# Independent garage: quotes and extra work approved in writing

> A quote accepted on the phone, worn discs found at strip-down, a client calling back three times: every approval is kept, from drop-off to handover.

## “I never said yes to the discs”: the repair decided over the phone

A car comes into the workshop for its timing belt. The quote is accepted at the counter or over the phone, and the registration document arrives as a photo by text message. Then, with the wheels off, your mechanic finds discs below the minimum thickness. You call the client, who does not answer; you leave a message, and she calls back while you are under another car.

The car takes up a bay in the meantime. And on invoice day, there is no written record of what was accepted, or when.

## One repair, one folder: the quote, the extra work, the handover

Your client opens the folder through a link, with no account, from their phone. They upload the documents you ask for, or ask you about a noise they have noticed. Your mechanic works in the same folder, opened from the “Mechanical repair” template.

- **Quote**: you attach the quote, and your client accepts or declines it in a sign-off, with the date and their name. Kolinea does not price or invoice: it keeps the record of the approval ([sign-off in detail](/en/features/sign-off)).
- **Extra work**: the photo of the worn part, annotated where it matters, then a choice decision (replace now, at the next visit, call me back); the answer is dated ([choice decisions](/en/features/choice-decisions)).
- **Vehicle documents**: registration document, service book, and for a claim the accident report and the claim number, each with a due date; you accept each document, or decline it with the reason ([document requests](/en/features/document-requests)).
- **Handover**: slots offered to hand the car back; the client picks one and receives the calendar invitation ([appointments](/en/features/appointments)).

A sign-off is a simple approval, not a qualified electronic signature.

## From drop-off to handover, the client knows where their car stands

Each request has a recipient and a due date. Reminders go out two days before the due date, on the day, the day after, then seven days later, and stop as soon as the client answers. You add milestones to the folder: vehicle dropped off, repair done, vehicle ready.

For a repair covered by insurance, the assessor joins the folder as a participant with limited access: they only read what names or mentions them, and your internal notes stay between you.

When the vehicle is returned, you close the folder. Your client and you will find the accepted quote, the extra work and the date of each stage there, for as long as your workspace exists. If the car comes back under warranty, you reopen the folder and everything is still there.