inspection, approval and completion separate. Do not write the diagnosis into the box meant for the customer’s complaint. Do not let a list of recommended repairs look like a list of authorized repairs.
Give each job order a reference number. Put that reference on the checklist, estimate, approval record and completion notes. Record who created the job and when the vehicle arrived.
Use the following fields as your starting layout. These are recommended shop controls, not a government-prescribed form.
| Field | What to record | Why it belongs there |
|---|---|---|
| Customer | Name, contact number, contact person and billing details needed for the job | Identifies who you must contact and whose instructions you are recording |
| Vehicle | Plaka, make, model, year if known and an internal vehicle reference | Connects this visit to the right vehicle |
| Odometer | Reading, unit, date and whether the reading was unavailable | Gives the next visit a useful reference |
| Reported complaint | The customer’s words, when the problem occurs and relevant circumstances | Keeps the original request separate from your conclusions |
| Inspection and diagnosis | Observations, measurements, tests, findings and the mekaniko’s name | Shows the basis for the proposed repair |
| Proposed services | Each operation, scope and estimated labor charge | Makes the work understandable before approval |
| Proposed parts | Description, identifying details, quantity and estimated charge | Shows which parts are included |
| Authorization | Approver’s name, approved items, amount or limit, date, time and method | Records the exact version the customer accepted |
| Signatures | Customer or authorized representative, receiving staff and relevant dates | Links acknowledgment to named people |
| Completion and release | Work actually done, final checks, release date, warranty document and invoice reference | Connects the original request to the finished job |
Record the complaint before diagnosing it
“Noise at the front when turning slowly” is a reported complaint. “Replace steering component” is a proposed action. Keep both, with the inspection findings between them.
Ask when the symptom occurs and whether the customer has noticed warning lights or recent changes. Write “not reported” where appropriate. Avoid filling gaps with assumptions simply to finish the form.
For the diagnosis, distinguish a confirmed finding from a suspected cause that needs further testing. Record the next proposed step and whether it needs additional authorization. This lets the person preparing the estimate explain what is known.
Describe parts and labor so another person can check them
Break the estimate into understandable services and parts. Include quantities and the part specification you intend to supply. Record customer-supplied parts separately rather than letting them appear as parts sold by the talyer.
If the scope changes, keep the earlier version and record the revision. Link the new amount to the added work. “Customer agreed” without a name, time or description leaves the next person guessing.
For completion, record actual work and parts used. Explain any difference from the approved version. Keep unfinished, declined and recommended work distinct from completed work.
Get approval for the specific work and amount
Written authorization gives you something concrete to review when a customer questions the bill: the scope, price or spending limit, approver and time. Treat it as evidence of the agreement, not a guarantee that every dispute will end in your favor.
A useful approval entry might read:
> Approved: items 1–3 on estimate version 2, up to ₱4,500. Approved by: [name]. Date and time: [record]. Method and supporting record: [record].
The amount is an illustration, not a suggested repair price. Add a signature field when approval is taken in person. For approval received another way, retain the actual message or other supporting record and link it to the job.
Separate permission to inspect from permission to repair. If inspection or diagnosis has a charge, explain that scope and charge before starting. Ask for fresh approval before work outside the agreed scope or limit.
A signature at vehicle intake should have a clear purpose. Do not use it as a substitute for approval of repairs that have not yet been described. Likewise, keep a release acknowledgment separate from the earlier authorization.
Written approval and the DTI warranty are different
Presidential Decree No. 1572, dated 11 June 1978 establishes the accreditation framework. The decree itself does not require the written estimate or job order template suggested here. Present written authorization as a practical control, rather than inventing that obligation under the decree.
The warranty requirement is separate. The DTI-FTEB accreditation requirements for service and repair enterprises call for an undertaking/warranty with a minimum of 90 days. The DTI accreditation application form includes a written warranty covering workmanship and process, with the period counted from the date of actual release and delivery. Accreditation itself, with its fees, requirements and deadlines, is covered in DTI accreditation for auto repair shops.
Read those documents together. The accessible form leaves the number of days blank; the published checklist supplies the minimum. Do not describe the blank as permission to offer any period you choose.
Keep the written warranty with the completed job, and give the customer the applicable terms. Record the covered work, release date and how to contact the shop about a concern. Have your DTI office confirm the form and terms applicable to your accreditation.
Do not replace the warranty with a signature saying the customer accepts the vehicle. Approval to begin work, acknowledgment of release and the warranty each answer a different question.
Use a 20-point car inspection checklist for initial observations
The following is an editorial template, not an official Philippine inspection standard. Its 20 points are 20 recording rows. Have a qualified mekaniko adapt the scope and methods to the vehicle and the agreed inspection.
Use a status for every row: checked—record finding, attention needed, not checked or not applicable. Add notes, measurements where taken, the inspector and the date. A blank box should never quietly become a pass.
1. Customer’s reported symptom and whether it was observed. 2. Odometer reading and units. 3. Dashboard warning-light observations. 4. Visible body damage at intake, with location references. 5. Windshield and mirror condition observations. 6. Wiper and washer operation observations. 7. Headlight operation observations. 8. Other exterior light operation observations. 9. Horn operation observation. 10. Seat-belt condition and operation observations. 11. Tire condition, with each position identified. 12. Tire pressure readings against the vehicle’s specified values. 13. Visible wheel condition observations. 14. Engine-oil level and visible-condition observations, where applicable. 15. Coolant level observation using the prescribed safe procedure. 16. Brake-fluid level observation, where applicable. 17. Visible fluid leaks and their locations. 18. Visible battery condition, where applicable. 19. Visible belts and hoses within the agreed access. 20. Visible steering, suspension and brake concerns within that access.
Keep this initial checklist distinct from a diagnostic report. For example, recording a fluid level does not establish why it changed. A visible-condition entry should not imply that an inaccessible component was examined.
Use the checklist to decide what needs explanation, further inspection or an estimate. Prioritize findings with the customer. Do not turn every observation into an approved replacement part.
Expand to 40 points when the agreed scope needs more detail
For this proposed 40-point version, retain points 1–20 and add the 20 rows below. Agree access, testing and any charges before proceeding. Use the manufacturer’s procedures and suitable equipment; these rows are prompts for records, not instructions for carrying out repairs.
21. Front brake friction-material measurements, where accessible. 22. Rear brake friction-material measurements, where accessible. 23. Front brake disc or drum findings against specifications. 24. Rear brake disc or drum findings against specifications. 25. Accessible brake hose and line findings. 26. Parking-brake inspection or test findings. 27. Steering joint and boot inspection findings. 28. Suspension joint and bushing inspection findings. 29. Shock absorber or strut inspection findings. 30. Wheel-bearing inspection findings under the agreed procedure. 31. Driveshaft, CV-joint and boot findings, where applicable. 32. Exhaust system and mounting findings. 33. Accessible underbody condition findings. 34. Transmission-fluid inspection findings, where applicable and permitted. 35. Final-drive fluid inspection findings, where applicable. 36. Engine air-filter inspection findings. 37. Cabin-filter inspection findings, where fitted. 38. Battery test results, if included in the agreed scope. 39. Diagnostic scan results, if applicable and authorized. 40. Authorized road-test findings, if safe and appropriate.
Record the measured value, specification reference and location when a conclusion depends on a measurement. For a scan, retain the actual findings; do not turn a recorded code alone into an approved diagnosis.
Twenty points can be enough to document an agreed intake check and identify the next step. They are not enough to claim that checks outside that scope were completed. Forty points provide more recording space here, but the count alone does not establish inspection quality.
If the reported problem needs a specific diagnostic procedure, add it to the agreed scope. Do not let the checklist’s length decide whether you investigate a concern. A vehicle may need specialist assessment beyond either version.
Turn the checklist into a clear estimate
Before preparing the estimate, review the findings with the mekaniko. Ask what was checked, what remains uncertain and what work is proposed. Keep notes or photos referenced to the relevant row and job number.
Separate immediate recommendations, further testing and work the customer may consider later. State what each price covers. Where you cannot yet price a repair, explain the next diagnostic step instead of presenting a guessed repair as confirmed.
Return to the authorization section after the estimate is ready. Record accepted and declined items separately. If the customer authorizes only part of the work, the job order should make that boundary visible to the person doing it.
At release, compare the approved work with the completed-work record. Check parts, labor, adjustments and the separate invoice process before handing the vehicle back.
Make the job order useful on the next visit
Keep each job under a consistent vehicle reference, with the plaka recorded for searching. Preserve earlier plate details when corrected or changed, and retain another identifying reference where available. Verify the vehicle before relying on an old record.
On the next visit, aim to find the complaint, date, odometer, diagnosis, parts, labor, approvals and warranty information from the same history. Test that retrieval with a completed job, rather than accepting a screen containing only the customer’s name.
For paper forms, keep the signed original in an organized file. If you scan it, check that every page is readable and linked to the correct job. Give one person responsibility for filing completed jobs and checking missing attachments.
A loose job order becomes a problem when nobody can produce the agreed scope or explain a charge. Prevent that failure by testing retrieval: ask someone who did not handle the repair to find its approval and completion record.
Keep the job order separate from the tax invoice
The job order records instructions, findings and work. It is not the talyer’s registered tax invoice. BIR’s RMC No. 77-2024 digest requires a duly registered VAT Invoice or Non-VAT Invoice under the applicable rules. A shop document or PDF should not be treated as meeting that requirement merely because it contains a total. What your counter must issue, and what changed with the EOPT Act, is in Invoice or Official Receipt.
Use Garage for job orders, estimates, vehicle history and operational control. Garage does not issue the registered tax invoice required for your Philippine business. Confirm your invoicing arrangement with your Revenue District Office (RDO), and link the separate invoice reference to the completed job.
Garage’s in-system checklist feature is Premium only. The suggested checklists above can help you plan your process, but they are not a promise that the Essential plan includes that feature. Our breakdown of what shop management software costs for a talyer sets out which plan covers what.
Start with one consistent job order, a clearly scoped inspection and a retrievable approval. Those are practical things to test before changing the way your talyer works.
Keep the checklist and the job order in the same record.
Inspection checklists in the system are a Premium feature at ₱3,299 a month, and you build your own. Essential already covers the job order, estimates and vehicle history by plate number. From ₱1,199 a month, one user, up to 100 job orders a month.
7 days free · No credit card · No annual contract
Checked against DTI and BIR published guidance in November 2026. Accreditation requirements, warranty terms and invoicing rules change — confirm the current requirements with DTI, your LGU and your BIR RDO before relying on them. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
