Delaware auto repair estimate rules

Source: 6 Del. C. Sections 4901A through 4908A (Auto Repair Fraud Prevention Act)

Unless waived, a Delaware automotive repair facility must give the customer a written statement before beginning any auto repair work or transmission-repair diagnosis, stating the estimated completion date, the estimated price for parts and labor, and any estimated surcharge. A customer may waive the written estimate and instead receive an oral one, but the shop must then make and sign a written record of the same required information and keep it for at least two years. No auto repair work charge may exceed the estimate without the customer's consent - the statute does not state an automatic percentage or dollar tolerance; any overage requires consent, full stop. The shop must post or provide a specific statutory disclosure statement letting the customer check a box: request a written estimate, request an oral estimate, set a dollar ceiling with no written estimate needed below it, or waive the estimate right entirely. Violators are liable to the customer for twice the amount improperly obtained, plus costs, after the shop is given a chance to resolve the complaint first. The facility must also offer to return all replaced parts except warranty or trade-in parts.